Congratulations! Pregnancy is an incredible special time that comes with some extraordinary changes. With this special time comes a plethora of emotions: excitement, uncertainty. So many emotions you may even feel nauseous - that or your morning sickness has already kicked in. No matter what you are feeling, Willow is here to guide you through your motherhood journey.

At this point, you may be wondering what you need to do? Where do you start? Let’s dive into the top three things to do in the early phases of pregnancy, according to the experts themselves - veteran moms!

It can be easy to skip meals, cut back on sleep, and forget to drink water when we are going about the business of daily life. During your pregnancy - the early days especially - you will need to focus on taking care of your body more than ever. For many women it helps to remember that the only way to take care of your baby in utero is to take care of and nourish your body.

Getting Established with a Doctor

The first step is to confirm your pregnancy and get established with a doctor. It is important to find a healthcare provider that is not only within your insurance network but that you trust to care for you and your baby. Once you meet with your doctor, you can develop a prenatal care plan based on your individual medical history and needs.

Once you have confirmed your pregnancy and met with your doctor, you will be encouraged to start taking a prenatal vitamin. These vitamins will help provide you and your baby with the nutrients necessary to help maintain a healthy pregnancy. Choosing a prenatal can be overwhelming with all of the options available. Do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about which one is right for you!

Hydration is Key

Drinking water is of the utmost importance during your pregnancy, but the most repulsive in the first trimester. Water contributes to your amniotic fluid and helps spread nutrients throughout your body. If you are struggling with morning sickness, try small sips of water frequently throughout the day. A fun trick for figuring out how much water to drink is to drink half of your weight in ounces every day!

Eat What You Can, When You Can

Focusing on your nutrition is key during pregnancy. You want to be sure you are eating a well balanced diet full of the nutrients you and baby need for healthy development. In the early days of pregnancy, this goes out the window if you are struggling with morning sickness and food aversions. While you want to eat as healthily as possible, the goal in the first trimester is to keep your food down. Figure out what pregnancy-safe foods you can tolerate and stock up!

Pregnancy is an exciting time in a woman’s life. It is also a time filled with wavering emotions, mood swing, and a strong awareness of all that is unknown. Sometimes it can feel like you are experiencing every feeling at once and nothing is able to help it. Know that in these moments you are not crazy - you are seeping hormones and growing a human!

Hormone fluctuation is a normal part of pregnancy. One of the best ways to combat these feelings is to know they are a part of the process and that there are things you can do to help ease them.

Practice Self Care

Dedicating and taking the time to focus on yourself can help reduce stress and make you feel more yourself. Before you say that you don’t have time, let us reassure you that self-care doesn’t have to be anything intricate. Self-care is about mindfully doing things to promote your physical and emotional wellbeing.

Here are some of our favorite quick and simple self-care ideas:

1. Take time to do the things you enjoy. Go on a walk, read a book, or cuddle up on the cough for a Netflix session.

2. Make an effort to connect with the people you love. Go out to meals (as you can tolerate), meet for coffees, whatever brings you joy.

3. Rest as much as you can.

4. Take a warm bath or shower to relax your muscles

5. Spend time in mindful activities like breathing or meditation.

Manage Stress

While pregnancy is an exciting and wonderful time, it can bring about a lot of stress in addition to the stress of your everyday life. Stress takes a toll on both you and your baby in pregnancy. Staying on top of managing your stress levels will help promote a healthy mindset for you during your pregnancy.

If you notice your stress levels increasing, share your concerns with someone. Being able to lean on support people, whether friends or your partner, is going to be key in your pregnancy. If you need help being accountable, develop a plan for managing your stress through mindful self-care and share it with your support system.

Mental health care and support is nothing to be ashamed of or shy about. If your emotions feel too severe or unmanageable, it is important to talk to your family, friends, and provider for help.

Pregnancy is a time of major change! Your body, mind, and event relationships will change on what feels like a daily basis. One way to keep yourself centered is to establish routines for your daily life. Setting these routines will not only help you stay on top of things, but can help reduce your stress level, improve your sleep, and improve your overall health.

As far as routines go, there are three key routines you will want to prioritie: eating, sleeping, and exercising regularly.

Eating Regularly

To support a healthy pregnancy, your body needs more nutrients than before. While your body is supporting two people, you do not necessarily have to eat for two. Aiming for about 500 extra calories per day will help meet you and baby’s nutritional needs.

For many women, eating in the early days of pregnancy is the hardest to do in the wake of morning sickness. One method of combating morning sickness (or all day sickness) is to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. As counterintuitive as it may feel, eating something you can tolerate through the nausea is one of the best ways to get through the nausea.

Sleeping Regularly

Getting enough sleep during pregnancy is essential! While you may feel tired enough to sleep all of the time, there are many pregnancy changes that can disturb your typical sleeping patterns. It is important to find ways to combat the discomfort, hormone changes, and anxiety that may heighten at night.

To help maintain or create a solid sleep schedule, you will need to be as consistent as possible. Training your body to sleep at the same time each night is a great way to do this. One of the best ways to adjust your body to a new sleep schedule is to develop and maintain a sleep routine, like you will do for your new baby.

Your sleep routine should consist of things that are calming and enjoyable to you. You can incorporate any sort of self-care activity into your nightly sleep routine to help relax and prepare your mind and body for a good night’s sleep. Having pillows and blankets to support your body and the aches you may feel will also assist you in bettering your sleep.

Exercising Regularly

With your doctor’s approval, you will want to continue exercising throughout your pregnancy. Your pregnancy exercise may look different than your “normal” exercise and that is okay! Even if you just take time to go on a walk every day, the important thing is to keep your body moving.

Whether you are out walking or doing a form of exercise at home, be sure to keep water with you and hydrate consistently!

Even if you are in the early stages of pregnancy, it is never too soon to start thinking of your breastfeeding journey. At Willow, we strive to educate and support moms throughout their pregnancy and motherhood. See what sets us apart from other pumps and join our Willow family!