How To Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

How to Stay Fit and Healthy through Pregnancy
- by Jemma Major

Your Diet -

Balance is Best

Eating unbalanced meals will cause you to get hungrier quicker . When you eat only one of your food groups (i.e. a big bowl of pasta), you will get hungrier A LOT quicker than if you were to eat a balanced meal consisting of 3 food groups (pasta, chicken, vegetables).

Quench Your Thirst First!

Hunger is NOT necessarily always hunger for food! Often we misinterpret the rumbling of our stomach as hunger when it's often thirst - and pregnant women need to drink A LOT.

Pregnant women also need to eat a healthy diet - so this is NOT an excuse to avoid eating your recommended calories/nutrients - rather pay attention to where your body needs at the time!

Mind Over Stomach!

As I'm sure most of you already know - hunger is NOT always physical . Sometimes those hunger pangs (especially for junk food!) are driven more by sight, smell or memory, rather than a physical need.

So, when you feel those junk food cravings coming on, work through them by distracting yourself with an activity OR opting for something on the healthy side (like a yogurt with chocolate sprinkles rather than a big chocolate bar).

All in all...

I know that eating well takes time, but believe me the rewards (such as increased energy, improved well being, and better weight management), are definitely worth the effort! And that's not to mention all the good things eating well does for your growing baby, which is priceless!

Fitness -

Check with your GP

As always, make sure to get your doctor's okay BEFORE you begin your exercise routinE.

Stick to what you know!

I know you hear this all the time, but there's a good reason for it. Because there are so many changes going on in your body NOW is NOT the time to start something new.

Use common sense when you're trying to decide whether to continue your pre-pregnancy exercise workout or not.

here are some suggestions:

Avoid running long distances and training for marathons, they are too intense for this time in your life. Moderate your activity by slowing down the intensity and duration and you should be fine.

Avoid training in intense heat, on steep inclines or at high altitudes. Choose even terrain and stick to public places.

Avoid sports like judo, squash and tennis - they involve too many jerky movements and rapid changes in direction, which is too much for your loose joints and poor balance to deal with.

Do not do any pregnancy exercises that require you to lift overhead, lie on your back or press a lot of weight forward

Aim to do the majority of your exercises in a supported position, preferably sitting down or holding on to something stable - avoid lying on your back AFTER your third month.

Regardless of which workout you're doing, ALWAYS ensure that you are well hydrated.

Never exercise on an empty stomach or without water. Keep a water bottle with you at all times. And if you need a little extra boost, try adding a little fruit juice.

Remember, pregnancy is NOT the time to push yourself or your body.

Tom, Jemma, William, James and George – welcome to our family. We are, I feel proud to say, a strong and close family that enjoy living in Devon UK. Our children are 3 typical boys - loud and boisterous each with there own individual characters. Tom works as a marketing specialist whilst I remotely run a home interiors shop whilst trying to keep up with the boys in my life! William and Tom enjoy nothing better that a competitive games of squash together whilst James, George and I enjoy a walk along the local beach or football in the garden.

Learn how to get your baby to sleep through the night