Natural Pregnancy Tips

If you haven’t heard I’m prego!!  Ok, you probably have.  I’ve been asked about so many different things since becoming pregnant.  Being pregnant the second time around is a lot different too.  I feel so much more relaxed.  I thought I would just compile some tips I’ve learned from both pregnancies into a blog post.  There’s so many things to consider after finding out your pregnant.  It can seem a little daunting!  Hopefully, these tips will help to make the transition a little easier.

Take a prenatal with folate and not folic acid.  Folic acid is synthetic.

One of the first things pregnant women do after finding out they’re pregnant is supplementing with a prenatal.  More often than not, it contains folic acid.  Most doctors are still prescribing folic acid to newly pregnant moms.  Unfortunately, it’s not even good for you!  Here Dr. Ben Lynch gives great insight into why you should be taking folate instead of folic acid.

Get at least 80-100 grams of protein a day.

I remember thinking this seemed crazy with my first pregnancy!  However, your baby is growing so rapidly and needing the extra protein for fetal development.  Plus, for me the biggest thing I noticed when I ate enough protein, especially in my first pregnancy was increased energy and less nausea.  It helped keep me full longer which kept my nausea at bay.

Ditch the soda and grab a sparkling water instead.

No one should be drinking soda or pop anyways, but especially during pregnancy.  It might sound good with all the bubbles and fizz but grab a sparkling water instead.  I like to add lemon or lime to my sparkling water and some stevia-instant fizzy drink minus the artificial sugar spike.  This has helped me so much, especially during my first trimester when food doesn’t sound that appealing, and all you want is something to ease the nausea.

Avoid synthetic laundry detergents and snag a natural one instead.

Mainstream laundry detergents are full of toxic ingredients these days.  The last thing you want to do is be soaking all the toxins up everyday through sleeping and your clothes.  Plus, most of them are filled with synthetic fragrance that you or your baby should not be exposed to.  Why not start prepping for when baby comes anyways?  Who wants a newborn drenched in synthetic chemicals?  Not my child!  I really love these natural laundry detergents.

Avoid air fresheners and candles and stick with essential oils.

Air fresheners are a no, no all around.  I can smell the artificial fragrance a mile away.  No one should be breathing in these toxins, pregnant or not but especially being pregnant.  Candles are so sketchy too.  Some say soy but then have artificial fragrance, or are made with part soy, part paraffin(petroleum), my recommendation is just steer clear.  It’s 9 months guys, not a life time.  Stick with pure, organic essential oils instead.  Get a diffuser and diffuse them in your home.  I really like Mountain Rose Herbs Essential Oils-pure essential oils.

Craving Carbs? Opt for a grain free waffle.

You hear it so often when women are newly pregnant-all they want is carbs.  Carbs aren’t bad in and of themselves but an overdoes of bad carbs are.  Especially when it’s all in the form of white flour!  I definitely craved carbs and still do with this pregnancy.  I’ve found a couple tricks to help satisfy my cravings without putting me into a carb coma.  One recipe I love is from Britney Angel and is her Paleo Waffles.  They’re so tasty!  I mean I would choose these over regular waffles any day.  I’ll make a batch, freeze them and take them out, and toast them whenever I’m needing a pick me up.

Clean your home with natural cleaners.

It’s surprising to me how many people continue using their toxic chemical cleaning products when pregnant.  The scent on them alone is enough to have me running the other way, not to mention having it come in contact with my skin.  Word of advice?  Just ditch all your conventional cleaners and grab some natural ones.  You and your baby don’t need to have those toxins around.  Instead, swap it out for my favorite cleaning products, like baking soda, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.  I have a full list here of all the products I use-the list is actually really short!

Get a natural stretch mark prevention cream.

Avoid all the mainstream stretch mark creams filled with synthetic chemicals and snag a natural one instead. Let’s be real, I rubbed stretch mark cream on my belly a couple times a day during my first pregnancy.  Well, it paid off-no stretch marks!  But I can’t imagine if I was using some synthetic filled one.  Everything you put on your skin absorbs into your body-so you better be careful what your applying.  I really love Buckaroo Organics Mother Hen Belly Butter.  It goes on so smooth and keeps my skin hydrated.  Plus, it smells so good and is all organic!

Take Magnesium for nausea.

Magnesium has long been known to help ease nausea in some women.  I used a magnesium lotion by Ancient Minerals in my first pregnancy.  A lot of women are already deficient in magnesium going into pregnancy so it’s great to supplement.  Ask your doctor to see if it might be something to look into, especially if you struggle with nausea at all.

Avoid aerosols and stick with pump sprays.

Again, I probably sound like a broken record but aerosols are one of the worst things for you.  So you should probably just steer clear of them in pregnancy.  No one needs to be breathing in that toxic air.   I love Josh Rosebrook’s Firm Hold Hair Spray.  Best natural pump hair spray I’ve found!

Have a pillow underneath you while your laptop is on your lap. 

We are already constantly exposed to radiation through so many things, why not lessen the blow a little.  One tip my naturopath told me is to always have a pillow underneath my laptop when I have the laptop on my lap.  That way the radiation isn’t directly on my stomach(aka baby).  You could always get one of these lap desks too!

Well that sums up my some of my top tips for natural pregnancy.  Do you have any tips that have helped you along the way?  Leave me a comment!

Cheers, Suzi

Suzi

Suzi is a wife, and mama who is passionate about sharing her natural lifestyle with those around her. She created Gurl Gone Green to show how our everyday decisions, from what we use on our face, home and the food we eat affect us more than we know. She loves holding space where people can weed through the marketing clutter to find truth, and ultimately make the best decision for their families.

2 Comments

  1. Autum

    Hello
    can you recommend a prenatal you took during your pregnancy?
    Thank you

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This