Step-by-Step Guide To a Healthy and Happy Pregnancy
Happy Monday friends! Today I’m very excited to share something I’ve worked really hard on: my step-by-step guide to a healthy and happy pregnancy. This is a resource I wanted to create because I’d been searching for something similar with no luck for awhile. Even my family doctor couldn’t offer a resource quite like this. Basically, it’s a full nutrition, exercise and wellness pregnancy protocol. It’s simple, easy-to-follow, and best of all free.
If you’re new here, you might not know that I suffered from hyperemesis (read: extreme pregnancy nausea) my entire first trimester of pregnancy. But once I hit 17 weeks and started to feel better, I immediately starting working on this pregnancy protocol to ensure I made the most of the next two trimesters of pregnancy - for both mine and baby’s sake!
We know that good nutrition is important at all stages of life, but it is increasingly recognized that the nutritional environment and individual experiences before birth is particularly important for later metabolic health. Exposure to inadequate nutritional supply during those critical windows of development in the womb can predispose a baby to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and much more later in life. We know the diet consumed by pregnant women is a key determinant of metabolic health in offspring. I also know that prioritizing my health and wellness during pregnancy will make the postpartum period easier and more enjoyable for myself.
An Important Note: This “pregnancy protocol” is designed specifically for me and to meet my specific nutritional needs. I worked with a nutritionist and my family doctor to create this pregnancy wellness plan. For example, I had bloodwork done in my first trimester which allowed my doctor to identify a few areas I could do better in; increasing iodine, iron and magnesium intake to name a few. But aside from a few very slight vitamin and mineral deficiencies, my baseline was already pretty good. That being said, these are areas most women would benefit focusing on during pregnancy, so this pregnancy nutritional plan should cover the nutritional needs of most pregnant women if they are starting at an overall balanced baseline.
My Pregnancy Wellness Protocol:
As a quick reminder, here’s a brief outline of my daily wellness protocol I have in place for this pregnancy. This will be explained in greater detail throughout this post and in the corresponding video, but essentially I try and check each of the boxes below every single day:
Real whole foods aiming for between 1600 - 1900 calories per day
100 grams protein minimum (most days I easily get more!)
Aiming for min. 72 oz water per day, but hoping to get in 120 oz!
Daily vitamins and supplements
Min. 30 minutes walking per day (this can be outside or on the walking pad)
Evening wind-down routine (outlined below: stretching, body care, mindfulness, etc.)
30 minutes strength training 4 x per week (using two 10lb dumbbells and this specific pregnancy safe workout routine)
My three main resources when creating this Pregnancy Wellness Protocol were my family doctor, a nutritionist, and the book Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols (this is a must read).
Step 1: Creating a Meal Plan
Using what I learned I started by creating an ideal daily meal plan, that when followed perfectly, helps me fulfill all mine and baby’s nutritional needs. Note: for me, this includes eating lower carb, specifically limiting processed grains. This is what makes me feel my best (read: less inflamed lol), but you do what feels best for you - it’s OK if it takes some trial and error when altering the meal plan below to meet your own needs.
Here is my daily food intake, keeping in mind this is bare minimum intake. Some days I eat much more. Ex. Some days I add 1/2 avocado to breakfast to add more healthy fat, and some days I’ll crave an extra snack like a handful of olives in the afternoon. I try really hard to simply listen to my body.
DAILY FOOD INTAKE DURING PREGNANCY (meets all nutritional needs):
*I simply numbered these foods/meals in the order I typically consume them, as the times of day vary greatly based on how I’m feeling and what my schedule looks like.
40 oz. water w/electrolytes added
Breakfast:
3 eggs scrambled w/ 1 oz. goat cheese + 1/2 red bell pepper
1 tbsp. sauerkraut on the side
Coffee (8 oz.) blended for 60 seconds in blender with:
1 tsp. organic coconut oil
2 scoops Organika Collagen Powder Protein (10 grams)
1 tsp. maple syrup
Splash 10% cream
40 oz. water
Lunch:
Smoothie:
1 banana
1 cup frozen berries (mix of blueberries & strawberries usually)
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (grass fed whey)
1 cup unsweetened coconut water
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 brazil nut
Vitamins (round 1):
Iodine drops in a shot of tart cherry juice
B12
D3 + K2
Fish oil
Snack:
Parmesan cheese + olives and/or pickles
20-40 oz. water
Dinner:
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar diluted in 1 cup water before eating
4-5 oz. protein (prioritizing meat on the bone. Note: I do not consume soy while pregnant.)
2 oz. carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.)
1/2 plate veggies
1 cup organic whole milk
Dessert:
3/4 cup full fat Greek yogurt OR 1/2 cup cottage cheese topped with:
1 tbsp. hemp hearts
Apple sliced
1 oz. 80% dark chocolate shaved on top
Vitamins (round 2 near bedtime):
I go into more detail on why I chose each food in the video. :) You can also check out this post for a breakdown of vital vitamins for busy parents (with a free printable chart!).
Step 2: Creating an Exercise Plan
Once I had my meal plan in place, I moved on to exercise. Working with my nutritionist/personal trainer, we worked out that my bare minimum daily movement requirement is 30 minutes of light cardio per day. For me this is either a nature walk in the woods behind our home, or an incline walk on our treadmill (incline: 10, speed 2.5). An important aspect of this was slotting this 30 minute workout into my daily routine in a way that made sense for me and my family rhythm. I want to stress that what works for me might not work for you, so you need to figure out how to incorporate movement into your day in a realistic way. I get my 30-minute cardio session in every morning right after dropping my son off at school. I’ve found that if I don’t force myself to do it then, I won’t do it at all. Now, after about 2 weeks of daily 30-minute incline walks I started to feel generally more energized and strong. I then began incorporating four 30-minute strength training sessions into each week. I keep it simple, using 10 lb. dumbbells and following this pregnancy safe workout routine I found on YouTube - this workout routine was given the thumbs-up by my personal trainer as well.
Step 3: Creating a Mindful Evening Routine
This component is very personal to me and my needs, but I knew I needed to start paying extra special attention to my mental health while pregnant. I decided to do this through a very mindful evening routine. If you’re like me, life is busy and the days are full, so carving out this time before bed made the most sense for me. Bonus, this routine has helped to greatly improve the quality of my sleep, which has done wonders for my overall wellness and happiness.
Pregnancy Bedtime Routine:
Relax in water: Depending on my energy level this can either be a magnesium bath or a quick warm shower. The goal is simply to relax my muscles and mind, and I find being in water is instantly soothing for me. I also always do this in low light to signal to my body it’s time to wind down - a beeswax candle on the countertop and overhead lighting turned off does the trick!
Facial skincare: I had to switch out quite a few products to ensure my routine was pregnancy safe - stay tuned for the breakdown coming soon.
Moisturize & Soothe: magnesium spray on sore spots (knees, hips, lower back, etc.) + body & belly oil.
Stretch: I do this 10 minute full body stretching routine every night without fail. It’s normally during this gentle stretching routine that I’ll make an effort to focus on gratitude and think through all the positives in my life and what went well that day.
Vitamins (round 2): Magnesium bis-glycinate + prenatal. My prenatal vitamin still make me feel slightly nauseous, so taking them before bed helps me keep them down.
Relax & read: At this point I’m usually in our bedroom and the first thing I’ll do is switch our lighting to a low red to help my eyes relax (we use smart bulbs so this is easy!) - if you have a hard time relaxing before bed, I highly suggest trying red light! Then I get comfy in bed with my feet elevated, my toe separators on (this feels amazing on achy feet at the end of a long day), and book in hand. I read for 20-30 minutes, and then turn off the lights.
Some tips for staying on track with your pregnancy health & wellness protocol:
Make it visible! I typed up my protocol, printed it out and hung it up on the side of our coffee cabinet so that I’d see it every single morning. I did the same for my evening routine and taped it to the inside of my bathroom vanity door.
Talk through your routine and dietary changes with your partner and/or anyone living with you in your space and get them on board and in a supportive headspace.
Try your best to stay relaxed with your approach to pregnancy diet and lifestyle changes. I really believe balance is key to this protocol being successful throughout an entire pregnancy. It’s all about doing the best you can with the information and resources available to you.
