(These also work if you're trying to get pregnant too!)
Welcome to 2012! Okay, it's the day we all get to sit around and make New Year's resolutions, intentions or consider changing our ways in some manner. In some years, I've been tempted to say that pregnant women are immune from the discussions of diets and exercise that tend to swirl around the first day of the new year, but I'm changing my tune. There are plenty of things that pregnant women have to look forward to in the new year and plenty that they have control over. So here are some sample New Year's Intentions for pregnancy:
- Record your pregnancy. At the beginning of your pregnancy, nine months feels like it will last forever. You believe that you have all the time in the world to take pictures of your changing body and growing belly or record your thoughts and feelings in a diary. Seize the day and start now before your pregnancy gets away from you...
- Have a positive attitude about your pregnancy. Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the daily irritations of life, but add to that some of the physical discomforts of pregnancy like morning sickness or all of the late pregnancy discomforts and you can see why positive thinking might be hard, but focus! Using positive affirmations is a way to reframe these negative thoughts, deal with the issues and focus on the joys of pregnancy and your baby-to-be.
- Plan ahead for how you will take care of yourself as well as baby. It's so easy to think ahead about how you will be preparing to take care of the baby. After all you are either making plans to keep the baby at home, go to daycare, bring someone to you, etc. And these decisions are important. What are you doing for you? Have you thought ahead to something you can do to take care of yourself? What exercise are you looking forward to? How will you get a few minutes each day to do something for yourself? These take more thought and effort when you're parenting a newborn.
- Remember to take your vitamins and other medications. Taking a prenatal vitamin or any medication is not something I easily remember, no matter how important it is to my health. I'm trying desperately to get this one under control - I'd love your advice.
- Eat better. Try to be specific about this one. I, for example, am pledging to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. A pregnant friend of mine is pledging to eat ate home more often, a.k.a. less fast food. What small change can you sustain that would make your diet a healthier one?
- Exercise more. Did you really think you could get a list like this without exercise? Seriously exercise, particularly in recent years, has been shown to be so important to your health and the health of your baby, these particularly includes your weight. So make this one you start for baby and continue for life. (I have a new newsletter to help you: Staying Fit in Pregnancy.)
What makes your list? Share it with us.
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New Year's Resolutions for Pregnant Women originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Sunday, January 1st, 2012 at 10:00:42.
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