Welcome to the 2nd Trimester! With new experiences, symptoms and a tinge of unexpected surprise and fear of what’s in store for you in the next trimester, stepping into the 2nd trimester is going to be another unexpected journey of your pregnancy. With pregnancy comes a common set of fears and anxieties. Should you really listen to everything from everyone? To help you clarify your apprehensive thoughts, we have given below 7 most thought about concerns that every mom should know.
1. Is it safe for me to exercise now?
Exercise is not just recommended but super recommended during this time of your pregnancy. If you have had a bad phase during your first trimester you should definitely be starting your workouts now. Start with baby steps with smaller duration. Exercise for 4 days a week for 30 min a day. If you are in office, do not sit for a long time – get up and walk around, meet your colleagues and say hi, if you are at home – walk around your house, if you are sitting for 30 mins continuously then make sure you stand up for at least 3 mins for every 30 min of sitting. If you could be trained under the guidance of an informed trainer, it would be a good investment made at this time.
Keep in mind, exercise during pregnancy has a myriad of benefits such as; your baby will be born with a better immune system if you exercise during your pregnancy, your risk for gestational diabetes will be very less, your hormonal imbalances will be under control, the chances of you to get post-delivery thyroid can be reduced. In addition, it also helps with better digestion, blood circulation and a better natural hypotensive (blood pressure reducing).
“You are pregnant- you are not sick!”
2. I have been on bed rest until now as advised by my doc, what next?
So, you are pregnant with your first child and your family is probably behaving like you are in a critical state and put you to bed rest without getting to know the facts. Are you being prone to bed rest due to your family’s hyper caring behavior?
What you should do now is to speak to your doctor. Understand what your status is, are you really critical? If yes, how long are you expected to be on bed rest? Can you do activities like walking to the washroom or should you be on complete bed rest without any movement? In most cases, mild movement like walking to the loo is allowed as your body needs that motion a bit. But if the answer is NO, if you can’t do anything about it and have to be on bed for the rest of the months, then make sure you do a gentle muscle contraction and release to keep them alive. It will help you to rebuild the shape of your body post- delivery.
Make note that some sort of movement/activity/ exercise is good for the blood flow to your fetus, keeps your BP down and prevents constipation and piles. With m&m’s Blood pressure monitor counter you can now monitor your pressure right from home.
Tip: Choose a doctor who makes you feel comfortable in getting all your questions clarified. Your doctor needs to be appreciative of the fact that it may be a routine for him/her but it is a make or break to you.
Your doctor should work in collaboration with you rather than dictate rules to you. Just because he/she is the doctor does not mean they can be the dictator! If he/she is, drop him and find another one.
3. Is there a Yoga routine which is recommended?
If you have been practicing yoga already guided by a yoga teacher then continue to follow their instructions. mind&mom app offers a range of fitness modules with hand-picked guided meditation, Yoga & Affirmations designed by a team of experts. These yoga routines are customized according to your gestation of pregnancy. If you are a book lover, then there is a very good book, “Iyengar yoga for motherhood”, which has step by step instructions for expectant moms for every trimester. This book comes handy as it has sequences for your pregnancy discomforts such as acidity, diabetes and mental stability. Yoga Sadhana, this book is not recommended to yoga novices, but it’s a great read for the yoga mama who’s been practicing for a while and isn’t interested in tabling her active practice until after her baby is born. Other books include Birthing from within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz, Yoga A Gem for women by Geetha Iyengar. If you could find a yoga center in your city which teaches yoga for expectant moms then go for it. Investing time and money in your yoga class or a book is sure worth your buck.
4. Is travelling during the second trimester permissible?
Universally, it is said that this is the best time to travel and to plan for a babymoon. Choose a place you are familiar with and you know what to expect. During the journey stay well hydrated if it’s an air journey or road trip. In the case of a road trip, take frequent breaks, as sitting for a longer duration could be a pain in your back. Choose good, hygienic eat outs and avoid salad, seafood or trying new cuisines. Avoid places that have bars on the property where smoking outside is permitted. You definitely don’t want to carry sickness as your souvenir from your holiday.
5. My family & friends always offer desserts and candies when they come home. Should I?
You can have them as your mid-morning or mid-noon snack. It is always advised that you have a check on your sugar levels regularly. It is always your family who wins if your dietician and your family were to compete. mind&mom’s Nourish has hacks for you to keep up with your nutrition.
6. Constipation is troubling me, what to do?
Follow these simple steps;
✔ A warm glass of water before every meal
✔ Half-teaspoon of gulkand after every meal
✔ Take Vitamin B6 with dinner
7. Is there a solution to backache?
Ideally, the food you take in and exercise should take care of it. Follow some of the below to better the ache.
● Stand Right- Learn to stand correctly balancing your weight between your two feet
● Increase the strength of inner thighs- When at home; use a block to press between your thighs to strengthen your inner thighs and adductors. Pay special attention them during your yoga practice
● Flexible Hamstrings- Focus on improving your flexibility of your hamstrings
● Water more, Caffeine less- drink more water and reduce or cut out the tea or coffee intake
● Stand often, sit less- stand more often as you can and sit less
● Yoga – Try the sequence for back mentioned in the book “Iyengar yoga for pregnancy” & the Yoga videos from mind&mom app.
● Include a calcium supplement
