Written By: Emma Clinkingbeard, The Tasty Balance
As some of you may know, I am expecting my first baby at the end of this year. While this has been an extremely exciting experience, I have learned very quickly how pregnancy can feel like a rollercoaster and how hard it can be to embrace the ups & downs.
I’ve heard from a lot of other mama’s who have also felt this way in their pregnancies. It is a time where, yes, your body is changing and adapting and doing the beautiful thing of creating life and so body image is of course affected. You are faced with the reality that a lot of things in life and your body are not entirely within your control. To top it off, the amount of nutrition information (and misinformation) that is out there regarding pregnancy just makes the journey more stressful!
Pregnancy is a time where it’s important to take the pressure off yourself to do everything “right” and learn to roll with the ups and downs. So whether you’re currently expecting or wanting to get pregnant at some point, here is my take on nutrition and body image during pregnancy.
MANAGING PESKY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS
When most people think of pregnancy symptoms, the first things to come to mind typically is cravings and nausea. It is estimated that 70% of pregnant persons experience nausea at some point during their pregnancy. So yes, there may be nausea, but that’s not the only thing a pregnant person may be managing. Other symptoms can include constipation, bloating, food aversions, sensitivity to smells, heart burn, fatigue, trouble sleeping, increased anxiety or depression, mood swings, and more. Every body is impacted by pregnancy differently. That’s something they don’t typically share when you’re thinking about getting pregnant!
With all of these different symptoms, it can be hard to do the normal daily activities like eating mindfully (or adequately), drinking enough fluids, and moving your body.
THAT’S OKAY.
PREGNANCY CRAVINGS, AVERSIONS, AND HEALTHY NUTRITION CHOICES
Take the pressure off yourself. Be kind to yourself and let go of trying to maintain a pre-pregnancy routine with food and movement. These symptoms are often temporary/there are times of the day that they may be better. Do the best you can to continue eating and drinking. When the symptoms subside, you can be more creative with balancing your plate, incorporating specific nutrients, and setting daily nutrition goals.
Listen to your body. Do your best to listen to your body (and yes even the cravings) because through these changes, your body knows what to do, so let’s embrace that. The more we try to fight back or control the body, the more mis-attuned we can become with our body and this can lead to feeling more out of control.
Talk to your clinician. No matter what your symptoms are, tell your provider(s). I encourage you to leave no stone unturned, and share what you’re experiencing during your pregnancy journey. You are not bothering them by speaking up – you are giving yourself the opportunity to be validated and hopefully find a solution to whatever you may be experiencing.
Download our Ultimate Pregnancy and Post-Natal Guide to learn about nutrition changes you can make for dealing with constipation, nausea, and heartburn.
EMBRACING YOUR CHANGING BODY: A NUTRITION PERSPECTIVE
I am not sure what it is about growing a baby, but for some reason, being pregnant gives some individuals a free pass to comment on your body. Body comments of any kind are unhelpful and frankly unappreciated, and can make body image such a struggle for pregnant persons. Chances are, the person who is pregnant is very aware of their changing body.
SET BOUNDARIES
If someone comments on your bump, I encourage you to set boundaries. It can be as direct as “I don’t appreciate body comments, thank you”. It can be as subtle as changing the subject to the weather. Setting boundaries with these comments will help armor for when you may be experiencing negative self-talk about your changing body.
WEAR CLOTHES THAT ARE COMFORTABLE
I say this to my clients all the time. If we are wearing clothes that are itchy/tight/too hot/uncomfortable, we will be more aware of our body and negative body thoughts. You deserve to be comfortable, regardless of what body (pregnant or not) you exist in. This includes wearing clothes that feel good on your skin! For pregnant persons, this may mean buying new clothes every few weeks. This may not be financially sustainable for all. Try looking into into second-hand maternity stores, facebook marketplace, or reach out to other moms in your circle that you can borrow clothes from.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE THINGS YOUR BODY IS DOING FOR YOU/YOUR BABY
Our brains have a negative bias biologically. This can make it hard to acknowledge the things that we may appreciate about our body during pregnancy. Try writing down 1 thing per day that your body is doing for you or for your baby that your appreciate. Once you’ve done this for a few days, go back and read them when you are are having a bad body image day.
PREGNANCY NUTRITION AND BODY IMAGE ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED
Those struggling with negative body image have the impulse to change their body by restricting food. This, of course, is the last thing you should do during pregnancy. More than ever food is fuel and often by taking the steps above you will in turn make eating nutrient dense foods and enough of them easier.
TACKLING PREGNANCY MISINFORMATION
We live in the age of information where everything we need to know is just a few clicks away. This can be a beautiful and helpful thing. It also can lead to confusing and conflicting information and more anxiety for the reader. This is no different when it comes to pregnancy. To top it off, medicine is a practice, meaning the BEST practice and recommendations are changing all the time! If you’re finding yourself becoming overwhelmed with what you are being fed by media:
Take a break from the internet. Turn off the apps, put your phone in a different room, whatever you need to do to take a break – do it! Continuing to flood yourself with more information is only going to add to the confusion and anxiety. It also may add to fear of not doing the “right” thing or that what you are experiencing is “normal”. By taking a break, you’re giving your brain a chance to relax.
Find resources you trust and stick with them. Whether this is your OBGYN, your doula or midwife, your dietitian, or 2-3 pregnancy books, find a select few resources that you trust and stick with them. Try to resist the urge to branch out onto Google when you hear someone else’s pregnancy story. By sticking with the sources you trust, you can more confidently navigate all the different pieces of your pregnancy.
GIVING BIRTH (AND PREGNANCY) SHOULD BE YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT, NOT YOUR GREATEST FEAR.
JANE WEIDMAN
EXPERT ADVICE: BALANCING PREGNANCY NUTRITION AND BODY IMAGE IN PREGNANCY
It’s ironic how many resources are out there but few you can trust and few that touch on both nutrition and body image in pregnancy. This is why I created the Mama To Be Course. It’s the information I’m so thankful I had during my own pregnancy.