I'm not going to lie. I love being pregnant. I always feel bad saying it because I know so many women who hated it but I have loved it. As much as your body changes, things feel out of control, you just continually gain weight, get crazy heartburn and the weirdest pains. . .it's actually such a beautiful time. The first trimester was my roughest patch, I felt like I was going to throw up every day at 2 pm. However, when that first person talks about your glow, it finally hits you. And when your hair and nails are looking flawless, it can actually feel pretty fabulous, too.
Thankfully, I got some really good advice from my girlfriends and have had the opportunity to slow down and really tune into this process. Even though, I am technically a geriatric (older) and high risk pregnancy, I have had zero complications and my doctor calls me his "unicorn" for how healthy I have been. So now I want to share with you, the things I have loved during my pregnancy and how you can stay healthy and blissful during this incredible time.
1. Smoothies. Luckily, I love smoothies and crave them daily. Sometimes I have 2 a day. I have become obsessed with VegaOne protein in Vanilla Chai. It is hands down the best taking protein ever AND its vegan, so thats a plus! When I got annoyed of taking my prenatal vitamins, I put them in my smoothies because some of them taste gross. I use a Vitamix Blender because it blends everything so well no matter what I am making, I wouldn't use anything else.
Pour the smoothie in a beautiful champagne glass or a fabulous cup to make the whole experience feel glamorous and special.
Here is my recipe for what I call my BERRY BLISSFUL BOMBSHELL smoothie:
2 scoops of ice
2 cups of almond milk
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup of blueberries
1 small bit of raw ginger
1 large scoop of almond butter (I use the natural ground butter from whole foods)
1 banana
2. Balance your body. I tried prenatal yoga and honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I needed something a little bit more exciting and fun. So, I picked up this book Feng Shui Mommy and it was so, so informative and helpful.
I took 20 minute walks every morning while listening to podcasts or meditative music.
I got massages about once every two months to zen out and help relax my back and body.
I did prenatal yoga stretches throughout the day that I knew would help support my growing belly at home. I also made sure to take long, deep breaths while doing the moves.
I also sit on a workout ball while working to help support my posture.
3. Journaling. I journaled like it was my business. All the emotions, hormones and fears that come during pregnancy are serious. The struggle is definitely real. For me, pregnancy has been such a spiritual time where I turned inward for everything. I asked myself questions that I had never thought of before which literally changed my entire outlook on life. I began to journal in a way where I let out all of my emotions and tried to study them and figure out how I could improve myself so that I am able to be the best mother I can be.
The result of that was, I felt so passionately about my journaling experience, that I turned it into a book. The Blissful Living Journal. A beautiful journey into your best self. Pregnant or not, journaling is a beautiful experience. I am so happy I was fortunate enough to be pregnant which really gave me time to focus on myself. The best things I have ever done.
. . .and don't forget about POSITIVITY! One thing I have learned about pregnancy is that there is a lot going on mentally. A lot of fears come up, you have to keep your mind free of negativity and stress. You can't talk to people who just want to tell you negative stories. Keep your mind clean and positive. Visualize a positive experience, expect the positive situations to be yours. This has been SO CRUCIAL for my pregnancy, you have no idea. No matter what comes your way, and trust me, stressful situations do come. DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP. Choose the positive thoughts only! Trust me, this will be a life saver for you!
I have become obsessed with POSITIVITY PENCILS. These are so pretty aren't they?
4. Exfoliation. If you haven't tried dry brushing your body, trust me girl, you must do it! There are so many benefits to dry brushing your body like improving blood circulation, lymphatic drainage, sloughing off dead skin cells which stimulates new cell renewal, helping reduce cellulite and it also helps stimulate your nervous system. It feels fantastic too. Get yourself a dry brush this minute.
I also like body scrubs. I like to get these at TJ Maxx because they have the best smells. When you get out of the bath, your skin is just absolutely glowing.
5. Treating yourself. Don't wait for your husband or partner to treat you. Treat yourself. Bring yourself flowers from the market. Draw yourself a beautiful milk bath, which I have become obsessed with milk baths. They are so soothing to the skin. I take a nightly bath where I slather on beauty products all over me. Yes, I also put fresh flowers in my baths too. You are creating a tiny little human being inside of you, you deserve it all!!! So, really take this time to let yourself indulge in all the divine things that we women get to experience. I also purchased this robe and I wear it every time I get out of the bath just after I slather on my belly butter all over my body.
