Bump Watch: Achieving a healthy and balanced pregnancy

July 1, 2014

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By Julie Griffith

My role at Texas Children’s is to develop programs and services that support our employees in achieving optimal health and well-being. From the moment I learned I was expecting, I felt a sense of personal responsibility to provide the best possible environment for my baby to flourish. I have outlined the key dimensions of wellness that I have focused on throughout my pregnancy.

Stock up on sleep
I cherish my sleep! I am a solid eight hours of sleep person. Yes, I am aware that I am in for a rude awakening once the baby arrives! The biggest piece of advice I have been hearing lately is to “stock up on my sleep now while I still can.”

Adequate hours and quality sleep is essential for our physical, mental and emotional well-being, and this is especially true for pregnant women. I have made a point to establish a bed time routine in a restful environment that is cool and dark. Experts also say that limiting screen time and keeping electronics out of the bedroom are beneficial in improving your sleep quality. Although I don’t always abide by that rule, I do try to make it the norm. I will give some credit to my body-size pregnancy pillow that has come in handy as my belly has grown.

Eating well
After the realization of being pregnant sank in, I felt that eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet as one of the greatest gifts I could give to my growing baby. The food we eat affects how our bodies work, how we feel and heal, and how we maintain our energy. It also determines the basic nutritional health that our children are born with, and provides a model for their eating habits during childhood and beyond. I can’t say that my pregnancy diet has been flawless, but I focused on maintaining a wholesome diet of lean proteins, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, eating a healthy breakfast every day and moderately indulging (usually on chocolate) on occasion. The USDA Choose My Plate site is a wonderful resource with meal plans, snack ideas, and weight gain guidelines for pregnant women.

Raise your water glass
It is estimated that pregnant women’s blood volume increases by as much as 50 percent. Water helps transportation and absorption of essential nutrients into our cells and is essential to meet this growing demand. It’s these nutrient-rich blood cells that reach the placenta and ultimately the baby, all with the help of good old fashioned H2O. It was recently described to me that “drinking water is like giving your cells a bath.” I now visualize every sip of water I take as an opportunity to cleanse our systems!

M8Let’s get physical
Recently, Alysia Montaño made headlines as she ran in the 800 meters race at the US Track and Field Championship while 8 months pregnant with the support of both her midwife and doctor. Although the media response was mostly positive it raised questions about exercising during pregnancy. After discussing this with a health care provider, it is generally considered safe to continue your pre-pregnancy exercise routine and adjust appropriately over time. My personal goal was not to run a marathon or 100 percent commit to my typical workout routine, but to be active most days of the week through exercise classes, walking and prenatal yoga and be in tune with my body as my pregnancy progressed.

Don’t leave before you leave
Last summer I read Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” and the chapter “Don’t Leave Before You Leave” has been a driving force throughout my pregnancy and leading up to my maternity leave. Sandberg said women start thinking about balancing work and family life before it is truly necessary and often scale back on job responsibilities in preparation for having children. Integrating my new family and career is very important to me. I have no doubt that my life priorities will shift and that returning to work will be challenging. However, by accelerating or “leaning into” my career now with such a dramatic life change on the horizon, I feel that I will return to work that is both professionally and personally rewarding and that will make for a smoother transition.