A Little Self Care

What a week I’ve had, you guys! I wanted to give you a little life/pregnancy update because things seem to constantly be changing around here.

On Sunday, I flew back from Nashville after an amazing three days with my best friends from college (including a surprise baby shower!), but not nearly enough sleep. I headed straight for the city from the airport for a day with my family including a matinee of Hamilton which was an experience that I’ll never forget. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack forever, but to see it in person was just magical, and so much funnier than I expected.

That night, I felt more tired than usual but figured it was just from lots of travel and lack of sleep. On Monday morning I tried to get back to my normal routine but, I ended up throwing up all day and feeling generally awful and totally drained. At one point I was literally leaning out of my Jeep parked on Greenwich Ave, throwing up onto the street. If you’re not local, let me put that into context for you… Greenwich Ave is like the Rodeo Drive of New England. From my puking vantage point, I could see Tiffany & Co, J.Crew, TAG Heuer, Joie and Vince. It was not cute.

It’s a lesson that I thought I had learned after my Charleston trip, but apparently forgot: I can’t live my life like I used to. Being pregnant means I need to take constant breaks, sleep enough, and nourish my body in healthy ways. It’s not a question of whether I should practice self care or not, it’s a necessity for a healthy baby and a healthy me.

Since Monday, I’ve been focusing on doing just that. Here’s how I nursed myself back to health and plan to continue staying healthy and happy for the next 10.5 weeks.

1. Eat and drink small portions of nutrient-packed food and liquids. Although I’m always hungry, I can’t eat or drink anything in large or even normal sized portions anymore. There’s no room in there with all that baby! Literally my usual breakfast of gluten free toast, tea, and a smoothie is too much. Now I have to have the toast with half a cup of tea and then the smoothie an hour or two later.

What goes into those small portions is just as important as the size itself. If it’s anything packed with too much fat or added sugar, it comes right back up so I’m sticking with really clean ingredients that get as many nutrients to the baby as possible like fresh fruits and veggies, fish, whole grains, and lean meats. At this point, all I really care about is nourishing her, putting my own cravings aside when I have to.

So why is orange juice a good option? It curbs my sweet cravings without any added sugars or fake sugars and it’s packed with folate, a nutrient that’s vital in the growth of a healthy baby. A glass of Florida OJ also contains a ton of potassium (more than a banana!) which helps prevent pesky pregnancy related leg cramps… randomly something that’s become pretty common lately.

I’ll be taking over the @floridaorangejuice Instagram account tomorrow, celebrating National OJ Day, to show you how I like to enjoy one of my favorite drinks… Hint: It’s not just for breakfast!

There will also be a fun giveaway happening on the @floridaorangejuice Instagram account for National OJ Day that you don’t want to miss!

2. Rest well and often. If I don’t sleep well at night, it’s important to take at least one break during the day to rest. But truly rest… with no work and no computer. Not being productive during work hours is my worst nightmare and I actually hate the concept of resting. Weird, I know. But I have to force myself to do it, otherwise I run myself down. I realize that I’m insanely lucky to have a job where I can make this happen. Trust me, I’m beyond grateful. I commend any women with tough pregnancies who work in an office full time. I honestly have no idea how you do it.

3. Don’t overcommit. A friend of mine recently gave me a great piece of advice: For every plan that I make through the end of the pregnancy, make it with a caveat that I might have to cancel last minute. I’m learning that I can’t do it all, and it’s ok to cancel plans if I’m not feeling well. It takes the pressure off and makes me feel less guilty when I inevitably have to cancel.