Comfort is key, and so is your sleep!

A restful night's sleep can be hard to come by when you are pregnant, especially when the tossing and turning takes over and finding a comfortable position becomes near impossible! Both back and front sleeping are off limits due to safety recommendations, so if you are not a side sleeper to begin with, you may want to take note. A tool that can aid in facilitating this sleeping position transition is a pregnancy pillow and it will be your saviour, trust us! But first up…

Why do I need to side sleep?

Preliminary studies have shown that sleeping on your left side is the best position for a healthy pregnancy. This position is associated with lower rates of late term stillbirth, compared to back or right side sleeping positions. Back sleeping can restrict blood flow to the uterus, which can lead to low birth weights and other health problems, so avoid this if possible!

What is a pregnancy pillow?

A pregnancy pillow is a cushion that you can use to support your back, stomach, hip, shoulders and legs - sometimes all at once! It is great to use from early pregnancy all the way to birth to support yourself as your body grows and changes. Some styles can turn into maternity pillows as your baby arrives! They come in many different shapes such as wedges, total body (U and C shapes) and full length (straight shape.)

How will pregnancy pillows help me?

They are designed to help alleviate pain associated with side sleeping whilst helping to support you and your growing tummy as well as your back, neck, knees and hips. This added support can moderate the pain caused by poor positioning on your side, and simultaneously helps prevent the joints from collapsing or twisting whilst you sleep, especially on a softer mattress. They have a unique shape that is typically more contoured to your body.

Along with eating a nutritious, balanced diet and staying well hydrated, prenatal supplements are a fantastic way to put your best nutritional foot forward during your pregnancy, even for the healthiest of eaters. Compared to regular vitamins, prenatal supplements contain a higher potency of some key nutrients that expecting mothers need more of.

When picking a prenatal vitamin, look for formula that contains a variety of the below vitamins:

1. Folate: Folate is a B vitamin that every cell in your body needs for healthy growth and development. It is abundant in our diets but it is recommended to take extra during before and during early pregnancy as it helps form the baby's neural tube and can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida). Folic acid is the most studied form of folate widely available in supplements, however some people struggle to metabolise it, so folinic acid is another option though it is less studied therefore has less evidence to support it's benefits.
2. Iron: Iron is a mineral that your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. You need twice as much iron during pregnancy than you did before pregnancy.
3. Calcium: Calcium is a mineral that helps your baby’s bones, teeth, heart, muscles and nerves develop. During pregnancy, you need 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day, compared to 700 milligrams for non expecting adults.
4. Vitamin D: Vitamin D aids with calcium absorption.. It also helps your body’s nerves, muscles and immune system work. Your immune system protects your body from infection. Vitamin D also helps your baby’s bones and teeth grow.
5. DHA: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a kind of fat (called omega-3 fatty acid) that helps with growth and development.
6. Iodine: Iodine is a mineral your body needs to make thyroid hormones, which help your body use and store energy from food.

Your health care provider may prescribe a separate prenatal vitamin for you based on a blood test to determine your needs. Otherwise, you can buy them over the counter at pharmacies or trusted retailers.

When should I start taking them?

Always speak to your doctor, but generally it is advised that if you are trying to conceive you should start taking a daily prenatal supplements. This is because the baby’s neural tube (which becomes the brain and spinal cord) and other essential key building blocks develop during the first month of pregnancy, before you may even realise you are pregnant.

Where to start

With so many out there, it can be hard to find the good stuff! Luckily we have done the hard work for you.

• Qiara Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Probiotic, which as the name suggests can be transitioned to support your breastfeeding journey too. Research suggests that a mother’s microbiome is extremely important during pregnancy and can influence everything from fetal growth and development to pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preterm birth. Taking one sachet per day on top of a healthy diet and lifestyle, may increase beneficial flora levels, contributing to a healthy and robust microbiome.

• The Mothers Blend by Foraged For You is a fantastic certified organic blend of carefully selected, real and fermented foods containing lactobacillus probiotics, developed especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women. A daily dose can support you to get the right nutrients you need from real food sources. This includes Free Range Liver Powder, a major source of Choline, Zinc, Folate, Vitamin A, B12 and K2.

• Naturobest have a great range of supplements for each stage of a women’s pregnancy journey. From preconception, first trimester as well as second and third, each is tailored to the unique and specific stage you are in, ensuring you are getting everything you need and nothing you don’t.

Nothing screams ‘DRINK ME’ like a sparkly new water bottle, who doesn't love a bit of hydration motivation? We all know the importance of adequate hydration during pregnancy, but why? You need more than the average person in order to form amniotic fluid, produce extra blood, build new tissue, carry nutrients, flush out wastes and toxins and so the list goes on! The recommended amount is 8-12 glasses per day, or about 2.3 litres, so just an extra cup to a non-pregnant people.

We love the Frank Green Ceramic Reusable Bottles for it’s triple wall vacuum, insulated to retain heat or cold, so think tea or water. The easy to use straw makes drinking from it a breeze, and the best part is that it holds 1L of liquid, so there are no excuses not to stay hydrated!

Whilst the Internet is a great resource, it can be full of falsities and misleading information, and along with the infamous tale of ‘Dr Google,’’ can cause worry and anxiety. We recommend taking it old school and delving into a book. Not only relaxing, but it is a great resource to learn and educate yourself on trusted topics covering pregnancy, motherhood and everything else in between.

Whilst there are many to choose between, if you’re into numbers and data and want the hard core facts, we cannot recommend Emily Oster’s; Expecting Better more. Here, she evaluates the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy, debunking myths and explaining everything and anything you’ve probably heard relating to pregnancy, from caffeine to wine, exercise and sex. Alternatively, if you are into reading about other’s experiences, ‘Before’ by Tori Bowman Johnson is the perfect place to start. From explaining the plethora of scans and medical lingo, to safe exercise, sleep and nutrition, this book brings together insights from a cast of brilliant professionals in the pre and postnatal space, helping you remain informed and calm.

OK, this one isn’t for your back or hydration levels, but it will do something for your emotional and mental state. Just like putting your Christmas decorations up in the lead up to Christmas day to ‘get in the spirit’ think of buying baby clothes to help you ‘get into baby mode!’ Whether you want to go all out and buy a whole outfit and then some, or just a newborn wrap and tiny hat, having something to help visualise the tiny baby soon to be coming into your life will make the experience a whole lot more exciting and real.