8 Best New Year’s Resolutions If You’re Planning to Get Pregnant This Year
You’ve been thinking about getting pregnant for a while now, and you’ve decided that this could be the year that brings a big change to your family. Getting there means making some serious lifestyle changes — now. So, mama-to-be, get a fresh start in 2018 with the best new year, new baby resolutions for you to make!
1. Hit the gym. You don’t need to whittle down to a size 0 before getting a baby bump, but making the gym (or, at the very least, a few circuits around the block) a staple right now helps to keep you healthy. The healthier you are, the better when it comes to just about everything — including pregnancy. Along with going into pregnancy as a healthier you, being physically fit will serve you well when it comes down to your L&D day.
2. Get some sleep. It’s tempting to work, work, and work some more before getting pregnant. After all, you’d rather get in as much paid time as possible right now, then get in mom time later on. But that doesn’t mean you should squeeze in all-night email sessions or burn yourself out in the pre-pregnancy days. You’ll have sleepless nights galore when the baby is here (and that’s not even mentioning the third trimester zzz’s you’ll miss out on when baby is spending the nights bouncing on your bladder).
3. Stop searching scary stuff. You’ve been tethered to your cell, Googling everything from, “What will happen to my baby if I accidentally drink a glass of wine before I know I’m pregnant?” to, “Do all pregnant women get huge hemorrhoids?” Yes it’s tempting to search for every possible terrifying, weird, or anxiety-producing thing that may happen before, during, or after pregnancy. But you don’t need to stress yourself out any more than necessary. Get the facts, but skip the scary stuff. Better yet, ask your actual doctor instead of Dr. Google.
4. Eat right, right now. You’ve tried going paleo, and you’ve tried cutting carbs. You’ve gone raw and vegan and even tried eating nothing but cabbage. Now is not the time to jump on a fad or start a diet. The goal of your pre-preggo nutrition resolution should focus on balance and healthy eating. Talk to your doc to get the lowdown on what you need as your body gets ready for a baby. Stay away from anything that seems extreme and embrace a full range of nutrient-rich goodies.
5. Visit the doctor. Yeah, yeah. You make those annual GYN appointments… sometimes. Resolve to make your healthcare a priority. Get in the habit of making — and keeping — regular doctor’s visits. Heck, add in a dentist visit too. The state of your teeth and gums is surprisingly key when it comes to a healthy pregnancy.
6. Commit to less baby-making and more romance. The baby-making hamster wheel can become treacherous for your relationship’s future. TTC isn’t always easy, and that’s okay — you have a partner to lean on. Getting completely caught up in ovulation sex or IVF schedules takes the fun out of trying to get pregnant and can put unnecessary strain on your relationship. Unless your doc has already raised the red flag, relax and let nature take its course.
7. Pamper and de-stress yourself. In nine short months, you’ll have an entirely new human being to take care of. But right now you have time to take care of your own needs. Put pampering on your priority list and make time for self-care. Schedule a weekly massage, get a mani-pedi, or do anything else to treat yourself. These activities may seem small, but they’ll give you the chance to shrug some of the stress off and feel like a more relaxed version of you.
8. Spend time with friends. You text your BFF a zillion times a day. But between work, your S.O., and everything and everyone else in your life, those weekly girls’ nights out have turned into monthly events. When pregnancy nixes your Monday margarita nights and caring for a newborn takes over your life, you’ll miss the time spent with your besties. You don’t need to lose your nearest and dearests just because you’re becoming a mom, and now is the time to resolve that you’ll never let this happen. Sometimes friendships take work to sustain, and that’s okay. You can totally keep your friendships going — even in the face of pregnancy and parenting.
Tweet us your best baby-related new year’s resolutions @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty)