7 tips to manage your mental wellbeing during pregnancy

As a mum-to-be it can often be overwhelming – there is so much information and change to take in. Not only is your body doing crazy and amazing things, you may also have feelings of anxiety, isolation and fear mixed with excitement, pride and joy. Plus a global pandemic thrown in to make matters more interesting!

It is important that we look after ourselves first. Here are our tips on looking after your mental wellbeing when pregnant.

• Find your support network – spend time with people who make you feel relaxed and where you enjoy yourself, for example: your other half, other mums in similar positions (such as other HB members only group!), friends, family. And remember to factor in some ‘me-time’ too if you can!
• Exercise – keep moving, not only does exercise release endorphins, it also helps to prepare your body for birth and recovery. Try gentle walking, yoga, or one of our HB live/ in person classes. Our Exercise Physiologists are experts in safe exercise prescription and are mums as well.
• Nutrition – eat regular, healthy, nutritious meals, but don’t beat yourself up if you have the odd chocolate bar or ice cream. Go to the Resources centre of the Healthy Bumps members hub to watch the webinar by Nicole from EatSense about pregnancy nutrition. https://healthybumps.com/login/
• Limit the time you spend on Google – there is some great info on Google but looking up every twinge in your body or pregnancy condition can lead to heightened anxiety, trust us, we know! Keep a list of key phone numbers to call if you need advice.
• Don’t expect too much of yourself – chances are you won’t be able to do everything that you could do before – at least not to the same level or intensity. Surrender to the amazing changes happening in your body and acknowledge what you can and can’t control. And focus on the achievements, for example: I couldn’t do a heated, power yoga class today but I put myself out there, went to a HB class, did a fun, energising, safe workout and met some great people (this was Kat a couple of weeks ago J)
• Practice Mindfulness – regular mindfulness practice can really help with mental wellbeing (and relaxing the pelvic floor!). Start with having some phone free time. There are some greats apps for mindfulness such as: insight timer, calm, headspace, or try one of the ‘Mindfulness with Mandy’ videos on our website.
• Seek further help – Don’t suffer alone, it is ok to not be ok and talking about things will help. Often a good chat with a friend and a cup of tea is just what we need.

There are also some useful resources out there to help us such as; midwifes/ GP/ OB, counselling options. Great free services are:

PANDA is a great resource for support and guidance – https://www.panda.org.au/.

The Mental Health Line – https://mindhealth.org.au/

Beyond Blue (pregnancy and new parents) – https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/pregnancy-and-new-parents

If you have any other tips or need some further guidance please reach out to you. We can point you in the right direction or involve you in out friendly online members HUB.

We’ve made our membership super cheap to allow you to try it out without the financial stress added :) Check it out here https://healthybumps.com/online-memberships/