Change of habits

olivemomma · December 2018

I thought it could be fun and helpful for some to see what we all start doing differently once we get our BFPs. I’m not talking about the blatantly obvious things like giving up alcohol or smoking, but more like do you go cold turkey on caffeine, change up your exercise routine, swap some of your beauty products, etc.

I still drink my daily cup of coffee but cap it at just one. I also try to swap some of my products over to a more organic based product, specifically my skin creams. My past pregnancies I started a more regular workout routine to try and balance out too much weight gain and have a healthier pregnancy but this go around I’m recovering from a badly broken ankle so will have to put that one on the backburner for now. Oh and I allow myself to indulge in some daytime napping if I have time!

hey_clever_girl · December 2018

I am actually switching it up a little this pregnancy. With my first two kiddos, I gave up caffeine completely—we had a loss the very first time we got pregnant (before my daughter) so I was always super paranoid. This being my third kiddo (fourth pregnancy), I realize now a cup of coffee a day isn't going to hurt anything.

I'm bound and determined to go to the gym regularly this time. I am almost 30 pounds heavier than I have ever been beginning any of my pregnancies, so I'm going to really try and keep my weight gain under control. I haven't been all week because I'm getting over a stupid cold.

Ummmm... That's about it.

mkrel · December 2018

My OB is super laid back and told me last time I got pregnant to just make smart choices and just to avoid prepared food at gas stations or sketchy places, so I didn't change much last time and I plan to do the same this time. He made a great point that there have been more recalls of ice cream and produce in the last 10 years than deli meat. Also, most soft cheeses in the US use pasteurized milk so I just check the labels and still enjoy brie. As far as caffeine, he just told me not to slam espressos all day and have caffeine in moderation.
For anyone who is interested in reading about the pregnancy rules and the reasoning behind them, I highly recommend the book "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster. She is an economist and looks at all of the medical studies for the pregnancy rules and basically tells you her point of view after analyzing the available data. I found it super interesting.
As far as things I am doing differently this time around- working out. I walked a few miles daily with my first pregnancy and it definitely helped me stay in better shape and curb my weight gain. This time around, having an 18 month old and unpredictable Texas weather, I don't think walking will be as easy. We have a Peloton and I have been good about riding almost every day. I really want to try to push through the exhaustion and work out 30 minutes 5x a week or so even if it is literally sitting there and moving my legs slowly.

alaskamegan · December 2018

We are consciously adding more veggies to each meal. Looking for more organic produce options. I switched up some beauty products. I'm also sneaking some day time naps when I can! Not too much else.

It feels like you could drown in all the different suggestions there are for what to do/what not to do in pregnancy. 😕 Just trying to figure out what has some evidence behind it.

olivemomma · December 2018

@runningisrad I’m the same way on the coffee! Went cold turkey on my first pregnancy for 20 weeks and then only allowed myself 1 cup a week afterwards. With baby 2 I had my daily cup and that baby came out so much more chill and even healthier than my first!

@mkrel I totally agree on just trying to make smart choices! And right?? Romaine is more dangerous to eat right now than any of the ‘no no’ pregnancy foods. How do you like your Peloton? We have looked into getting one

hey_clever_girl · December 2018

@olivemomma my second definitely did NOT come out more chill than my first

my daughter (oldest) is SO laid back and my youngest (son) is like the Tasmanian devil.

database6 · December 2018

I stopped caffeine cold turkey as I did with my first. I do have decaf still though which has a small amount of caffiene, which I credit with not having serious caffiene withdrawals. I won’t be eating anything on the no no list, I’m just a paranoid follow-the-rules person. I don’t clean the litter box anymore and have quit using retinol products. I’m only missing turkey sandwiches and sushi so far!

hey_clever_girl · December 2018

@mewebster59 ohhh, I forgot about the litter box. That torch has been passed to my daughter. Who, to be honest, should have been cleaning it since we got the cats last year 😂

mkrel · December 2018

@olivemomma I love the Peloton. It is the only way I can get myself to workout because I don't have to leave the house or spend time commuting, plus I always loved spin classes.

lala123321567789 · December 2018

To be honest I stay under 200mg of caffeine per day but have absolutely no problem drinking my daily coffee or two. I'm so impressed by those of you that have gone cold turkey, that's not easy!

MollyH1987 · December 2018

I plan on cutting caffeine (had a decaf this morning). I also am doing a happy dance that DH has to do the litter box now! @mewebster59 @runningisrad

And I forgot about no sushi

I'm also going to plan on trying to get more daily walking in this time around.

mamamias · December 2018

We are Vegetarians but I have started adding eggs to my diet. I have also started drinking a glass of Soy milk at work which unfortunately makes me a smelly goose 🙊. Taking it easy on the exercise at least until the first OB appt which is not until Jan.

cmessamore · December 2018

I cut my caffeine consumption down to 1 cup a day. No more litter boxes, no more ibuprofen for headaches, and no more sushi.

The biggest change for me is that I’m actually making a conscientious effort to eat appropriate breakfast and lunches and I’m drinking wayyyy more water than I normally drink.

I will continue to eat soft cheeses as long as their pasteurized and my doctor told me to be smart when it comes to deli meat. I think that’s about it.

threeleftturns · December 2018

I usually skip the deli meat and sushi just because I am a risk averse person. Also should probably start legit washing my produce.

I gave up caffeine with my first not because I had to, but because I was seriously addicted, and I felt like being so intensely chemically addicted to anything had to be unhealthy during pregnancy. After I had him I went back to part time regular, part time decaf and have kept that up since, to try to minimize the addiction. (And I loooooove coffee.) So now I just order decaf more often. Actually with #2 I had a coffee aversion first tri, it was very sad.

also I WILL DO KEGELS THIS TIME. Hey ftms- DO THE KEGELS. I didn’t for my first two then had to do pelvic floor physical therapy after.

kristinamarie10 · December 2018

This time around I'm not giving up my daily cup of coffee. I'm also a gym regular and I don't plan on stopping. My first pregnancy I didn't workout and labor was awful, so I'm hoping that working on my core and legs this go round. I am off course giving up my pre-workout drink though

@mkrel I like the laid back approach! I hope to give up worrying as much as I did in the first pregnancy.

olivemomma · December 2018

@threeleftturns - kegels!! That’s a good one! I need to do those this go around as well

mrsstuessy · December 2018

I drink 2+ cups of coffee a day. With my first I went down to 1. This time I need all the coffee I can get. I eat all the deli meats, sushi, etc. The only thing I plan on changing is letting myself have a nap as often as possible and letting DH change the litter box. As for everything else... I will do what I have to to get through the day, food wise.

WinchesterGirl · December 2018

I am a pretty careful/rule follower pregnant lady. So I pretty much kept every restriction last time. The only one I really missed was cold deli meat, because I craved cold sandwiches & couldn't have them.

Mostly though, not a lot of big changes from my normal lifestyle - we do not drink,
I already drink moderate amounts of tea, use natural body products without a lot of junk in them, and have a fairly healthy diet. My love of Chick-fil-A runs deep though.

I'm still nursing DS, so all the good meds were already off limits, so no change there either. I will say that one day, when I'm no longer pregnant or nursing, I'm going to the allergist to get the biggest, strongest allergy prescription they will give me. #DreamBig

lmmama3 · December 2018

I really don't change too much while pregnant. I don't eat deli meat regularly, so I just stop with that completely because it makes me uneasy. I also don't eat raw sushi, just get the cooked or vegetable rolls. I miss ibuprofen because Tylenol does nothing for me. Still have a cup of coffee every day and the occasional glass of wine. I eat a pretty healthy diet and work out regularly, so I'm going to keep going with that. I will add in extra fruit and vegetables throughout the day though.

deecherise · December 2018

This is my first pregnancy, so I'm paranoid about everything. No deli meat (unless it's been heated enough to kill Listeria), no sushi, went cold turkey on caffeine, and wayyy more fruits and veggies than before. I'm going to start up a walking routine in a couple weeks, then more moderate intensity floor exercises when I hit the second trimester.

moon1417 · December 2018

2nd pregnancy. I am doing all the things I did before. I cut coffee out cold turkey - I miss it terribly. No deli meats, sushi is gross anyway, no alcohol, no soft cheeses etc. I will probably pick up coffee again, at least one cup on my morning drive to work once first tri is over and all the organs have formed.

BaylieGirl · December 2018

@mrsstuessy Same! Second pregnancy here and I Just don't have the time or energy to make major changes.

migdala · December 2018

+1 to recommending Expecting Better - so informative and helpful! I hate kegels but you guys are right that I should start doing them. Last time around I swore off wine/beer entirely but this time around I'm taking more of a European approach and am fine with having a glass every now and again. The only thing I'm really strict about is deli meat but if I really want it I just zap it in the microwave and it's fine.

cato99 · December 2018

I'm on the fence about my morning latte--last pregnancy I switched to tea for the first trimester and then went back to my lattes for the rest, so I may do that... or I may keep my lattes and just make my espresso shots a little smaller. I think I'll be a little more lax on sushi this time around: not to dive head first into sashimi every week, but treat myself every once in a while at a good quality place after the first tri. I don't really like deli meat so that's not an issue, but I loooove me some big plastic containers of greens which after the romaine scare seems more dangerous than sushi! And cheese paranoia in the US is a bit much--it's super rare to find unpasteurized milk here and if so it will look super fancy and likely be labeled!

I'm mainly a hiker for exercise so I will keep that, maybe run a little less and walk more, and I'll pick up prenatal yoga at 20 weeks or so (which is essentially "group kegels with breathing" @threeleftturns). I exercised regularly last pregnancy and kept a very clean diet (I had no choice because I had GD! I ate allll the pastries after DD was born) and labor was easier because of it, so I will definitely aim to keep up my exercise routine.

ash0625 · December 2018

I’m going to try to replace my 4 cups of coffee with 1 cup of coffee and 3 glasses of water.

I don’t like cold deli meat or sushi so that’s easy. And I’ll probably have a glass of wine occasionally later in this pregnancy.

tsa208 · December 2018

The first time, I was militant about everything. Not so much this time - coffee (in moderation), raw sushi (from reputable places) and an occasional half glass of red wine (with a meal) are okay this time around for me. You just have to find your comfort level. I can show you stats about listeria and sandwich meat all day, but if it makes you uneasy, it just isn't worth it. The first of many issues where you just have to know yourself and choose for you!

drmrsthecounselor · December 2018

I am doing my best to not feel like I am being punished by having to cut so much out lol. I had already weaned down to 1-1.5 cups of coffee a day, and sometimes I prefer hot tea, sometimes nothing so staying under 200 mg of caff hasn't been hard. I wasn't a big deli meat eater before, but we do go for sushi every single Monday to the same sushi place....they know us there. We had to change up the order since I won't eat it anymore and the waiter was concerned something was wrong! lol. Now I get the hibachi or cooked things...yesterday I just got 3 appetizers (then when they all arrived I suddenly was nauseous so that was fun). I recently read to stay away from salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide but I use them daily to keep my skin under control (just in over the counter soap) so I'm going to ask my midwife about that tomorrow when I see her for my first appointment.

I didn't have a horribly unhealthy lifestyle before but I was a decently big drinker. Not that I would drink every day or anything but if we went out to dinner with friends or had a party/event I would definitely have a few. I am so paranoid that is going to give it away (we are waiting to tell people until we're out of the first trimester).

I'm nervous a little about the lifting thing. I have a large rolling cart I use for work that I have to lift in and out of my car and it probably weighs 30ish lbs....not sure what the solution should be for that going forward. I might have to switch to a backpack...not sure how serious that rule is.

I'm a FTM so all of this is new!!!

smmatt08 · December 2018

Cut caffeine?

littlestbear03 · December 2018

@drmrsthecounselor as for the lifting my dr in my past two pregnancies has advised if I am used to the lifting pre-pregnancy then it is fine to do into pregnancy as long as you listen to your body.

Im a dog groomer so I am very much used to standing and lifting large 50lb+ dogs all day, I continued to do that with my pregnancies. But of course listen to your body and doctor. I’ve worked with others who ended up with weight restrictions but never felt the need.

emeraldduchess · December 2018

I am a big tea drinker, but I am switching to mostly decaf. I am also making an effort to drink milk, cut down on sugar, and adding more fruit and veggies to each meal. I already don't like most of the foods on the "do not eat" list, so no big changes there. I am going to keep working out but I won't push myself until I talk to the doctor.

aukeev · December 2018

I am a big coffee drinker (typically a large iced coffee with coconut milk in the morning and then a black afternoon coffee), so I'm switching over to decaf. I know a cup or two is probably ok, but it's just easier to only have one bag of coffee around! I've also been slowly eliminating sugars/processed foods from my diet, so hoping to cut those out almost completely now.

As for exercise, I'm going to take advantage of the nice layout of our addition and start walking more and find a prenatal yoga routine instead of doing Boot Camp.

WinchesterGirl · December 2018

I did not eat the raw cookie dough off the spatula this afternoon. I cried a little on the inside.

suzycupcake · December 2018

My husband and I already became super crunchy from years of IF and after my father passed of cancer last year. We've been on organic whole foods for a long time, use vinegar to clean, no perfumes and scented things, no plastic, etc. One change of habit is increasing water intake and making sure I eat 5 small meals a day. That has always been hard for me, but thankfully the Progesterone makes me crave food.

emeraldduchess · December 2018

@WinchesterGirl I hear you on the raw cookie dough! It's holiday cookie time and "testing" the dough is one of the simple joys of the season.

WinchesterGirl · December 2018

@emeraldduchess Definitely! I always steal a few bites when I'm making cookies.

thekansaspotato · December 2018

Me too on the actually working out this pregnancy! But I forgot how freaking tired I would be!

heml · December 2018

I planned to still have a cup or two of coffee a day, but morning sickness decided for me that I'd be giving that up cold turkey. UGH. I had a convo with the doctor about sushi/poke, and when I'm no longer hating all food, I plan to have salmon from reputable places. I've slowed down exercising the last two weeks because I haven't felt like it, but in January, I plan to be back to barre and orangetheory (power walking) 2-3 days a week.

We already live a pretty healthy lifestyle (and don't have a cat), so I'm not changing much.

Avrilmai · December 2018

@oklahomak your morning coffee sounds delicious. are you doing the iced in a decaf? If so, how do you brew your iced coffee?
I switched to half-caf coffee back in May. The last couple of weeks I haven't been able to finish off my coffee so I stopped brewing at home and now I'm drinking like 3oz of black coffee when I get to work. I'm also trying to be conscious about my water intake. I re-downloaded a water tracker app, so hopefully that will help. I had to do some fasting labs for work like 2 months ago and it looked like I was borderline dehydrated. So that really pushed me to up the water. I'm also super worried about working out. I know it's fine, but I think I may wait until after my first u/s.

xiaopeapod · December 2018

I'm an avid tea drinker and typically only have coffee on weekends when I have time to cook a hot breakfast to go with it. I have stopping drinking coffee altogether now and only drink barley tea. Admittedly, it would be hard for me to give up tea completely. Last pregnancy I drank pregnancy tea all nine months, followed by six months of Mother's Milk tea. Needless to say, to this day I'm still less than excited to return to those teas, and that was four years ago. I'm so glad to discover that barley is actually good and safe for pregnancy. It is one of my favorite teas.

lilmamabebe3 · December 2018

I don't follow all the rules. I read a book during my second pregnancy that allowed me to give myself some leeway. My first pregnancy I suffered from severe HG and could barely function so I followed every single rule.

I will eat sushi if it's from a nice place. The risk is more to do with food poisoning and dehydration than anything the fish will do. I do not eat high mercury fish, though. And not a drop of alcohol.

Other habits--I make sure I get 30 minutes of activity everyday. It was hit or miss before pregnancy but I want to make sure I stay in a healthy weight. I don't do a ton--yoga or walking, but I make sure it gets done. I hate almonds, but I am eating them like crazy lately because they are high in folate and I need to eat something every five seconds or I am a mess of nausea

Change of habits

Re: Change of habits

Choose Another Board

Search Boards