Pregnant or Postpartum? Top 4 Ways To Get Through the Holidays In One Piece

Congratulations! Whether you’re expecting a baby, or already had your baby, times are exciting! Your loved ones are excited for you too – sometimes it seems like it’s all everyone’s talking about. Which is fine sometimes. But sometimes not. You might want your own space, or desire help without the fanfare. This is especially true during the holiday season, when social events are more frequent, as is the need to prepare for them.  The holidays – as positive as they can be – can also be overwhelming, especially when you are pregnant or have a new baby.

Since it’s almost Thanksgiving, the beginning of the five-week holiday season, we’ve put together some tips for handling pregnancy and the postpartum period during this time of year.

  1. Be Mindful of Boundaries. If you are feeling overwhelmed, acknowledge it – don’t ignore it. Your mind and body are designed to handle what’s right for you, especially when you are pregnant or postpartum. In keeping with acknowledging your limits, create suitable boundaries to keep from getting overwhelmed. Don’t want to make dinner for 30 guests, or even 3? Everyone will understand (and if they don’t, then they are likely unaware of what it’s like to be pregnant or postpartum, right?) In fact, in many cases, when we’re pregnant or postpartum, we expect more of ourselves than others actually expect of us!
  2. Take Care of Yourself Physically. Oftentimes we neglect ourselves during holiday planning, and yet, we need to take care of ourselves no less during the holidays – perhaps even more so! The four-prong approach to maintaining wellness is key during regular life, and especially during pregnancy and postpartum. That is to say: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and sunshine. 

    -Nutrition. Reach for whole foods, and keep processed foods to a bare minimum. Eating wholesomely ensures you get bang-for-your-buck on calories, meaning you’ll maintain higher energy levels throughout the day. By contrast, if you eat processed foods – high in sugar or white-flour carbs – your energy levels peak fast and then crash.-Exercise.During pregnancy, aim for 20-30 minutes of exercise a day, five times a week. If that feels like too much, at least get out for a daily brisk walk. After you’ve given birth, a normal exercise routine is recommended after six weeks in most cases. Nonetheless, it’s important to walk around and do calisthenics every day, even if you’re not working up a sweat. 

    -Sleep.Even if you are somewhat insomniac during pregnancy, or the baby keeps waking you up after you’ve given birth, there are ways to get in more sleep during the day. That’s right: naps. If you can’t possibly conjure up at least 7 hours nightly, then it really comes down to allowing yourself to snooze during the day. If you find that even naps are hard to come by because you have too much to do, then get help with tasks during pregnancy and/or the baby during the postpartum period.

    -Sunshine.The literal light for your soul. Make sure your shutters are open, and that you try to get at least 15 minutes of non-peak sunshine per day. We’re talking Vitamin D, and we’re talking feeling alive. The sun is a cost-free brightener, and thankfully here in Miami we get lots of it!

  3. Arrange for help. Reel in family, good friends, or hired help. Remember, you are Queen when you are pregnant, and again Queen when you’re a new mother. Let’s face it – both stages can be hard, and that’s what family, friends, night nurses, maids, and even personal cooks are for – to take care of the Queen! One really helpful way that people can help is by making you a meal for the first three weeks postpartum – check out www.takethemameal.com.
  4. It’s Alright to Cry. Hormones raging? Feeling overly emotional? That’s normal during pregnancy and the postpartum period. If you feel like crying, it can be just the right remedy for an emotional release, leaving you feeling relieved and released. Note: If you feel you are crying uncontrollably for an extended period of time, seek immediate medical help for possible depression. But hopefully, the crying will wax and wane, carrying you through the rough times, so welcome it!

The above tips are useful not only during the holiday season, but for anytime while you’re pregnant or postpartum. We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving as a good start to the holidays, and we hope that you’ll be able to focus on enjoying your loved ones while taking care of yourself as best as possible.