Pregnancy encourages better choices!

I’m 22 weeks today and am definitely feeling more pregnant! I know everyone shows at different times but this whole pregnancy I’ve sort of been waiting to “look” pregnant and for my belly to POP. Now I can officially say I really do look pregnant (and couldn’t be more thrilled!). Up until now it looked more like I just ate a big burrito for lunch.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this idea of how pregnancy encourages such great choices and at least for me ever since I found out I was pregnant I’ve been very conscious of what products I’m using as well as the diet that I’m eating. I had never before tracked the amount of protein that I ate on a daily basis and trying to eat a healthy but varied diet that’s high in protein (recommended amount is about 70 grams on a daily basis) isn’t always easy but so important for the body during this time.

Not only am I focused on what I’m putting in my body but also what’s going on! It’s almost like I suddenly became hyper-critical of the products I’m putting on my body and their ingredients, but shouldn’t we be like this to some extent all the time?! Certain things that are encouraged during pregnancy now sort of feel like second nature and I hope for some of them it’s habits I’ll continue even after the baby is born. Anyway, I thought I’d share some of the things I’m referring to and also a couple of my favorite natural beauty products that I’m currently obsessed with.

#1 Drinking TONS of water! 

All the baby books and pregnancy apps I’ve been following suggest drinking 8-12 glasses of water a day which is probably more than I was focused on drinking prior to getting pregnant. This hasn’t been too hard to do since most of the time I feel super thirsty (and normally I really do love drinking water throughout the day) but being in the habit of drinking more than 8 glasses is so good for your body, digestion, and help keep that “pregnancy glow”.

#2 Less caffeine is always a good thing! 

Before pregnancy I was averaging about 2-3 cups of coffee a day! Once pregnant, I switched to decaf and would sprinkle in a little bit of regular caff here and there (doctor recommends keeping all caffeine intake under 200 mg a day which is like one 8 ounce cup of regular coffee) so this was a HUGE cutback for me. During the first trimester I was kind of queasy and nauseous and coffee honestly just didn’t even sound good to me but now that I’m feeling a lot better I do sometimes miss it but am so happy to have cut way back on the daily caffeine intake.

#3 Slowing down and feeling more in touch with my body 

I feel like my general pace of life has slowed a bit down since getting pregnant and I’m now realizing that it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I am happy to slow down and rest when I need to, go to bed early and enjoy the last happy bits of pregnancy sleep before I get to be all belly and will be tossing and turning all night! My exercise routine has also slowed down significantly! I cut all high impact workouts and core work and have modified my yoga practice significantly (no more deep twists or inversions). Taking these 9 months to really slow down and appreciate what my body is going through is so important. I feel like it’s given me a deeper sense of appreciation for my body and I feel thankful for the quiet moments when I feel baby kicking around inside me.

Now for some natural beauty products that I’ve been using and love!

#1 Tea tree oil 

Dealing with occasional breakouts can be a pain while pregnant and some of the stronger topical treatments aren’t encouraged during pregnancy like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. My sister switched to all natural beauty products when she was pregnant and suggested I try using tea tree oil on any breakouts that would pop up. I found this at my local natural grocery store, I’m sure Whole Foods or anything similar would carry it, just dab a little on any pimple and it helps dry it up (plus smells great).

#2 Skin toning oil 

I started applying this skin toning oil every time I would get out of the shower and not only does it smell amazing it’s all natural and not super expensive. I buy it from Amazon and have lately been buying two bottles at a time. The only ingredients are almond oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter and vitamin E (no added perfumes or preservatives!).

#3 The Healthy Deodorant 

Full disclosure, I used this deodorant before getting pregnant because it’s all natural and doesn’t have any aluminum or parabens so you can apply and feel good about what you’re putting on your body! I order it online from Sephora because you can get the full size online, they usually only have the travel size in stores. The vanilla grapefruit scent is my favorite but they do have others if vanilla grapefruit isn’t your jam.