Are you wondering what to expect if you’re pregnant during christmas? Here are my top tips to enjoy being pregnant during the holidays.
The holidays can be stressful whether you’re pregnant or not – am I right?
There are usually lots of events to attend, baking to do, presents to buy and so many things. Even if they’re fun things, preparing for Christmas can bring on unnecessary stress that should really be avoided during pregnancy.
After reading this post, you will have a game plan to enjoy being pregnant during the holidays while minimizing stress and knowing exactly what to avoid while pregnant.
This post is all about being pregnant during the holidays.
Pregnant During The Holidays
Find a non alcoholic mocktail you like
You might really think you’ll miss a glass of wine or festive drink – but mocktails can be tasty too and make you feel part of the fun.
There are honestly so many recipes out there for you to choose from. You can look on Google or Pinterest for something you would like or go with a drink you know you like but take out the alcohol.
There is also alcohol free wine out there that is pretty good too so there are definitely options.
Since I started this blog, I have put together some of the best and most delicious mocktail recipes on the internet. I even have tips for what ingredients to avoid if you’re looking for a healthy mocktail too.
- 4 Ways To Make a Cranberry Mocktail For The Holidays
- Insanely Good Healthy Mocktails To Try Right Now
- 4 Easy Pregnancy Mocktails For Any Season
- 9 Best Mocktails You Need To Try Tonight
Get shopping done early – and utilize online options!
This might seem obvious but online shopping really does minimize the crowds, time spent on your feet and so much unnecessary stress.
I recommend making a list early (well before Black Friday) so you know exactly what you want to purchase. Doing this can also help you stick to a budget which is never a bad thing!
Another way to minimize stress is to actually order the gifts well in advance of the holidays. This means they will get delivered much sooner and you won’t be sitting at home refreshing your email worried about when something will arrive.
Maybe I’m just not a fan of big crowds and traffic… but ordering online has really become my jam the past few years. Especially because the thought of bringing my toddler out shopping in the middle of December sounds like the least fun way to celebrate the holidays.
Wrap presents over multiple days
This goes hand in hand with doing your shopping early.
Depending on how far along in your pregnancy you are, you may already be feeling uncomfortable. Sitting on the floor wrapping gifts for hours is going to make that uncomfortable feeling even worse…
I recommend spreading the wrapping your gifts over the course of several days to break up how long you will be sitting or try sitting on a bed or other more comfortable surface than the hard floor.
Personally, I love wrapping gifts. I enjoy picking out the wrapping paper, putting on my favorite christmas music and spending the afternoon getting everything wrapped up. But I also know that pregnancy changes things and it makes reaching for tape, scissors and ribbon much more difficult..
So if you can, take some steps to make the wrapping process a much more enjoyable and pain-free experience during pregnancy 🙂
Skip hosting if possible
You may love hosting but it takes a lot of energy and time spent on your feet.
If it’s an option to eat Christmas (or another holiday) at another family member’s house then I suggest taking advantage. You may not love the idea but you can still make your favorite holiday dish or appetizer to bring with you.
By choosing to eat somewhere else, you avoid having to stand on your feet for possibly hours preparing the meal you would be serving. This wouldn’t be a big deal if you weren’t pregnant, but like I’ve said before, pregnancy changes everything.
And hosting doesn’t just mean only cooking the holiday meal. It usually involves cleaning for a few days leading up to the meal, setting up the place settings on the table and probably a few more things too.
So instead of being tired from hosting and cooking, it would be much more enjoyable to be tired from socializing and enjoying yourself.
Eat smaller meals
It can be so hard to turn down your favorites at a holiday meal. So what if instead of turning them down you just took smaller portions? And if you’re still hungry, then you can go back for seconds.
This is not only a good way to approach holiday dinners in general but is a really great way to prevent heartburn during pregnancy.
Heartburn unfortunately comes with the territory when you’re pregnant but eating small meals instead of large and eating them slowly has been shown to help manage heartburn. You can also try sitting up straighter when you eat, avoid any trigger foods that have caused it previously and drink less liquids when eating.
You can read more about the best kept secrets to pregnancy heartburn relief here.
Be careful with leftovers
There is always a risk of listeria with leftovers including refrigerated meat, poultry and seafood. Listeria can be extremely harmful to fetuses and newborns.
Generally, it’s best for pregnant women to eat food fresh because of the risk of listeria. But if you do have leftovers, it’s really important to heat your leftovers until they’re steaming hot before eating them.
Soak it all in
The best piece of advice I have ever gotten in life is to soak it all in. And this is especially important if you’re pregnant during the holidays.
November and December go by in the blink of an eye and you won’t ever get that time back.
Instead of being stressed out and ready to crack under all the pressure we put on ourselves during the holidays, I challenge you to step back and really enjoy them.
Enjoy the good and the not so good, embrace new traditions, read by the light of the Christmas tree and rest when you need to. Life goes by too fast as it is but pregnancy has a way of really speeding things up even more.
This post was all about being pregnant during the holidays.