Pregnancy.
Plan.
Put those two words together and two things come to mind:
1. Planning to become pregnant.
2. Creating a birth plan once you’re pregnant.
But there’s one more type of plan that’s critical for pregnant women to have, especially if you have pregnancy complications.
That is a Pregnancy Wellness Plan.
What is the High-Risk Pregnancy Wellness Plan?
It’s a guideline for how you want to experience your pregnancy, covering your medical, emotional and physical preferences during your high-risk pregnancy. It's a detailed review of exactly how you can improve the health of your pregnancy to give your baby a healthy start to life.
You may not be able to do prenatal yoga like you had originally wanted or have a baby shower where you can walk around and mingle with your guests.
But there are still things that you can do to enjoy your pregnancy and improve your pregnancy health.
Just because you have a high-risk pregnancy doesn’t mean you have to let go of all of your preferences and values that you wanted to live by during your pregnancy. (Tweet that!)
With a Pregnancy Wellness Plan in place, you will feel more in control of your pregnancy, which can help tremendously with lowering the anxiety that comes with the uncertainty you face during a high-risk pregnancy.
Having a plan will also allow you to feel confident in making positive decisions in line with your values that can improve the health of your pregnancy.
You might be wondering, if it’s so important, why haven’t I heard of it?
The short answer is because we typically expect pregnancy to go smoothly, without realizing how much a woman’s wellness impacts her pregnancy health and the health of her baby.
Thus, most pregnant women don’t believe they need a plan during those 9 months.
Take your prenatal vitamins and your folic acid. Attend prenatal appointments. Take birthing classes and go on a hospital tour. Eat well. Get good exercise. Start planning the nursery.
That is usually the extent of a pregnancy plan most women have.
Unfortunately, when you have a high-risk pregnancy, this isn’t enough.
It’s easy to forget what your intentions were for a healthy pregnancy when you’ve been diagnosed with a complication (or three!).
Your plans to eat healthy or stay fit during pregnancy fall to the backburner.
Time that used to be spent at work or with friends is replaced with endless Googling marathons as you try to find some hope during a very uncertain time.
If you’ve been placed on bed rest, it can feel very lonely and isolating.
A High-Risk Pregnancy Wellness Plan can help you have as close to the pregnancy that you wanted despite having pregnancy complications. (Tweet that!)
This is because it keeps your wishes and your preferences in the forefront of everyone’s mind, including yours, so you can be sure you’re making decisions that are in line with your values even though your pregnancy isn’t going the way you wished it had.
When you have a Pregnancy Wellness Plan, you and your baby can thrive.
With a Pregnancy Wellness Plan you will...
1) Enjoy moments of your pregnancy despite the complications. It's easy to get swept away into the sea of emotions when you find out you have a high-risk pregnancy. Reminding yourself of things that bring you joy can help you find some peace on the really difficult days when you’re doubting whether you can handle the uncertainties for one more day.
2) Know how to nourish you and your baby. Prevent additional pregnancy complications by knowing exactly how you can take care of yourself even if you are on bed rest. The happier and healthier you are, the healthier your baby will be and the Pregnancy Wellness Plan can keep you on track.
3) Stay in control. You aren't helpless during a high-risk pregnancy no matter how much it feels that way. There are countless things you can do daily to improve the health of your pregnancy and help you stay pregnant longer. Having a Pregnancy Wellness Plan can help remind you of what those are even when you’re having one of those days where everything feels bleak and you feel helpless.
4) Be clear about your values. This is so your doctor knows what you expect for your prenatal management and care and you can make decisions confidently for you and your baby without any regrets.
Get started now!
If you’re ready for your own High-Risk Pregnancy Wellness Plan, schedule a complimentary Healthy High-Risk Pregnancy consultation and I will map out for you what steps you need to take to improve your pregnancy wellness!
Your Turn!
Do you have a Pregnancy Wellness Plan already? What do you recommend women with a high-risk pregnancy or who are on bed rest include on their wellness plan?
Leave your comments below. I would love to hear from you!