Welcome to Your
“Pregnancy Self-Care Rituals for each Trimester”:
Becoming a mother is a huge transition and a role that involves a great deal of care and
giving. I believe, and have experienced many times as a mother, friend and partner, that we
give our best when our cup is full.
And this means radical self-care.
This means finding the things that light us up and give us energy in a steady and healthy
way. Your nine months of pregnancy are the perfect time to practice self-care, grab those
moments or weeks and months to fall in love with yourself, and create rituals that support
you to fill your cup.
Each trimester in your pregnancy will be different, due to differing hormones, changes in
emotions and expectations, the size of the baby and adjustments as your life prepares for
his/her arrival. There are various contra-indications and recommended self care rituals for
each trimester. Please choose your favorite or enjoy diving into all of them at your leisure!
This is my gift to you, in blessings for your journey into motherhood with a full cup.
With love,
The Blessing Circle
Disclaimer: this article is intended as general information and not as a replacement for
specific medical diagnosis or treatment. Please consider if this information is right for you
and consult a trained practitioner if in doubt. All content is copyright The Blessing Circle
2014.
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Your First Trimester:
The first trimester is a time of subtle and deep changes on many levels of your being. The
body is flooded with many new hormones and has begun the big work of growing a baby,
as well as emotionally and mentally adjusting to the news and the changes implicit in a
baby coming. So, often, women experience new levels of tiredness and nausea. The first
trimester is a fantastic time to practice your skills of deep self-care.
Self-care Rituals for Nausea:
The degree of first trimester nausea can really vary for
different women. Whether you experience just the
mildest touch, or are deeply effected by nausea in your
first trimester, here are some great self-care rituals:
*Take Long Self-care Baths:
Create a sanctuary of warm float-y yumminess in your
bathroom Bath Ritual. Bring bath salts, fragrance free
candles, a cup of ginger tea (good for nausea), healthy
snacks (if you’re eating), and a pile of pregnancy reading
books. Prepare to be there for hours.. go on, you can do it!
A friend who had quite bad nausea said she would use her
bath time to dream about what she would do when the
nausea had passed.
Also, you could use your bath sanctuary to dream about
how and where you would like birth, if you will have a
baby shower or a blessing way, which of your friends you
want to have involved, and all the yummy foods you will
eat when your belly has settled!
Continue your bath ritual with self-massage using
coconut oil or jojoba oil once you’ve gotten out, and if you can, spend some time lying still
in a comfortable place in nature, on the grass, under a tree etc.
*Create a sacred chemical-free home.
As a loving ritual for yourself, look into ways that you can reduce the triggers of nausea
such as strong chemical smells, bright lighting or uncomfortable temperatures. Make your
home a temple for your hard-working baby-growing body. In as many ways as possible,
soften the impact of your environment on your body.
You can do this by clearing out your home of strong smelling household cleaners. Look into
natural cleaners such as Bi-carb soda and white vinegar. And even better, get someone else
to do the cleaning! (We can dream.. or just ask!) Exchange your strong smelling incense,
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candles or room fresheners for fresh breezes (if you’ve got them), fresh flowers, and nonperfumed candles. In the first trimester essential oils are not recommended unless at a
Very diluted potency, and only using those which are safe for pregnancy such as lavender
and rose. If you’re not sure, consult a trained expert in the field.
Adjust the temperature of your home so that your body is comfortable and not too hot or
cold. By clearing your space now of all of these strong triggers, you are also making your
home a safer place for when your baby comes.
Self-Care Ritual For Tiredness:
*Create a self care Rest Ritual by creating a “rest nest” with your bed or favorite couch.
Often women feel tired in the first trimester but are still busy with a lot of their prepregnancy commitments, therefore don’t actually take the time to rest. You can make
resting more enticing for yourself by creating a soft, warm, undisturbed space where you
can rest. Bring your favorite pillows, throw rug, soft toy, novel or magazine, journal and
flowers and make the space as beautiful as you can.
When resting, use a pillow under your knees to raise them slightly and take any pressure
off your lower back. Or rest with your legs up a wall, which helps keep your lymphatic
system moving. Dedicate your Rest Ritual time to your growing baby, or to your beautiful
self, and consciously make it a time to let go of your day, tune into yourself, and have your
focus inwards.
By setting up a “rest nest” with your favorite things ready for you, you will be more likely to
want to rest, as well as having the extra visual cues to prompt you to rest when you need it.
You’ll be more likely to actually take that rest.
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Your Second Trimester:
The second trimester is often an enjoyable time for women, when the initial adjustments
and new hormones have settled down. Women generally have more energy and feel
emotionally more positive. This is a great time to solidify and strengthen your foundations
while you’re feeling great. So in this trimester, I’ve got 2 self-care rituals which enhance
your self love!
Self-care Rituals for Body Love:
With all these changes and this Growing going on, often the
body gets a bit ache-y! For some women the extra weight of
the baby will put strain on old injuries or health issues, so
now is a great time to get yourself some good ‘ol fashioned
pampering!
*Have a self-care Pregnancy Massage:
In the second trimester its considered safe to go to a
qualified pregnancy masseuse. Pregnancy massage is a
great way to help soothe any aching or sore muscles
exacerbated by the increased weight and shifting of your
body to accommodate your growing baby. Massage gets
your blood circulating, oxygenates your body and improves
the efficiency of all your organ systems. Aside from the
deeply relaxing nature of massage, it is also a wonderful
opportunity to slow down and tune in to yourself and your
baby. By calming your nervous system through relaxation
you are also training your baby’s nervous system to be
relaxed! And that’s a Good thing.
So, use this time to really pull on the heart strings of all your loved ones and remind them
you are growing the future generation. Get them to remind you or pay for you to receive a
massage. All this hard work deserves some serious self care!
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Self Care Ritual for your Emotions:
Pregnancy is a big transition and you may be feeling the need to share your experience
with someone other than your partner. You may have a lot of questions, curiosities or
doubts and fears about becoming a mother and a parent. However you are feeling about
your pregnancy, having a baby is a huge and beautiful transition.
*Support yourself with a Sacred Sisterhood:
Now is a great time to develop or deepen relationships with other pregnant women.
Studies have shown that women get a flood of the pleasure and bonding hormone Oxytocin
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when they gather together and share their stories. We are actually biologically
programmed to feel better when we are pregnant and parent with other women! I love
that!
You can often find a pregnancy support group in your local area by calling your local
council. Another good place to find your Sacred Sisterhood is pregnancy Yoga classes. Use
your support group to discuss your hopes and fears. Often it’s a relief to know you share
the same hopes and fears as many other women. And it’s a beautiful thing when you all
come to your birthing time and you can support and enjoy the magic together.
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Your Third Trimester:
The third trimester can tend to be a mixture of feeling great in the body and increased
tiredness as the baby becomes heavier and you come closer to giving birth. This is a time
when a woman will be preparing her space, perhaps slowing down and finishing work or
business in the world, and she will come more into her inner experience and connection
with her baby. So in this trimester, we need self-care rituals that honor the need to slow
down and prepare.
Self-care Rituals for Good Sleep:
In the third trimester with the baby becoming bigger and bigger, women often have more
difficulty finding a comfortable position to sleep in. The baby has less room to move and
will often communicate through kicks and wriggles as it also tries to find a good position.
*Soft-Pillow Bed Self-care world.
There are a few elements to this self care ritual, and one of the most important may be
accepting and surrendering to your sleep being interrupted! Be kind to yourself and relax
into the changes in your sleep cycle as much as you can. The other elements are a selfloving determination to make your bed and night-times as wonderfully comfortable as
possible.
One of the best things I did for myself to help make this side
lying comfortable all night was to buy a body pillow. These
pillows come in various shapes, but the basic rule is that they
are long enough to lie sideways and drape your arm and leg
over the top of it.
You may have noticed that lying on your back makes you feel
dizzy after a while, and even elicits a few kicks from baby.
This is because when you lie on your back, the weight of your
baby and the placenta is on top of your vena cava, the vein
which oxygenates your baby. So, in the third trimester, it is
always recommended to sleep and rest on your side or with
the right hip slightly raised with a pillow.
With this big pillow and propping your head and feet with
other pillow in your “sleep nest”, your partner will need to be
aware this may be the end of close sleeping for a while!
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Self-care Rituals for to Boost your Self Esteem:
We all experience our “pregnancy body” differently; some may delight in the growth and
miracle of their ripening body, and for others it may push feelings of dislike of the body to
the surface. So this trimester, as the pregnancy comes to an end, how can we help ourselves
to lean more towards the “Honoring the Goddess” end of the scale?
*Pregnancy clothing to boost your self esteem:
By the third trimester you don’t fit into your jeans and trousers anymore, so what can you
wear that’s nourishing and kind and flattering to your pregnant shape?
Buy skirts and pants made from knit material with a wide band waistband. The knit
material drapes over your curves and hangs softly to increase the appearance of length.
Along with clothing you may need for work or your day to day life, one of my favorite
pamper me gifts from my pregnancy was a few pairs of pregnancy fitted underwear with
soft elastic at the waist band. It was like heaven wearing them all day. I highly recommend!
For further details, to stay in contact, or send your feedback on this report, call or email
Amanda and the Blessing Circle on 0421 079 644 / amanda@theblessingcircle.com
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