3 things you can do to maintain a low-risk pregnancy
In order to have an out-of-hospital birth with a licensed midwife, pregnancy must not be complicated by high risk factors that make the need for hospital-grade intervention more likely. High risk factors include Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, Lupus, cancer, blood clotting disorders, etc.
Wherever you plan to give birth, it will be easier on you now and well after the pregnancy if you are able to stay low risk. For pregnancies that start low risk, there is always a small chance a high risk factor can develop. One of the reasons why we take a complete health history at the beginning of care is to assess risk factors you may have for developing things like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, or preeclampsia. Some of this is out of our control, but there are absolutely things we can do to support the health of our bodies as they go through pregnancies. They don’t have to involve buying designer supplements or lots of fancy self care items. What I’m about to outline is really things you likely already know- but they’re what matter most when it comes to lowering our chances of developing disease in pregnancy.
Eat lots of protein and stay hydrated.
Eating enough protein is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your energy, support adequate growth of your baby, and reduce your risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia in pregnancy.
It’s important to get a variety of protein sources, vegetables, and fruits to ensure adequate macronutrients and micronutrients. Protein can be one of the hardest nutrients to get enough of in pregnancy, but if you prioritize it, you won’t run out of room before getting enough at each meal and snack. It’s recommended that most pregnant people aim for 100g of protein a day in the second trimester, and 120 grams a day in the third trimester. That’s a lot! You may need to do a quick inventory of your favorite high protein snacks and meals, and see how many grams each has. You might need to be intentional about adding more protein to your favorite foods to keep food pleasurable but nutrition-packed. You may need to be adventurous and find more sources as well to boost your intake. Foods high in protein include liver meats, salmon, chicken, eggs, steak, peanuts, almonds, soy beans, greek yogurt, beans, and lentils.
Staying hydrated is a must to avoid headaches, lessen aches and pains of pregnancy, prevent leg cramps, prevent constipation, and lessen your chance of infection during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The recommended daily water intake is half your weight in ounces. This can take some work if you aren’t used to drinking that much water pre-pregnancy, but if you get on it right away you’ll have a smoother experience.
2. Move your body multiple times a week.
The recommended amount of weekly exercise to lower your risk of preeclampsia, hypertension, and gestational diabetes is at least 30 minutes, 4 times a week. This is enough to raise your heart rate, release endorphins, and support your circulation. If you have more risk factors for developing gestational diabetes, incorporating short ten minute walks or movement breaks after lunch and dinner are also shown to support blood sugar regulation. You don’t need to do a special pregnancy workout or go to expensive classes (although if you can and enjoy it, go right ahead)! The best workout for pregnancy is free: it’s walking. Actions like squatting, lunging, and stretching are also helpful for preparing your body for labor. Consistent exercise in pregnancy is shown to support faster labors and better birth outcomes. If you are able to change positions frequently when you’re in labor, this aids the baby in descent and rotation through your pelvis, and gets them here more easily.
3. Rest and reduce stress.
This final piece of risk reduction can be the hardest for people to access due to work schedules and realities that create stress in every day life. For racialized populations, toxic levels of stress are more common due to racism embedded in our systems and institutions that affect quality of life and access to health-promoting activities and spaces.
Excessive stress is known to increase likelihood of hypertension, preeclampsia, pre-term birth, and other poor birth outcomes. If you work a high stress job or have situations in your life that cause intense stress for you, it’s important to reduce them if you have the ability, and if not, to rest and promote relaxation even more if possible. It’s okay and encouraged that you nap, and take time to literally put your feet up, higher than your heart. It’s okay to take more baths. Bonus points if you can put lots of epson salt in there to support your body’s magnesium intake, which will in turn help you stay calm and regulated.
These are the three most important things everyone can do to lower their risk of developing complications in pregnancy, but there are of course other practices that can be done depending on your unique situation. Part of homebirth midwifery care is constant risk assessment as well as individualized counseling to support the health of your body and mind so that you can stay low-risk in pregnancy and birth at home with no problems.
We should ideally be prioritizing our peace and health whether we are pregnant or not, but for many people pregnancy is one of the first times they begin to take their wellbeing seriously rather than pushing themselves past their limits all the time. My hope for you is that you have access to implementing the advice outlined here, and that you are able to continue these practices for yourself long after you are pregnant, because you deserve it.
