Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful things in this life. From the first process that leads to it, to the moment of holding your baby. It is such a great experience for both men and women. Of course as men, we are deprived from such experience, yet we should be a part of every moment in it.
Many people have negative thoughts about pregnancy. When thinking about it, you can either think about pain ,cramps, looking like a whale, fat, unattractiveness, morning sickness, general sickness, mood swings, depression, muscles pain, backache and endless bathroom visits daily.
Well, if you do it right, you would likely get through your pregnancy without any of these things bothering you. You are growing life inside of you, you have a glowing shine around you, you are a beautiful thing, and you are life, you are getting closer to your loved one. 
There is nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman.
 

Many of us (men and women) make a lot of mistakes during pregnancy. You see the woman before she becomes pregnant, taking good care of her look, looking at her best, being in a good shape, light and beautiful like a butterfly. And once she becomes pregnant , the transformation begins and she is back to a fat Caterpiller. She starts taking more space in the bed, taking less care of her look. And as this continues ,she is taking less care of her body, blaming pregnancy for all the extra weight she got !
Ok, you may pass at the first baby,, but end up looking way less attractive.By the time you reach your 2nd pregnancy, you should have learned from your mistakes, some still don’t learn the lesson! And yes they start occupying even more space on the bed , their butts become doubled , their sizes become huge, and if this continues, no place for the poor husband on the bed. He ends up on a couch, or maybe in another bed. Then you will start whining about how he cheats on you and that you did all for him! It’s part of your fault as well..

I’m saying this just as an example, but it does happen in real life. However many women take good care of themselves before, duringandafter pregnancy, they still look great and their life is not affected by pregnancy, it is even improved.

Pregnancy isn’t an excuse to look fat or less attractive, it’s even the opposite. You should start taking more care of yourself and still keep up your shape and improve it. Yes you can improve your look even if you just got pregnant.

This article guides you on how to stay in shape during and after pregnancy.

No escape from weight gain

Weight gain is a foregone conclusion during pregnancy; you are growing a baby inside of you, so of course you will be gaining weight.
Baby weight, amniotic fluid, enlarged uterus, increased blood volume, enlarged breasts, placentas, maternal tissue fluid, and some fat deposits which are needed for the energy for your body. All of this is responsible for the weight gain during pregnancy, so there is no escape.

The amount of weight gain is different from one person to another, depending on many factors:
- Weight before pregnancy: If you are heavier, you need less weight to gain. And conversely, if you are lighter, you need more weight to gain.
- Metabolism: the higher your metabolism is, the less weight you will gain. And conversely, the lower your metabolism is, the higher your weight gain.
Many other things will determine the weight gain such as: eating habits, activity level, genes, body shape and more.

To give an average number for weight gain during pregnancy mostly would be around 10-15kgs.

Remember you shouldn’t be focusing on the number itself, you should be focusing more on the quality of weight gain. If you are eating healthy, it’s very unlikely you will have most of it fat. However, if you are gaining weight by eating empty calories, then most of it will be fat and will be hard for you to drop them later.
The more quality weight gain, the easier to get in shape after giving birth.

Now how can stay in shape during and after pregnancy?

The answer is very simple: Eating and training right.

 

It’s the same as staying in shape for a normal person, except for some new changes that will discussed in this article.
In this article we will discuss the diet and nutritional needs during pregnancy and part two will be focusing on training during pregnancy.
As a general rule, you should be focusing on eating lean protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and healthy fats throughout your pregnancy. These should be the basics of your diet.
Eliminate empty calories food, excess sugar, junk food, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, harmful drugs and Trans fats from your diet and habits.

You should also avoid dangerous food for pregnant woman, such as food containing raw eggs and sushi completely.
It’s also very important to drink lots of water always and keep yourself hydrated all the time. Especially when you accompany training with you pregnancy. Water is one of the most important things for you.

First Trimester:
During the first trimester of pregnancy, your baby will have great development: his lung, brain and overall growth development will take place. So eating healthy is a must. Although, at this stage most women will suffer from morning sickness, which will make it hard for them getting all the healthy food in.
For this you have to eat small, healthy meals and listen to your body. Women different on food they support and food that make them nauseas. Find a healthy option that you handle.
Yogurt, cereal and fruit are one of the best options.
You can also use some home remedy for the morning sickness, such as lemons and gingers to help you through this stage.

Second Trimester:
Starting your second trimester, things will be much better for you. Most women find their morning sickness is gone and their appetite restored. But be prepared for a new thing, craving. While craving may be a natural way for your body to ask for nutrient it needs, you should be careful in craving unhealthy or risky foods, such as shush raw eggs containing food.
But if you are craving a healthy food, even chocolate or ice creams, indulge yourself and enjoy.
Another important thing during the 2nd trimester is your diet. It should still consists healthy goods  and make sure to consume at least 70 grams of protein a day, to support further growth for the baby.
Increase you intake of fruits especially ones which are rich in vitamin C and leafy vegetables.

Third Trimester:
Third trimester is very important for the baby.  Especially brain development and overall growth. This is where your baby will be getting ready to exist from you to the real world. You may find it a little hard to get all the food you need at this trimester, because increasing size of the baby and uterus may press against the stomach making eating very hard. This can be fixed by eating small snacks throughout the day instead of on taking a few meals throughout the day.
Again, focus on fruit, vegetable and some good protein sources.
Since the brain is developing the most in this trimester, healthy fat intake should be increased. You can take it from food such as fish and nuts, and better to supplement with some omega 3.
During this trimester you should be consuming about 300 extra calories a day and yes it will make you gain weight. But it’s very important to consume those from healthy food, to give you energy for giving birth and improve recovery after it.

Supplement During Pregnancy

While you may be eating very healthy and getting much of what you need from your diet, this is still a very important period of your life. You should need to make sure you are getting everything perfectly, as all what you do may and will affect it.
There are many essential and important nutrients you want to make sure you are getting it good. Adding a supplement to your diet is always a great idea at  this time. Still you would need clearance from your health provider about this.

Supplements you should be concentrating on:

• Mutli Vitamin-Minerals: there are special kinds of multi vitamins for pregnant women. You should get a good one and make sure you taking it daily. Discuss which one is the best one for you to use with your doctor or pharmacist.
• Vitamin A: vitamin A is used for the development of mucous membrane cells and the skin of your baby. You would need 4000 -5000 IU daily.
• Folic acid: Folic acid is a crucial nutrient for during pregnancy. It aids the development of the baby’s nerves and any deficiency can cause defect in the baby’s nervous system such as spina bifida, cleft palate or incomplete brain development.
  This is most important at the time of conception and during the first weeks of pregnancy.
  Make sure to take at least 800-1000mcg daily.
• Vitamin B12: many people have deficiency in vitamin B12, yet you can’t risk it while pregnant. Vitamin B12 works with Folic acid to develop your baby nervous system. Deficiency in this may lead to neural tube defect. You should be taking 2.2mcg of vitamin B12 daily.
• Vitamin B6: another important vitamin that work with Folic acid in the development of nervous system ,muscles ,bones and the brain. Daily recommended intake of 1.5mg vitamin B6.
• Iron (Ferrous Sulfate): since your blood volume will increase considerably during pregnancy, iron supplementation is very important to prevent Anemia. It also reduces the risk of excessive bleeding during childbirth which may lead to fatalities. You need at least 30 mg of iron daily..
• Calcium: it’s not surprising that you need lots of calcium during pregnancy. Your baby’s bones, teeth and muscles are developing. If you don’t have enough calcium, it will start taking calcium from your bones, which may lead to osteoporosis in the future.
  Calcium also may be very helpful in reducing leg cramps, especially with mineral magnesium. It will also to help stabilize your blood pressure and aid sleeping.
  Make sure you take adequate calcium from your diet and supplementation.
  Recommended dosage least 1,500 mg calcium per day.
• Vitamin C: vitamin C this is very important to maintain health during pregnancy and helps the body in absorbing the iron, calcium and phosphorus it needs. Recommended dosage of 500mg daily.
• Omega-3 (DHA): Omega-3/this is needed for the development of the baby’s brain and eyes. And it has many other healthy benefits in general and for pregnant women as well. Studies show that pregnant women who supplement with Omega-3 have lower risk of delivering their babies early.
  So make sure you eat lots of omega-3 rich food such as fish, walnuts and flax seed.

These are the most important nutrient you need to supplement during pregnancy.

Diet after pregnancy

 Now you’re done with carrying your baby in you, Congratulation :)
You may get tempted to start a hard diet to lose the extra kilograms you gained during pregnancy but you shouldn’t.
Your diet at the first few weeks after giving birth should be the same as during pregnancy. You still need extra calories for breastfeeding and body recovery, so make sure you keep taking an extra 300 calories of good quality healthy food for the first few weeks. After, you can start cutting down the extra calories and increase your exercise, as will discuss later.

Guidelines to follow during and after Pregnancy:

Guidelines to follow during and after Pregnancy:

• Drink a lot of water each day. It is one of the most important things to stay hydrated all the time.
• Eat 4-6 meals or snacks a day.
• You should never go more than 12 hours without a healthy meal or snack. Your body is constantly providing your child with nutrient it needs for growth.
• Eating very healthy food is the best thing you can do for you and your baby.
• You need just 300 calories a day extra on your basic diet, all from healthy food.
• Supplementation is very important during pregnancy. Sometimes diet alone won’t give you all what you need, especially if you’re vegetarian.
• Avoid unhealthy food like caffeine, fast-food and alcohol. But you should also avoid smoking and harmful drugs.
• Weight loss and weight gain pills should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Avoid potential food borne illnesses such as: organ meats, sushi, raw eggs, processed foods, unpasteurized beverages and product.
• Breast feeding is a good way to lose weight. As excess, fat is transferred from you to your baby to help it grow.
•  

Husband involvement

Well, just because the baby is not in your body, it doesn’t mean that your wife has to go through pregnancy alone. Pregnancy is a mutual thing. It’s your baby, you should participate as much as you can in this experience. Spoil your wife even more, take good care of her and show more love and affection. She may be hard to deal with at sometimes due to hormonal imbalances, but you should try to understand her and be there for her always.
Simple things like cooking breakfast while she is in bed, always reminding her how beautiful she looks, how much you love her, massaging her feet and back -which I will discuss more in next article- and spending more time with her.
You should also be close with your unborn child. Feeling his movements in your wife, kiss him and talking with him.
Make sure you act like a husband should act, and be there side by side with your wife through all the processes.
Studies show that husband involvement in the pregnancy lead to better health of the wife and the child, as well as better family relations.

This is part one of pregnancy and staying in shape. It’s really very simple and can be put in two words here: EAT HEALTHY, for you and your baby.Of course diet plus exercise will make sure you stay in shape and not gaining lots of extra weight which would be hard to lose. Besides, this will make you feel better, your health will be better , your husband will be better and life will be better.
Stay tuned for the next month, part 2 of ‘Staying fit during pregnancy’. There we will discuss training during and after pregnancy.

Staying Fit During pregnancy - Part 2

Shady Eid is a certified Personal Trainer, writer and competitive bodybuilders based in UAE, for questions and comments you can contact him at: Shady@arabianmuscles.com