THM PREGNANCY TIPS from a seasoned THM MAMA.
I am currently pregnant with my 7th baby (8th pregnancy). This is my second THM pregnancy and although every pregnancy is different here are some similarities I’ve noticed with my two THM pregnancies.
1. NO HEART BURN!!!! With every single one of my pregnancy but my last two THM pregnancies I’ve had horrible horrible heartburn. I actually had to plan to take Tums or Antacids with me everywhere or guzzle milk, it was so bad! The ONLY time I have heartburn now is when I go off plan and eat something not good for me. I know everyone is different but for me, it totally has taken care of Heartburn during pregnancy.
2. Energy! Wow… it’s nice being able to say this again. We have six kids right now… a 13 year old daughter, a 9 year old daughter, a 7 year old daughter, a 5 year old daughter, a 2 year old son (who is like 10 boys in one) and a 15 month old boy who is now into everything. We own our own business, a plumbing company, which I help my husband run. We live out on a little acreage which is work in itself. I’m a homemaker and all that goes with it. I homeschool our kids and run this blog… my point is I AM VERY VERY BUSY!! So not being able to manage all that’s on my plate would be a very bad thing. There was a time I did cry out to God and wonder how I was going to manage… I just couldn’t function with 5… now I have six going on seven and I am able to keep up with everything I need to, thanks to finding Trim Healthy Mama (here is my affiliate link to the THM store if you want to check it out). I honestly believe it was the answer to my prayer!
3. I feel good! My body feels good. I’m 35 and have birthed 6 babies… but dare I say, I feel young. The aches and pains are very minimal. How awesome is that! Before I could barely get off the couch or out of bed now it’s not an issue.
4. Less pregnancy weight gain. My last THM pregnancy I only gained 15 pounds. I believe my body continued to trim up while my baby grew healthy! Even though I wasn’t able to get back down to my pregnancy weight before I got pregnant with this baby I am hoping I continue the pattern of a small gain.
5. A great birth and healthy baby! I had a very good home birth and a very healthy baby who was one of my smaller babies! My 5th baby was a 9 pounder. My sixth (first THM) was a 7 pounder. Wow what a great difference that made! Especially for a home birther. And I had a great recovery. I felt so good I wanted to get up and get with things right away… don’t do that! My husband didn’t let me anyway, haha!
So here are a few tips…
Switch it up. Keep switching it up. But add in crossover when you need them. E meals are a little harder for me, I’ve noticed, while pregnant but I found that if I add in more lean protein it will hold me over better. Those E meals are really good for both pregnant and nursing ladies.
PROTEIN is so important!!! Try to get in a LOT of protein! I have noticed that this really helps with morning sickness for me. And again, it helps when you eat E meals to have plenty of protein to hold you over. Put plan approved protein bars or nuts in your purse or beside your bed. Also take plan approved wraps with you, if you are going out, to make it easy to eat THM! Burgers can be done with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Tacos are good ones to transfer to a wrap. It’s doable for sure!
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE! If you are experiencing morning sickness or having a rough pregnancy THM is still do able… just keep it simple! When you have a bit of energy prepare your protein ahead to make it easy to work around. Just yesterday I boiled two of our family serving size of chicken to be ready to quickly create dinner or lunch for us. That REALLY helped! If you cannot do that right now get things that are quick fixers. Something I LIVED off for a while was cottage cheese and my favorite fruit. If you cannot do cottage cheese try greek yogurt. Or peanut butter and celery. Boiled eggs are quick protein snacks that have little smell! Maybe even pre-packaged salad you can dump a can of salmon in. Those Progresso Light Soups are perfect E meals when you do not want to cook! For me when I’m pregnant EASY IS BEST!
Drink LOTS of water! GGMS is good too! You can even enjoy the Shrinker. If you go out, take a long a nice bottle of water to keep you and your baby hydrated! I’ve also learned that staying hydrated helps keep the morning sickness bearable.
Eat what you crave… if you crave chocolate, eat Skinny Chocolate. If you crave Fried Chicken, eat a plan approved Fried Chicken! Almost everything can be THMed! Believe me! 😉
Pamper YOURSELF! Take a bubble bath, get a new-to-you maternity outfit that makes your feel good, or a nice pair of pajamas for when the baby comes, take a leisure walk for fresh air and those happy endorphins, drink hot tea or even a cup of coffee with cream, check out a good library book, enjoy this time of growing a baby! Your body is working overtime to create a precious blessing!!
Prepare Freezer Meals… Another tip I would suggest is once your start feeling good again (usually in the second trimester for me) begin to prepare some THM meals & snacks you can freeze. That will make it easier to stay on plan once that precious baby comes and you aren’t in charge of cooking. We have been blessed in the past by friends and family bringing us meals after our babies are born! I EAT THEM and enjoy them and know that they are a blessing. But once things settle down, it’s nice to have those PREPARED THM Meals to fall back on!
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE! You are growing a baby! If you need a cheat, have a cheat. But just be careful not to get in a rut of constant cheating. Your body will thank you for staying the course and your baby will thank you too! But do allow yourself a cheat treat once in a while! 😉 And after the cheat, wait three hours and hop back on. The best choice of meal after a cheat would be a healthy fat and protein with yummy fresh greens!
Don’t forget your husband!!! Since the Trim Healthy Mama book does encourage being FOXY (Chapter 34)… I thought I needed to add this to my tips. Sometimes our men get put on the back burner… with kids, pregnancy, hormones, it’s hard to keep working on our marriage too while growing that baby. But don’t forget your mate! Let him spoil you, take you out on dates, let him enjoy your body that he helped put in the beautiful condition your are in (giggles) and enjoy him enjoying you! If you are able, go on a pre-babymoon or plan one at home. Pregnancy and the pregnant body is a wonderous beautiful thing.
So these are my tips. I hope this might help others. Please note that these are just MY tips! I’ve done these while having two wonderful THM pregnancies. They may not work for you but maybe you can get some ideas here that will work for you. I absolutely realize that no woman’s body is the same, each unique, and what works for one may not work for another! Be blessed!!
I love the shrinker! The only problem I have is if I drink the whole two quarts I don’t want to drink any water.
The only thing I would add is workout if you have the time and energy. It will help labor go a lot smoother. 🙂
Yes yes!! I absolutely agree! Working your body while pregnant helps so much! Thank you for your comment!!
Wow! You are a seasoned pro at being pregnant. I’m almost 35 weeks and I love all of your tips. I really need to start making some freezer meals. I never really got to them the first time around, but I know I’ll definitely want to have some handy with a newborn and a toddler.
Awh congrats on your baby!!! And thank you! I am not sure about the seasoned pro.. haha! 😉
This is awesome! I am 9 weeks pregnant with #14! I want so much for this to be a Trim Healthy Pregnancy. I think it would help me solve some issues (like heartburn0 that I normally experience. Of course, right now extreme nausea is my issue. I really don’t want to eat much of anything. :/
Thank you so much!! And congrats to yoU!! 🙂
This is such a great post and will be using some of your suggestions. And I never knew that much about you! Living in the country is great but sure comes with its responsibilities. My family also owned a small business when I was growing up so that is very relatable. Oh and I am also happy with the benefits of being on THM during pregnancy. Looking forward to preparing my freezer meals soon 🙂
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! I have also found that eating lots of protein really helps with my morning sickness, but I do not care for the shakes/smoothies that so many THMamas enjoy. Do you have any specific suggestions for how to get that protein in? Turkey and cheese rolls get old after the millionth time, lol!
Yes you can use greek yogurt and cottage cheese as your protein source! I actually do this a lot for protein!
I just found out yesterday that my husband and I are pregnant with baby # 1! We’re about 4 weeks. I haven’t jumped into THM full time and I am brand new at learning about pregnancy … thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am really hoping to lose weight during this pregnancy and get healthy for my baby. It still has not sunk in yet that I am pregnant. Part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop … hoping not to miscarry. Thank you thank you for sharing.
OH congrats!!!! First baby’s are so much fun & scary at the same time! I remember worrying about everything with our first! Praying God gives you peace! <3 <3
Mrs Criddle, I love your blog but you just said that boiled eggs have little to no smell! :O!!!! My pre-pregnant self and especially 1st trimester self heartily disagree with you! LOL. But I have been living off of Progresso soups for a couple of weeks, fruit and yogurt (and bad stuff I won’t mention to get me through the nausea). Hoping to hop back on full-time after the food aversions and nausea eases up!
hee hee, congrats on your pregnancy!! Hoping you have a short bout of nausea!! I remember that well… eek!
I did hear that protein helps a lot in the morning sickness. I did see you tell someone to take yogurt and cheese, but what if I’m lactose intolerant? Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance!
I would recommend nuts (almonds) as a snack and maybe boiled eggs. The smell of cooked eggs always made me sick when pregnant but boiled was ok.
Are all the THM staples safe while pregnant? My main concern is the sweet blends. I’ve steered clear since I found out I was pregnant about a week ago! Would so appreciate any insight!
Thanks!!
I’ve had two THM pregnancies and use all the sweeteners with out any issues what so ever. 🙂
Hi,
When I was pregnant I always eat what I crave for and drink lots and lots of water. I remember we still have stairs in the house, I kept on going up and down on that stairs as one of the exercises pregnant women should. I also walk in front of the yard back and forth :).
I was SO hoping we would be moved instead of re-renting this run-down apartment, but things have not panned out that way…. Meanwhile, I am trying to make pregnancy #9, baby #3 (fingers crossed) as healthy as possible. It’s REALLY hard to stay on plan when you have a broken stove, broken oven, unsealed refrigerator, and no climate control (if we turn the heat on for more than 3-6 hours it automatically goes up to 90 and won’t turn off until you disconnect the wires and force it to shut off- then it drops back down to whatever outside temp is)….. This means fruit goes bad constantly, food doesn’t cook properly, and meals are generally wasted. I only have a (basically) 6 & 2 year old here, but we did decide to try homeschooling this year- …. And with my S/O working as a truck driver, he’s rarely here, and his pay is increasingly unsteady….. I’m hoping to get some of these methods to start working out soon, my friend and I used to to ” THM Prep Nights” once a week at her house (SHE has a GREAT kitchen) and will hopefully get back into it soon (although she has 4 kids, homeschools, and is in the middle of Crack- I mean, Girl Scout Cookie- sales right now sooo…….. we shall see! Anyway, congrats on baby #8, best of luck and I hope things keep running smoothly!
HUGS oh goodness!!! Just do a little bit at a time as you can. Try to do more prep that doesn’t involve refrigeration like muffin in a mug premixes, boiled eggs, nuts, etc. That will help you with having something to grab when needed. Congrats on your #3 baby! <3
Do you have recommendations how to get back on plan after being off the first 16 weeks? I followed THM this summer and loved it. I tightened and toned so much and totally fell off when I became pregnant. Now I’m 17 weeks and need to get my weight gain in check (sugar and carbs are my devil right now) but my problem is I have no energy to meal prep so it is a vicious cycle! Any quick on plan easy ideas are much appreciated.
Hey there… I would say if you can get back on full force.. do it! I struggle when I don’t go full force! It’s soooo hard when you don’t have energy, I know! Make easy things… muffins in a mug, wraps, have nuts on hand or cheese to grab when you need a snack. Even the THM Protein powder and a nut milk when you NEED something quick can help you! Congratulations!!!
Thanks! I have been back on since Jan 1st, lost 4 lbs immediately (fluid I am sure) and have gained nothing right now! I am so happy and hoping to maintain this until baby needs to up my weight. Thanks for the recommendations!
So helpful! Thank you for the THM pregnancy post. I have always planned on having a THM pregnancy because I believe it really is the healthiest way to eat. But my question has always been, “How many cross-over meals? Were you eating one cross-over meal per day or more (less)? Thanks for the help!
Hey there and sorry its taken a while to get back to you… when I was pregnant I didn’t eat a lot of crossovers. I just didn’t feel like I needed them. But if you feel like you need them… eat what you feel is good for your body! Both of my THM pregnancies I rarely ate crossovers.
I am pregnant with my third baby and have shied away from the GGMS in my past pregnancies because of the ACV being unpasteurized. Is it safe to use good ol’ Bragg’s or should I use distilled during my pregnancy?
I definitely drank GGMS with ACV while pregnant with my last two… I’ve never heard of it harming anyone who is pregnant & but definitely do what you feel is best for your body and pregnancy! And congratulations!! 🙂