The quality of your birthing experience depends largely upon how well you takes care of yourself while you are pregnant.

Pregnancy is a time for preparation. It’s a time to shower yourself in love and attention, give yourself the best and set your baby up for success.

In this article I will share with you how a natural pregnancy can lead you down the path to having an amazing birth.

Coping with Pregnancy Symptoms (Naturally)

Pregnancy symptoms are a natural part of the journey through pregnancy. You are changing and growing on both a physical and emotional level. You are being transformed into a perfect vessel to love, grow and give life to your baby. It’s natural for you to feel the effects of this change. What’s important is the way you approach and cope with your pregnancy symptoms.

There is a reason and purpose for most pregnancy symptoms (besides making you uncomfortable). Pregnancy symptoms encourage us to tune in and listen to our bodies and ultimately assist us in one way or another along the path to a successful birth.

Some symptoms occur physically and call us to action to strengthen our physical bodies so that we may be more comfortable in our pregnancy. Others take place on an emotional level that call us to explore and open our emotional selves in an act of cleansing and renewal so that we may greet our babies with perfect love.

Having a healthy, natural pregnancy can help greatly reduce the discomfort from pregnancy symptoms. When you take excellent care of yourself during pregnancy and cultivate a healthy emotional and physical state you will adjust more easily and naturally to the changes happening in your body.

A Healthy Natural Pregnancy Diet

If you want your baby to be the best you have to feed it the best. This means eating wholesome, nutrient rich foods (not the junk foods you might be craving). Remember when you are feeding yourself, you are also feeding your baby.

During pregnancy your baby is in a very early stage of development, so the affect of your nutritional choices have a much bigger impact on your baby’s growth than you might expect. Part of a natural pregnancy is eliminating bad foods from your diet, and replacing them with good, nutrient rich foods which will help nurture your baby and prepare her (and yourself) for birth.

The most nutrient rich foods are those that are as close to their natural state as possible, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and “single ingredient” foods you find in the outside aisles of the grocery store. Avoid processed and packaged foods. If it comes in a box and has more than three ingredients, it’s probably not very good for you.

You should have a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies in your diet (the fresher the better).

Protein is also important for the baby’s growth, which can be found in lean meat (like chicken and turkey), fish, eggs, soy products, etc.

Vitamins and Supplements

At a minimum you should be taking a daily prenatal vitamin. Vitamins are good, but it’s always better to get your nutrients from wholesome natural food, instead of in pill form. However, many foods in modern supermarkets do not contain as many vitamins and minerals as they used to because they are grown in depleted soil using chemical fertilizers, harvested out of season, etc. So supplementing your natural pregnancy diet with vitamins is a good idea.

The Importance Of Exercise For Natural Pregnancy

Regular physical activity prepares your body to be healthy and strong enough to carry your baby without having to strain, and when the time comes enables you to birth your baby more comfortably.

A natural pregnancy exercise program should be part of your daily routine. But don’t worry, because it doesn’t have to be anything hard. You don’t have to go to the gym for hours or anything like that.

The best exercises are: Walking, Yoga, Swimming and Kegals (pelvic floor exercise)

Remember you are not exercising to lose weight or tone up. Exercising may help you to lose the pregnancy weight quicker after the birth, but the main goal is to build strength and health.

Natural Pregnancy Weight Gain

It is natural for women to gain a different amount of weight while they are pregnant. Weight gain of anywhere from 20-35 lbs and up is considered normal and healthy.

What’s important is not the number on the scale, but that  you get all of the vital nutrients that you need to grow your body and your baby to be healthy and strong.

Natural Pregnancy Classes

Natural pregnancy classes can be a great help to prepare and guide you through pregnancy and toward birth.

Natural pregnancy classes will teach you what’s going on in your body and how you can prepare yourself to have a healthy, and natural pregnancy and birth.

The right class will help you feel healthy on both a physical and emotional level, help you design a natural pregnancy diet and exercise routine, and should include prenatal yoga or other prenatal exercise that build strength and flexibility.

A good natural pregnancy class should also encourage you to connect and listen to your body.

Natural Pregnancy Equals A Great Birth

A healthy and loving birth comes from a healthy, loving, natural pregnancy. Just like anything else in life – you get out of it what you put into it…

If you take care of your body with natural pregnancy, your body will take care of you and your baby during birth.