Pregnancy Hacks to Make Life Easier
Pregnancy is an incredible experience filled with anticipation and wonder. However, issues such as heartburn, snoring, or morning sickness can take away from the joy of entering motherhood. Fortunately, hacks such as clothing adjustments and technology use can help you destress during this time.
In this blog post by Pacific Prime Hong Kong, we will be going over the different pregnancy hacks to make life easier along with maternity insurance for future mothers to ensure women entering motherhood can destress just in time for welcoming their new arrival to the world.
Health Issues to Be Mindful of During Pregnancy
While pregnancy is an exciting milestone for women entering motherhood, the potential health issues resulting from pregnancy can take away from the excitement of the opportunity. Some of these common pregnancy-related health issues include heartburn, morning sickness, or hemorrhoids.
Below are the common health issues to be mindful of during pregnancy.
Heartburn
Heartburn is one of the most common health issues during pregnancy, which occurs when the pregnancy hormones soften the sphincter and causes stomach acids to rise back up. Symptoms usually manifest soon after eating or drinking but are more common from 12 weeks of pregnancy onward.
Some foods and drinks that can trigger heartburn in pregnant women include citrus products, fatty foods, and spicy foods.
Common symptoms of heartburn include a burning pain in the chest occurring after eating, which can worsen when lying down or hunching over, difficulties swallowing, belching, a sour or bitter taste in the back of your throat, and feeling bloated.
While heartburn during pregnancy is unavoidable, it can be prevented by eating smaller meals throughout the day, eating slowly, avoiding fatty and spicy foods, and refraining from lying down right after eating.
In terms of remedies, you can try eating some yogurt or drinking a glass of milk with one teaspoon of honey. You can also take over-the-counter antacids, but make sure you consult with a pharmacist or doctor first.
Morning Sickness
True to its name, morning sickness occurs earlier in the day for pregnant women and usually begins during the first month of pregnancy where it continues into the 14th to 16th week (third or fourth month) of pregnancy. However, symptoms usually improve by the 13th week.
Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, which may occur unprovoked on its own or after eating certain foods or smelling certain odors. Home remedies include snacking during the day and sipping ginger ale or eating foods that contain ginger such as ginger lollipops and ginger tea.
Other remedies include eating several meals each day, such as every one or two hours, to help prevent your stomach from getting empty and avoid spicy or fatty foods.
Insomnia
Insomnia is common during pregnancy due to a growing belly and pressured diaphragm, increased urinary frequency, heartburn, and restless legs syndrome (RLS).
In addition to heartburn and restless legs syndrome, changing hormone levels (along with an increase in estrogen and progesterone) and the body adapting to fetus growth also causes insomnia.
Home remedies for pregnancy-induced insomnia include limiting caffeinated beverages in favor of staying hydrated throughout the day. However, try to stop drinking at least a few hours before bedtime so you don’t have to get up constantly to use the bathroom.
Because heartburn contributes to discomfort and difficulties sleeping, eat smaller meals throughout the day and eat slowly while refraining from fatty and spicy foods.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins around the anus that can make bowel movements incredibly unpleasant. Additionally, pregnant women, particularly if they have constipation, are more likely to have hemorrhoids than most and usually occurs during the third trimester to a month of pregnancy.
Aside from constipation, hemorrhoids during pregnancy occur when the growing fetus pressures the pelvic area and bowel. The added weight from the fetus presses the veins in the anus so they aren’t able to move blood throughout the body as easily as usual.
This causes the slowed blood to trickle and pool, swelling inside the veins. The amount of blood in the body increases during pregnancy to support the fetus, which makes the veins move more blood throughout the body than usual.
To relieve the discomfort from hemorrhoids, you can apply pure aloe or coconut oil to ease the pain. If you’re feeling itchy, you can apply witch hazel or wet or dry baking soda to reduce the itchiness.
You can also try sitting in a tub of about two to three inches of warm water to help improve your blood flow and relax the strained muscles around the anus.
To reduce pressure on your hemorrhoids, try to not stand or sit for too long and lay to your side instead. If you wish to sit, add some cushing by using a donut pillow. When using the bathroom, don’t strain or linger too long.
Snoring
Common causes of excessive snoring during pregnancy include weight gain, hormonal changes, and increased blood flow. Increased estrogen and progesterone cause the mucus membranes in your nose to swell, and the nasal congestion increases when lying down, which causes snoring.
Snoring can cause sleep apnea, which is when the sleeper’s breathing is momentarily reduced or completely stopped multiple times. This can be seen when bed partners notice their partner’s breathing stopping for up to a minute at a time before gasping and choking and breathing once more.
Snoring during pregnancy is often worse when lying on your back to sleep. To remedy this, simply switch from lying on your back in favor of sleeping on either side as this helps improve blood flow and reduces pressure on organs.
While it’s understandable that weight gain is unavoidable during pregnancy, try to maintain a healthy weight as recommended by your healthcare provider to reduce the risk of breathing problems during sleeping.
Clothing Tips for Pregnancy
Ligament activity in the back and legs weaken during pregnancy. Thus, it is crucial to refrain from wearing high heels as they can increase pelvic and back pressure, leading to joint pain. Wearing high heels during pregnancy can also cause instability due to weight gain throwing off your balance.
Instead, wear medium or low-heeled shoes for better stability. Avoid tight-fitting clothes such as tight belts, bras, girdles, tight-fitting jeans, and knee socks. This is because tight-fitting clothes can decrease blood circulation.
Instead, opt for looser clothes such as large cardigans, oversized shirts, maternity bathrobes, or flowing skirts for comfort. Find a bra that fits and provides support to your breast. If possible, try to find a nursing bra as they are designed with flaps that unhook for easy breastfeeding.
Technology Use
If you are feeling overwhelmed with pregnancy, you can visit sites such as The Bump or The Pregnancy Centre for various pregnancy tips. This will allow you to access tools to help track your baby’s growth and connect with future mothers on online forums for support and suggestions.
Getting a doppler machine will allow you to listen to your baby’s heartbeat and open up opportunities for you to connect with your baby before the delivery date.
Pregnancy with Peace of Mind: Maternity Insurance
Now that you know the health issues to be mindful of during pregnancy, along with what you can do to make life easier during this time, let’s now move onto one factor that should never be overlooked whether you’re a pregnant local citizen or expat in Hong Kong: Maternity insurance.
Maternity insurance will cover home or hospital delivery costs, pre and post-natal treatments and examinations, medically-prescribed caesarian, delivery with complications, and delivery after fertility treatment.
Comprehensive maternity insurance plans will also cover newborn care, fertility treatments, congenital birth defects in case your baby is born with defects or congenital conditions, as well as medical treatment for newborns.
Secure Maternity Insurance with Pacific Prime Hong Kong
As a global award-winning insurance broker, Pacific Prime Hong Kong has helped match both local citizens and expats in Hong Kong to the right health insurance plan that suits both their budget range and unique healthcare needs.
Whether you’re expecting a child in Hong Kong as a local citizen yourself or as an expat, our team of specialists will be more than glad to ensure your peace of mind in pregnancy. Iif you have any further questions, please get in touch with us.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.
He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.
In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).
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