Best Tips for Pregnant Surrogates during the Holidays
The holiday season can be one of the most joyful times of the year. Along with all of the cheer comes temptation and stressors, especially in the current health climate. As a surrogate, your experience with the holidays might look a little different this year. But you don’t need to worry. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado is here to help you survive the holidays as a surrogate in Colorado.
We’ve gathered the best tips for pregnant surrogates during the holidays.
On Managing Stress and Staying Healthy during the Holidays
While pregnant, you should monitor your stress levels. High anxiety can cause unhealthy stress for the baby. Overworking yourself physically is also best avoided. Let yourself rest this season and take naps when you need them. Maintaining your health is an important step in remaining strong for a quicker recovery after delivery.
Stay hydrated! You should be drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. Investing in a reusable water bottle is a good way to always have some on hand. The winter months are especially likely to increase your risk for dehydration, which can lead to premature labor. Do your part to keep the baby healthy.
Let your family or friends take charge of the cooking and cleaning this year. For any necessary tasks, take it slow and manage only a few at once. Cut down your Christmas card list and wrap gifts as soon as you get them to avoid being overwhelmed with a buildup later on.
Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? If you still have gifts to find, take your partner, spouse, or a friend along on any shopping outings. Plan to shop during off-hours, such as early in the morning or late at night. Take breaks when you need to. Better yet, prop your feet up and opt for online shopping.
Tempting Treats, Fizzy Drinks, and Foods to Avoid during Pregnancy
You might be tempted to partake in holiday traditional drinks like eggnog, but we both know that is not a good idea. The raw eggs in homemade eggnog are a no-go, as is the generous alcohol content. Drinking more than 200mg of caffeine each day is also not advised, so limit yourself to one cup of coffee or tea if you need it to get through the holiday.
To take part in the festivities, you can make your own mocktail or hot chocolate, enjoy apple cider, or buy a commercially-manufactured premixed eggnog drink sans alcohol. Try bubbly drinks like ginger ale or lemon-lime soda with some grenadine or cranberry juice. Carbonated drinks can help reduce nausea and help you feel full.
With the holidays, you never know when dinner will be served. Keep nausea at bay with some light snacks between meals. Some great snack options would be freshly washed fruits and vegetables, nuts, lentils, and beans. While there will be many tempting treats around the holidays, it is especially important to have a nutrient-rich, balanced diet when you’re pregnant. Eating many smaller portions can help you avoid uncomfortable bloating.
Avoid fatty or spicy foods, especially if you have been suffering from acid reflux. Say no to raw or undercooked foods as well as soft cheeses and deli meats. These may contain bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, or listeria. As a surrogate mother in Colorado, your weakened immune system is more susceptible to illness from these bacteria, so you should pass on those foods. Also important to remember over the holidays is the risk of bacteria growing on food that is left out for too long. After everyone has been served, safely store leftovers in the refrigerator to keep everyone healthy.
Winter Travel Tips for Pregnant Surrogates
In the current health conditions, we recommend you stay home and celebrate with your household rather than traveling. After the 36-week mark in your pregnancy, you should stay close to home. If family members insist on visiting, ask that they remain isolated for two weeks prior to visiting and monitor their health closely. If your loved ones are local, it may be ideal to let them handle the holidays while you get some rest. Resting will help your body to stay strong and aid recovery after the delivery.
If you travel to see loved ones, ask that everyone present take the same health precautions. Holiday travel while pregnant can be stressful. You can always take a break to nap if you need to excuse yourself from uncomfortable conversations or have overexerted yourself. Alternating between sitting and standing can help to regulate your circulation and reduce swelling. When driving or traveling by plane, make an effort to take breaks to stretch your legs every hour or so. This will help reduce your risk of blood clots.
Even if your due date is months away, it can be a good idea to prepare a travel bag with essentials. Pack water, snacks, hand sanitizer, contact information, and identification. Have a hospital bag packed at least two weeks before your due date. If you are beyond 28 weeks, bring a letter from your doctor or midwife confirming your due date and that you are fit to fly. Bring a copy of your prenatal chart and your doctor’s contact information along with you and locate the nearest hospitals in case any complications arise.
Your doctor or midwife will have a holiday schedule too. Ask them about their holiday plans, so you can pass along your due date and health information to the covering physician if your doctor will be unavailable.
Tips for Pregnant Surrogates During the Holidays
Adoption & Surrogacy Choices of Colorado aims to provide exceptional service throughout your surrogacy process. We are here to answer any questions you may have about our recommendations for the holiday season. Surrogacy is an incredibly meaningful gift for the intended parent or parents. Treat yourself in moderation as you enjoy all the magic of the holidays.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Madilyn Moeller is a writer and editor keen on translating the technical. Madilyn’s years of science writing shine through as she explains everything from health insurance to moving for her readers. Madilyn has a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Professional Writing, Psychology, and Neuroscience. She is a lifelong writer bringing her curiosity to the marketing stage, building websites and blogs for businesses moving online. She knows more about Medicare than any young adult should.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!