Claire Sweeney: my pregnancy fears
The former Brookside actress, who's had 2 miscarriages, talks about the anxious early weeks of her pregnancy – and praises her ex Daniel Riley for his constant support
With just 1 month to go before she her baby boy's due date, actress Claire Sweeney has told us at MFM that her pregnancy has been "fantastic".
But the former Brookside star admits it wasn't all plain sailing in the very first few weeks.
Claire has had 2 miscarriages in the past, and she says those heartbreaking losses made her feel super-anxious during her 1st trimester of this pregnancy.
"Because I’ve lost 2 babies, I just needed to look after myself," the 43-year-old reflected. "My previous miscarriages did make me feel extra cautious."
Claire is an Pilates and yoga enthusiast but she stopped exercising completely during those early weeks of pregnancy.
"I didn’t exercise at all in my 1st trimester because I was so nervous to push it," she said. "But my advice to others would be to try and enjoy it. Drink plenty of water, get your nutrition right and go with your body. Allow yourself whatever you need."
After a first nervous 12 weeks, Claire says she felt confident enough to get back into a regular exercise regime.
"Now I’m enjoying a combination of Pilates and yoga," she says. "But when you’re tired, just have a lie down – don’t feel guilty.
"It’s my last trimester, so I’m not rushing around too much. I had a walk around the park the other day and I had a sit down on a bench every few minutes because my hips were bad."
Pregnancy cravings
In her 1st trimester, Claire admits she "just couldn’t get enough chocolate" but now she’s craving something much healthier: avocado!
"I have it on toast with tomatoes or in a salad," she says.
But her pregnancy-food tip for other mums-to-be is to up your fibre as much as you can. "I was having terrible constipation until I started having flax seed for breakfast every morning," she says. "Now I have granola, blueberries, strawberries, natural yoghurt and flax seed for breakfast and it’s such a relief!"
Life as a single mum
Claire split from her former fiancé, and father of her unborn child, Daniel Riley, earlier this year.
But she says ex Daniel has been really supportive. He’s even bought a top-of-the-range Bugaboo Chameleon for the baby – whose name, says Claire, is going to Gabriel.
"Dan’s been sharing the pregnancy with me. He’s been wonderful," she says. "He’s been there by my side supporting me, doing everything together."
Claire Sweeney is the leading lady of Results with Bump, the first online antenatal fitness and wellbeing platform dedicated to helping pregnant women live a healthy lifestyle while their expecting.
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