Preggo 101

Preggo 101

Disclaimer: I am by NO MEANS a pregnancy expert!!! I have only been through this journey one time so far. This is simply one woman's thoughts and experiences to another. I hope it inspires, helps, motivates, or supports another lady or two out there!

If you are reading this, I am assuming you are expecting a little one, so first of all CONGRATULATIONS on the coming addition to your family! Pregnancy is HARD you guys, and so is having a newborn baby, but there is a REASON humans keep doing it over and over again, generation after generation. As cliche and cheesy as it is, ITS WORTH IT :) 

Below you will find my two cents on some things that were super important and helpful to me during my pregnancy. Let me share a little bit about my story and background first to put it all into context:

When I got pregnant, I was 28 years old and about 120 lbs. After hoping for a positive pregnancy test for 6 months and having a few false alarms, we decided to back off the baby fever for awhile. And it happened that month, when you LEAST expect it like they say! It was the week of my birthday so I got to do all the pretend cocktails that weekend ;) I also ran Philadelphia's Broad Street Run at seven weeks pregnant which was kinda cool, carrying out still little "secret" through the streets of Philadelphia! My pregnancy, thankfully, was pretty normal and healthy. I did not have much "morning sickness" in T1, but gosh did I have an APPETITE! In T2, my appetite calmed down and I felt great. In T3, I definitely felt tired, slow, large, and had an increased appetite similar to T1. Our baby girl was born a week after her due date after being induced, healthy and weighing in at 9lbs. and 12oz (I know, I know!)

So here are some tips, tricks, and little habits I did that kept me feeling sane and comfortable during those 10 months (whoever said it was 9, they lied).

1. Put YOURSELF and your body FIRST. Before all else - work, social commitments, all of it! Think about it, your baby will be first priority once he or she is here and right now your body is taking care of that little guy! Take care of your body and LISTEN to your body - I mean:

- rest when you need to

- move and be active

- moisturize your skin

- get the right nutrients

- stretch

- get to ALL of your doctor's appointments

-hydrate

- educate yourself on pregnancy

- do your keigel exercises

- take your prenatals
- do everything to avoid stress from breathing exercises to meditation

2. I am going to take advice tip #1 even further - don't just take care of yourself but also take the time to make yourself FEEL PRETTY! Get your nails done, get dressed up, put on makeup, do your hair a different way, whatever makes YOU feel BEAUTIFUL :) It's important to keep that aspect of yourself during this time. 

3. Shower OFTEN. Really whenever you feel like you need to. Your body is on overdrive for 10 months and the harder it's working, the more often you need to clean it! It's real life people. 

4. I know I said put your body FIRST over everything else but when you are feeling up to it, make sure you continue to be SOCIAL and do normal people things. Do not hide and hibernate! Once you have an infant there is plenty of time for that, people will come to you and you will be so ancy to get back out there.

5. Once you start to grow out of your clothes, don't be ashamed to take advantage of this time to wear Hubby's clothes! It's fun! Once I started to swell a lot I also wore my husband's socks, because they were less tighter than mine. I was really pregnant during the winter months, so instead of buying a maternity coat we bought a gender neutral northface fleece so that Matt could wear it in years following.

6. Back to going out and being social - do DATE NIGHTS! A lot of sober date nights might involve active things, we did a lot of dinner dates followed by strolls through the city, and for those I always packed a pair of sneakers. That way, you can still be fancy for your dinner date but comfortable afterwards!

7. Smell good :) I used perfume or a body mist almost everyday while I was pregnant; my philosophy was that on the days I don't FEEL sexy, I can at least smell sexy!

8. Always always always always always have a water bottle and snack in your bag. This is a NON NEGOTIABLE! You'll be so happy you did.

9. Speaking of water bottles, you basically cannot drink enough water! When you get sick of water, try tea, infuse your water with fruits/veggies, or sparkling water. This will help your inflammation and your forever hunger!

10. I drank shakeology everyday while I was expecting. I had been drinking it before I got pregnant too, so my body was already accustomed to it. It's basically an amazing way to fuel yourself with a TON of vitamins/minerals including probiotics, amino acids, adaptagens, superfoods, and digestive enzymes without having to PLAN the meal. If you're thinking about this, CHECK with your DOCTOR first!