Mommin' for the Win

Attention pregnant ladies!!! Have you ever wondered how you’re going to survive 9 months of unpredictable emotions, morning sickness that lasts all day, and sciatic nerve pain shooting up and down your legs all while you’re expanding to (what feels like) the size of a whale and you’re unable to get the massive amount of sleep you seem to need?!? Well I’m ready to tell you exactly how to do just that! SURVIVE! And let me tell you right now, even with these great tips that’s the only thing you’ll feel like doing some days! All that said, you’ll know every bit of it was worth it the second you look in your sweet babies eyes. But without further ado, lets get to these great tips so maybe I can help you get through another day of pregnancy!

1) Drink LOTS of Fluids/Limit Caffeine!

I know you’ve heard this many times before already, but PLEASE do it! You have no idea how many stories I’ve heard of people I personally know or my friends know who have ended up in the hospital needing an IV for fluids. Listen ladies, not drinking enough fluids can land you in the hospital in premature labor! Dehydration can also cause severe round ligament pain, constipation, contractions, muscle cramps, and headaches and you’re gonna deal with enough of that as it is! It’s mildly uncomfortable and possibly dangerous for you and your sweet little baby not to drink water! So GET THOSE FLUIDS DOWN! Whether it’s soup, juice, popsicles, water, get it down girl! In a day you should be drinking 10 8 oz cups of water! That’s sounds like a lot, but if you factor in every bit of water you’re getting from everything else it’s not so bad. While we’re on the subject of what fluids you’re drinking, let’s talk caffeine! When I was pregnant, I cut out basically all caffeine in my diet because I’m not a die hard coffee addict like some of you sweet ladies out there. When you’re pregnant, you’re only supposed to have about 200 mg of caffeine in a day which is about a 12 ounce cup of coffee. Search Caffeine Charts for Pregnant Women on Pinterest to find out how much caffeine is in your daily cup of joe or tea… that’s acceptable too (but watch the herbal teas because some herbs aren’t safe for your baby and can cause premature labor). Also, if you LOVE coffee, check out my husband’s blog the Rugged Hipster where he talks about all things coffee, coffee shops, camping, hiking, and outdoorsy!

2) EDUCATE Yourself and Trust Your Instincts!

Research what you can and can’t eat/drink, how many pounds you can lift, how you can stand to keep your back from hurting so much, what those aches and pains are you’re feeling, how much of an epidural actually goes in your back, stuff like that! By the way, an epidural needle is so long because the anesthesiologist has to lean over the bed behind you to stick you with it. They don’t put the whole thing in there if that gives you any comfort! Also, ask at your local hospital about how they do epidurals. Mine let me have a button that I could use to give myself a max of two doses per hour of the epidural, so I got to control my pain level! It was awesome and I didn’t feel any more pain during labor than I wanted to! I’ll get the epidural again in a heartbeat! Anyways, educating yourself during pregnancy is the best way to keep you and your baby safe and healthy! By the way, LOTS of people will try to tell you what you should do during pregnancy and labor. GO WITH YOUR GUT! If you are having aches and pains and you don’t think it’s normal, go to the hospital! If your sweet baby isn’t moving around like normal, don’t listen to those people that tell you your baby gets less active as he/she gets cramped! It’s not true! My baby was VERY active from the second she started moving till the second she was born! So if your baby is normally active and suddenly isn’t, drink some ice water or juice or see if your baby will react to light, sound, or you pressing on him/her. If you notice something is wrong and they’re not moving, GO TO THE HOSPITAL. Just trust your instincts ladies. No one will ever know your baby as well as you do.

3) Take Prenatal Vitamins!

This is something that is a somewhat controversial topic. Some people believe that there’s not enough evidence to support the need to take prenatal vitamins, but I think it’s important if your doctor thinks that it’s important enough to check and make sure you’re taking them. Word of advice: get the ones that aren’t gummies. I know they aren’t chewy and they don’t taste like fruit snacks, but trust me it’ll save you money (plus you don’t have to try to remember to take them before you brush your teeth so you don’t sleep with sugar on your teeth all night). Another word of advice: take them at night before bed. If you’re dealing with morning sickness, prenatal vitamins can trigger it because of the high doses of vitamins and minerals in it; particularly, iron. So if you take your vitamin before bed, the part of the day when you’d be nauseous is when you’re asleep and (if you’re like me) you won’t have any problems and you’ll sleep through it. Also, some research has shown that if you take a prenatal with vitamin B6 in it, you may have reduced nausea. Talk to your doctor if you’re really struggling with it to find the prenatal that is best for you.

4) FLOSS!

Ladies I know flossing totally sucks… but you’ve got to do it during pregnancy at least every other day! Your dentist will tell you that you are at more of a risk for gingivitis (a disease of the gums) and other dental diseases during pregnancy. Taking care of your dental hygiene is very important especially in your condition (I know we as women hate that phrase when pregnant, so I’m sorry)! Even if you’ve never had any problems with dental diseases, you may still have problems during pregnancy! I never had problems until I went to the dentist when I was pregnant and they told me I had a minor case of gingivitis. Floss your teeth ladies! Pregnant or not, it will always benefit you in the long run!

5) Don’t Stress!

I know! I told you not to stress and now you’re stressed about not being stressed and I’ve sent you on that rollercoaster of emotions for the tenth time just today! Well quit that! Whenever you get stressed out I want you to do whatever makes you relax. Some women meditate, pray, take a series of deep breaths (me), or combine them all for just a few moments of sanity. Listen, when baby brain has got you forgetting your last name (why did I use my maiden name on that check?), and you have to go to the store for the third time today just so you can get all you need to make one dinner, sit down, listen to some music (I enjoy the student music radio on Pandora), make some coffee, and relax. I’m sorry, but the baby brain will never end. From now on you’ll have children to make you forget things and that’s just gonna be life. Use the excuse that you’re pregnant right now while you can! Then after pregnancy, say you have a newborn, then that you have young children, then say that you haven’t had your coffee yet today like most forty year old mothers do. It’s ok. Moms have to make the world go around. We can all forgive a little forgetfulness and stress. Just breathe and you’ll make it through momma.

6) HANDS OFF THE BABY SHOWER!!!

This one goes along with the stress one. Ladies, when you try to nit-pick every little thing about your baby shower, it’s never going to end well. You’ve got enough on your plate preparing for a baby, making a well researched baby registry (which I highly recommend researching your baby products because you won’t regret it), and trying to figure out where you put your phone last so your husband won’t panic when he calls you for the tenth time in a row and you don’t answer. Don’t sweat the small stuff!!! You’ve got enough to worry about with all the big things in your life like how much weight you’re gaining while you’re pregnant (why do the scale numbers keep going up?! Is that supposed to happen?). Let your baby shower be planned by someone close to you with a lot less on their plate! Tell them the theme you want and then HANDS OFF my friends! Odds are if you’re easygoing and you pick someone who knows you, everything will be perfect for you’re baby shower anyways. If it’s not, don’t worry about it! It’s really a small thing in the grand scheme of your life with your sweet little baby, so it probably won’t matter later anyways. Who’s gonna care about the baby shower when you’re finally holding the baby in your arms???

7) Eat Healthy!

At least as healthy as you can eat with all those cravings for ice cream. My husband and I had five different flavors of ice cream in our freezer at one time during my pregnancy! And the bad thing was I’d eat each flavor once and satisfy my craving, then I’d forget they were even in the freezer! Anyways, try to eat at least one serving of vegetables a day. If you can get a serving of fruit in too, that would be great! I’m far from being a doctor, but I survived most of my day to day life during pregnancy eating bread for breakfast, canned soup for lunch, and a solid meal for dinner at night with a good helping of vegetables and only a few snacks during the day, and I only gained thirty-five pounds and lost it all in less than three months. Granted, I have a high metabolism and was a stick before pregnancy anyways no matter what I ate or how much. But even though I didn’t have a super healthy diet, I made sure to remember to eat because I was feeding my baby, and I made sure to eat at least one helping of veggies. If you can’t do the fruit every day, don’t worry about it. Fruit is expensive and I think vegetables have more nutrients anyways because fruit is mostly water and sugar. That’s what the pediatrician says about baby food anyways, but I’d say it’s true! Hey by the way ladies, if you have bad acid reflux or heartburn like I did in my second trimester, take apple cider vinegar that’s pasteurized and kept at the proper temperature. I took a teaspoon at a time in a cup full of water after meals as needed when I got acid reflux. I also warmed it up with lots of honey in it to mask the taste (also don’t use the unpasteurized kind of honey). You can do your own research on this if you want or ask your doctor about it, but I did it and was ok and I asked my nurse about it and she said though it was gross it was fine. This was a lifesaver for me! But if you don’t feel comfortable with it, don’t do it! Like I said before, trust your gut! By the way, don’t take my advice as professional medical advice.

8) Don’t Push Yourself!

Leave work as soon as you can, don’t bend over if you can help it because it will kill your back and probably make your heartburn worse, try not to lift more than twenty pounds (unless you’ve been working out or carrying other children plenty before pregnancy and your doctor says you can), and be willing to let others help you. During pregnancy is a time when we need the MOST rest that we can get! Sit down busy momma! Get off your feet for awhile. The house work can wait and so can organizing the baby’s room until your husband, mother, or best friend gets there to help you with it.

9) Stay Fit!

Now I know I just said don’t push yourself, but it is important that you try to do some working out. Make sure that you check with your doctor on your limitations and don’t do anything that you weren’t already able to do before pregnancy. Stretching is always a good idea because it will help you keep from having muscle cramps and losing any flexibility you had before pregnancy. Other good exercises are squats (if you’re able) and kegels. I’ll let you search how to do those yourself, but they keep your pelvic floor in shape and help you eventually push that baby out (they also keep you from peeing your pants when you cough, sneeze, or laugh)! You can also find all sorts of pregnancy workouts on YouTube and Pinterest. Just workout with caution, don’t do anything you couldn’t do before pregnancy, use the general rule of if you can’t do the workout and talk at the same time then you’re pushing yourself too hard, and once again DRINK LOTS OF FLUIDS; especially, when working out or hanging out in hot temperatures.

10) Go on a baby moon!!!

This goes along with the don’t stress one. A baby moon is where a couple who is expecting a baby, goes on one last big trip before the baby comes. It’s recommended to do this before you’re 25 weeks pregnant, but I would personally recommend doing it before 20 weeks pregnant. I was already so uncomfortable by 25 weeks when my husband and I drove 6 hours to Omaha and walked around for hours at the zoo. Oh and if you’re pregnant in the summer, I would recommend doing something that doesn’t involve you walking around much outside. You know how the weather app tells you the “feels like” temperature for the day? It felt like 113 degrees! It was so hot that they couldn’t sell ice cream because the cooler for it couldn’t keep up and it broke down! But anyways, going on a baby moon is a great way to connect with your husband and de-stress before the baby comes. I talked to several women about it before we went on the trip, and it seems to also be highly recommended if you’re expecting any number of child other than your first too!

STORY OF THE WEEK: “Cooking Trauma” Ok guys this is where I tell a story every week so you guys can get to know me a little better. Without further ado, here’s my story!

This was a very delicate time in my life when I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and my pregnancy hormones were like super crazy. My husband lovessss cookies (as most do), so I was going to make him some homemade cookies. Our oven gets super hot on top when we’re baking something, so I decided I would leave some butter on the top of it while it was preheating for just a few minutes so it would soften. I checked it once and it wasn’t soft enough yet, so I left it for a few minutes thinking it would be perfectly fine! When I came back I was devastated (no joke because I’m pregnant and my emotions are wild) because my butter was melted all over the stove. And my devastation only got worse as I realized that I had to clean up a huge mess, I no longer had enough butter to surprise my husband with cookies, AND I found out that if I would’ve checked the rest of the ingredients before I started making the cookies, I would’ve realized that I didn’t have any baking powder to begin with!!! So I wasted all that butter for nothing! When my husband called on his way home from work, I was near to tears (and I NEVER cry) as I explained that all I wanted to do was surprise him with cookies and instead I wasted a stick of butter and made a giant mess…. my husband (being the wonderful man he is) stopped by Walmart on his way home and got enough butter and baking powder for several dozen cookies and I made them when he got home. So I didn’t surprise him, but we still got delicious cookies at the end and I kept my crazy emotions somewhat under control. Have you guys ever had a crazy cooking disaster that broke your heart because you HATE wasting food??? Comment below! I would LOVE to read your stories! Also, let me know what else you want to see me write about in the future!

NEXT BLOG POST: “15 Pregnancy Survival Products!”