These are a Few of My Favorite (Pregnancy) Things

I have said it before - I must spread some sort of baby making dust. Everyone around us had baby (or two) while we were trying, got pregnant around the time we did, or recently discovered they were pregnant!! So many babies!!!

As a currently pregnant person and a nurse, I get asked a lot of questions about what I think about certain aspects of pregnancy, as well as what did and did not work for us, so far... Here are some of my top recommendations.

Food: (especially during those first 16 weeks) if it sounds good, eat it. If it doesn't, don't. If nothing sounds good, choose foods based on how you will feel with it coming back up. I mean spaghetti with meatballs and applesauce do not return in the same manner.:) Try to make whatever you do eat count. Not empty calories, processed foods, or foods high in processed sugar. Stick with fruits, whole grains, and simple proteins. Keep unhealthy snacks out of the house. This is especially important mid way through your 2nd trimester, until the finish line. You are hungry constantly. Unhealthy foods are usually faster, more convenient, a more appealing (especially late at night). Trust me, you will thank me for this the next time you step on the scale at your doctor's office and see that the scale has only gone up 4-6 lbs over the last month, as opposed to 10-15 lbs.

Medications and Vitamins: Follow your doctors recommendations - they really have you and your baby's best interest in mind.

I faithfully took my prenatals, omega 3 (not fish based), and cal-mag horse pills for the entire first trimester, even though they made incredibly ill. I took them at night, with yogurt, right before going to bed, in hopes that I would sleep through most of the nausea. As the pregnancy went on, even this did not work. So I divided up the vitamins over the day, making sure I took the prenatals once I was home for the evening. Eventually it got to the point that they all made me throw up immediately after taking any of them. Once I was fairly confident most the most important cell work foundation had been laid for Ellie, coupled with the fact that I had been taking these supplements for the 2 years prior to conceiving, I quit taking them. I figured it was better for me to be getting calories, which included many components of supplements, and not throwing them up. Again, this is when/why healthy eating is very important. Once my nausea and vomitting began to improve, I have slowly been adding the supplements back into my daily routine.

One of the very common, and often over looked, causes of nausea, especially early on in pregnancy, is constipation. All the progesterone, and soon to be arriving relaxin, slow those bowel right on down to a near complete hault. I was fortunate, and only experienced this for about a week. Phillips Milk of Magnesia is the perfect solution for this. It is completely safe for you and your baby (according to all my docs!), isn't habit forming, and doesn't cause intestinal cramping. Get the strawberry flavored - it isn't exactly appettizing, but it is the best tasting one in my opinion.

I started getting horrible reflux/heart burn in the 12 week, again thanks that lovely relaxin. And it doesn't/didn't matter what I ate. Tums Smoothies are a lifesaver!!! No other Tums will do the job better. They are the only ones that don't make me gag.

Books and Reading: Here is a list of my favorite reads, so far.
What to Expect When You're Expecting
A Child is Born
Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy (including the journal)
The Baby Whisperer
Happiest Baby on the Block (the DVD is great for dads!)
Moms on call website. I recently learned about these women on twitter, and oh.my.gosh they are brilliant! I have already signed up for their newsletters, liked their facebook page, followed them on twitter, and am reading all their stuff. I will start watching their seminars once Ellie's arrival gets a little closer. These women are both moms and pediatric nurses/LPN's - lots of experience between them! They are an incredible resource for seasoned moms as well as new moms. We will definitely be using their schedule for Ellie Faith!!! I love that their schedule is so structured, yet trains your child for flexibilty. Do yourself a favor, and follow them! Your future sanity will thank you (and me!):)

Social media, apps, and websites
One of the best things I did for us when we found out we were expecting was to sign us both up for several emails updates from reputable resources. We get daily-weekly updates on Ellie's development, my pregnancy progression, pregnancy considerations, and advice for daddies. Especially early on, Jared had trouble keep up with this new journey we were on. I could tell him stuff all day long, but it didn't compute. However, getting frequent emails that he could read himself, with illustrations, were constant reminders, and much better explanations then my HCG addled mind could come up with.:) Some even provide info you can share on your blog, facebook, or twitter to keep your friends and family up todate with your baby's development. Most have apps you can load, for FREE, on your cell phones. Our favorites are:
What to Expect
Baby Center
The Bump
You can set up accounts specific to you and your baby-daddy:)
I just recently came across this site, Bar Bellies thanks to Erin. I can't wait to start utilizing their great in-home work outs, designed for pregnant women! GENIUS!This girl needs to really start getting consistent with her exercises!

Clothes and Comfort:
I am still figuring this category out, but here is what I know so far.

• The rubber band trick in your jeans/pants is a lifesaver (I am still using it with my pre-preggo jeans!)

• I also LOVE my Bella Bands! They are great for hiding the rubber band trick, and for hiding the zipper slippage that tends to happend with the rubber band trick. Also, it provides a great layered look, if you wear them right, which I think helps provide a slimming effect.:)
•  Shirts - good luck!:) I have found Old Navy and Target to be the best for basic long sleeve shirts. The ones with the ruching at the sides are my favorites. Regular shirts no longer cover my belly appropriately, and maternity shirts with the ties swallow me! Ruching provides a happy medium. As for jeans, Old Navy Skinny jeans and/or jeggies are great, along with Motherhood Maternity's Fit and Flare and Gap Maternity 1969s (they are pricey, but I got mine on major sale!)
•  lounge clothes/pajamas : I haven't purchased any maternity options of either of these. My regulars still fit just fine and comfortably.
• Final clothing thoughts: Jeggings and cardigans are a pregnant girls BEST friends! I think they will be great post partum too!
• Body pillow: these are a must! Esepcially once you hit 16-18 weeks and can't/aren't supposed to lay on your back anymore. Also a big pillow between your legs will help support your hips and back, as you hips begin spread like the freaking parting of the Red Sea.

Hope this helps! What are some of your "Pregnancy Favorites?"