disclaimer: all or none of these apply to my pregnancies.
and here goes nothin. 9 tips for 9 months... I apologize in advance if this was a waste of your time ;)
one.
rest.
okay, don't laugh. I know with one or more children, rest is unheard of. quite honestly, I haven't slept peacefully in ohhh, 15+ years! I don't expect to sleep peacefully in a very long time. regardless, during pregnancy it is wise to attempt rest. as often as possible really. if I were to do it again, I would nap more often. and sleep in. and then nap some more.
point: nap.
two.
exercise.
I realize 'exercise' immediately follows 'rest' in this sequence. Intentionally? Absolutely! Know your priorities, folks ;) there are lots of great activities to do while pregnant. a few:
walk hard. sorta like this.
I did a couple of these... once... maybe... again, see disclaimer above.
three.
eat.
okay, anddd healthy. again, see disclaimer above. while this isn't something I regularly did during pregnancy, I hear it's a good thing. ha! I've been known to go on salad binges. and mintbonbon binges. and chocolate anything binges. mostly mintbonbon binges. ;) I've also been known to gain between 50 and 60 pounds during pregnancy. don't judge. again, I may not be equipped to give advice. regardless, I do feel better (pregnant or not) when I eat better. early in all of my pregnancies I was very nauseous. food was not my friend. food is almost always my friend so the first few months were hangry days! I have a handy-dandy safe medications list that I refer to occasionally if I need to, just to make sure what I'm taking is safe. I don't recall needing to take anything for nausea while pregnant, but I know there are a few meds listed on my safe sheet. I cut soda out of my "diet" a long time ago, with the exception of an
four.
this is hard. uhhh...
research. be prepared.
each pregnancy is different for each woman. no surprise there. be aware of your choices from everything to naming baby to sleepers to pain medications or no pain medications during childbirth to butt creams to obstetrician or midwife. so many choices, so little time. be sure you feel comfortable with all your choices. know what you're going into. any time I've run into something unusual or new to me during pregnancy (and life for that matter), I've tried to do some research. ask some people around me. and then make an informed decision. try to do the same with any concerns or problems you encounter during pregnancy. okay, this all seems like common sense. do *not* rely solely on the internet. guilty! occasionally we all believe we are most likely dying because of what we read on the internet. it happens. I've been near death numerous times. pulled myself back around ;) also, do *not* rely solely on the advice of your obstetrician and/or midwife! while he/she is a great source for lots of information, it's important to research any prescribed medications, exercises, etc on your own. often, women are given drugs to treat morning sickness which are not safe for their baby!
point: research and prepare yourself for any and all things pregnancy related. get comfortable with all of it. don't be afraid to ask questions. it's a lot to take in, but don't get overwhelmed. you.can.do.it!
five.
drink.
...water. drink water. yeah. ha. kidding. we've all heard it, but I'll repeat it. drink lots of water. it helps with lots of good stuff. I think.
six.
photograph.
I take a lot of photos. mostly of our children. I enjoy being behind the camera, not in front of it. that being said, I wish I had better photos of alllll my bellies. would have been fun to look back at. look how big I was with Tayt or Nash. look how tiny I was... never. ;) so as much as you may not like the idea, do your future self a favor and get some maternity photos done. locals, I'll hook a sista up :) random coincidental shout out to muhhhself.
seven.
document.
babies one through three (and a half) have a scrapbook-ish type thing. babies four through eight have all info written in a notebook I keep. I started writing in a notebook for each individual child for them to look at when I'm dead. every little thing that makes me smile or warms my heart, I write in their book. I'm certain they're reading these notebooks behind my back, buttt I'll continue to write in them. each of their pregnancies is documented in a notebook, which now that I think about it... I didn't put their pregnancy details in each of their individual books... add it to my list. my long, lllooonnnggg list of things to do.
eight.
ignore.
this is probably the worst list you have ever read. my apologies. I'm a terrible writer. and I give even worse advice. buttt, ignore the naysayers. everyone has advice and opinions, no getting around that. but take some and leave some. just the other day, someone told me, "you need to be done!" if I listened to everyone's opinion on the size of my family and what I should be doing for sleeping routine and what I should give them when they're sick or how I should discipline, life would be downright boring for Dave and I. and I wouldn't laugh as much. yes, we're laughing at you with large mouths and obnoxious opinions. so take all advice and opinions with a grain of salt. most people aren't intending to be rude or hurtful. and the others... ignore.
nine.
enjoy it.
all too often in life we rush. rush through the grocery store (why this is my first example, I have no idea. although, often times I find myself rushing through the grocery store because come on... toddlers and infants in the grocery store is reason enough to rush). rush to Friday. rush through the dishes. rush during conversations. rush. rush. rush. I'm begging you, don't rush through pregnancy. Our pregnancies are numbered. Our days are numbered. enjoy them. I understand this is coming from someone who enjoyed pregnancy immensely. I understand there are many discomforts and things that may not go as planned during pregnancy. But I also understand there are only so many days, weeks, months, years of pregnancy and I'm going to thoroughly miss those days, weeks, months, years :)
with that... a little flash back :)
all Will belly. and I miss it.
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