As soon as you announce you're pregnant (especially is it's your first time) you get bombarded with often well-intended, but almost surely, unsolicited advice; and it seems like people just love to share their own personal horror stories with you!
"Be prepared to go late! First time moms are always late! I was 2 weeks overdue and SO uncomfortable!"
"Oh... how do you feel? I was sick for like 6 months straight when I was pregnant, it was horrible!"
"Ugh, stretch marks are the worst! And nothing will help them, TRUST me!"
"I was in labor for 48 hours and then the epidural wore off! Don't even get me started on how long I had to push for!"
"Have your feet grown yet? You know, your feet will grow like, a size or two and never be the same."
Well, I'm here to share some of my own personal advice with you.
Ignore 95% of what people tell you. In fact, unless your doctor is giving you information, or you've actually reached out to a close friend or a trustworthy family member, just smile and nod and let the information go in one ear and out the other.
Because the truth about pregnancy is... every pregnancy is different. Every woman is different. Everyone's experience is different.
Gasp!
My first baby was two weeks early, my water broke less than 12 hours after my doctor told me she wouldn't see me until my induction the following week because my baby wouldn't be coming on his own before then. Babies come when they want.
Thanks for telling me how sick you were during your pregnancy, that really makes me look forward to the next several months.
Guess what, stretch marks are more hereditary than anything so I guess we'll just have to wait and see and I actually find that having well-hydrated skin does help a little, thank you very much. And no, I really don't want to compare stretch marks, but it was kind of you to offer.
Thank you for your horrific horror story. I'm sure you mean well but the worst thing you could do right now is stress me out about an epic labor and delivery.
My feet have never actually grown during pregnancy, I know it's not uncommon, but I've only dealt with my feet swelling temporarily, so I swear if you tell me I'm going to have to buy all new shoes I might cut you (this one was actually said to me by a co-worker once, a male co-worker).
All that being said, there are some things that I use to help make some of the less glamorous aspects of pregnancy a little better, and I want to share them with you. I'm not suggesting you will need them during pregnancy, but you might want them.
//Citrus//
Morning sickness is one of the negative aspects of pregnancy you hear about most often; and you've probably also heard that "morning" sickness is a poor name for it, as for a lot of pregnant women it's "morning, noon, and night" sickness. When I was pregnant with my son I never really had much morning sickness. Other than when I was trying the prescription strength samples of Prenatal vitamins I'd gotten from my doctor's office, I was never really nauseous (those did not last long and I switched to regular, over-the-counter Prenatals). So when I got pregnant with my daughter in 2011 I was surprised to find that my experience was totally different (ahem, ahem, every pregnancy is different!) and I pretty much felt nauseous 24/7 for months. It wasn't an overwhelming, can't keep anything down feeling (I'm so sorry for those of you who go through that!), but just generally feeling yuck all day long. I tried lots of different things and what I finally found that works for me, and has worked for each of my pregnancies since, was citrus. Even plain water would make me want to gag, but some pink lemonade Crystal Lite poured into my cup and I was good to go, totally settled my stomach. Fresh oranges helped too, but it's easy to always keep Crystal Lite in my cabinet for when I'm not feeling so great. Lemon juice and lemon essential oil in a glass of ice water are also great.
//Tucks Pads//
I thought that I had escaped one of the dreaded side effects of pregnancy, until my last trimester with baby #3. Ever since then I have been the lucky owner of a condition that starts with a "hem" and ends with "oids". Yes, it's embarrassing for me to share with you, but I couldn't write this post without being honest with you, could I? I first learned of the wonder of Tucks Pads after my first birth, when I had an episiotomy. Ever since then, I've used them after giving birth, but thanks to baby #3, I've used them during my last two pregnancies as well. If you don't need them before giving birth, do yourself a favor and pick some up for afterwards.
//Panty Liners//
I realize we're all adults here... but I'm still not going to go into too much detail on this one. If you've never been pregnant, just rest assured that between interesting... discharge while pregnant, and the fact that all of a sudden you have to cross your legs every time you sneeze (and if you don't before you have the baby, you will afterwards), panty liners are every pregnant lady's best friend.
I have a particular brand that I love because they're so thin and stay in place like magic, but I was recently given the opportunity to try out Carefree's Acti-Fresh liners and they're great too.
They are super thin, but very absorbent, and also stay in place great like my other liners I wear. The only major difference between these and the others is that these come individually wrapped, perfect for throwing an extra one in my purse, should I need it. They're definitely an excellent choice to stay dry during pregnancy.
So, now you know the truth about pregnancy.
What "helpful" advice did you get when you were pregnant?
[I received Carefree Acti-Fresh liners complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes but all opinions are my own, except for the statement about all pregnancies being different, that's fact.
Links contains affiliates.]Labels: baby, pregnancy
