1. Juicing- The thought of food in the mornings of the trimester was enough to make me nauseous. This was very disappointing to me for two reasons; 1. I'm a big fan of breakfast and 2. I wanted to make sure the baby was getting the nutrition he needed. Since solids were not my friend I decided to give juicing a try. I bought the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer and immediately fell in love. My juice of choice consisted of an apple, two carrots, half a beet, a bundle of kale, and an orange. I was able to drink it with ease (most mornings), and felt good knowing my baby was getting all of the nutrients. I would also drink a bottle of water with my juice so that I felt full.
2. Rainbow Light Prenatal One and DHA 250- I love these prenatals, because they are 100% natural and really easy on your stomach. I was also glad to see that this brand also had DHA, which specifically promotes brain development. I would take both at night, right before bed, and never had any side effects from them except for my hair growing and thickening like crazy, as well as my nails- pretty awesome if you ask me.
3. The Snoogle- This body pillow has changed my life and standards of sleep forever. I would have been miserable without it, and don't know how I ever slept before it. All I can say is that if you don't invest in this, you are doing yourself a great disservice.
4. Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout & Yoga DVDs- The prenatal workout is great because it's broken down by trimester, and also has an 'express workout' option. The yoga DVD is great because it promotes flexibility and proper breathing techniques. I would alternate DVD's and would try for 5 days a week, but committed to at least 3.
5. BabyCenter- When I found out I was pregnant I joined the December 2012 Birth Club on BabyCenter. It's basically a forum with hundreds of moms due at the same time as you. Any questions or concerns I had were answered immediately, and to this day we are still lending support to one another. I would highly recommend joining a birth club if you haven't already!
6. Palmers Cocoa Butter and Bio Oil- They say that if your mom got stretch marks during her pregnancy, then- no matter what you do- you are doomed. I can tell you first hand that that isn't true. I lathered Cocoa Butter and Bio Oil on every time I got out of the shower, and I didn't get one stretch mark my entire (41 week) pregnancy. It was a pain and quite expensive to keep up with, but it was SO worth it.
7. Birthing Ball- This is simply an exercise ball with a fancy name. Some say that bouncing on it towards the end of pregnancy can induce labor, but that wasn't the case for me. I loved it, because bouncing on it was the only thing that would ease my back pain.
8. Slow and steady weight gain- I gained a total of 18 pounds throughout my 41 week pregnancy. I credit this to my OB who I often hated for being so weight-crazed. When I was back to my pre pregnancy weight a week after delivering, I was able to appreciate how annoying he was about it. Everyone has a different amount of weight that they NEED to gain for a healthy baby and pregnancy- for me it was 18, for you it may be 38. Whatever the number may be, remember to embrace your weight gain!
9. Enjoy your baby bump- I can't help but smile when I see a pregnant woman. Yes- you may feel frumpy, fat, and unattractive, but realize that you are the complete opposite to everyone around you. Stop being your own worst enemy and realize that you are carrying life inside of you, glowing, and beautiful beyond compare. So what if you get covered in stretch marks- remember that there are many women out there that would gladly take every single one of them for the chance to carry a child. Remember how fortunate you are and embrace this beautiful time in your life. Rub, kiss, and take a million pictures of your beautiful, growing baby bump!
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