Being able to experience pregnancy has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever recieved. There is nothing quite carrying a life inside of you, or in my case two lives, and feeling them move within you and grow until there is no more room left for them to grow. It has been a surreal experience....one that I will not ever take for granted. But let's face it....pregnancy is not all candy, hearts and roses. Physically, a woman's body is put through a lot during pregnancy. Here are some of the things that have helped me through my pregnancy journey.
1. Sea-bands – I didn’t throw up
too much in my first trimester, but I did feel nauseous ALL the time. Someone from church gave me sea-bands,
and they did help a little with the nausea.
You can find them at most drug stores.
2. Pregnancy pops or mints – You can
find pregnancy pops at local organic grocery stores.
I personally didn’t like the flavor of the ginger ones, although ginger
is supposed to be really good for nausea.
Peppermints also helped me when I felt sick.
3. Wheat thins and sprite – This was just about
all I remember eating in my first trimester.
I had a box of wheat thins on me constantly. Truthfully, I just did not have an
appetite. Nothing sounded good to me in
the beginning. I do recall being able to
stomach eggs in the beginning, until I once threw them up in my morning bath. Needless to say, that was the end of eggs for
me. I think PB on toast was also pretty
tolerable for me during the first trimester.
The good news is that at 12 weeks, my nausea completely went away. It went away as soon as my doctor told me I
could go off of the prescribed progesterone he was giving me to prevent a
miscarriage.
4. Mucinex
and Tylenol Sinus – In my second trimester, my sinuses started acting up. These were the only two things I could take
according to the list of medicines my doctor gave me. They didn’t always work. I had a couple sinus infections where I just
couldn’t take it anymore and had to go to med-check to get an antibiotic.
5. Vitamin
C drops for sore throat – Along with the sinus infections, comes the constant
nasal drip. I still have this. I really hope it goes away right after I
deliver, as it is really annoying and causes a sore throat constantly.
6. Pregnancy tea to soothe a sore throat – I
have avoided caffeine in this pregnancy, and most herbal teas are not
recommended in pregnancy. Sometimes I
just wanted hot tea with honey for my throat, especially on a cold winter
day. You can find pregnancy teas at most
organic groceries.
7. Water, water, water – I drink water
constantly! I haven’t
been able to get enough. Even now, I
easily down about seven bottles of water in a day. I don’t like the flavor of our tap water, so
my husband buys me a giant case of bottled water twice a week.
8. Milk – I have no idea why I have drank so much
milk in this pregnancy. I haven’t really
had any specific cravings for anything. I
wouldn’t say my need for milk is a craving, but it is about as close as it gets
to a craving for me. I easily drink a
gallon of milk on my own in less than a week.
I guess my babies must need the calcium.
I don’t know, I rarely drank milk before I got pregnant.
9. stretch
mark cream – Cocoa butter, bio oil, coconut oil….you name it, if it’s out there
I’ve tried it. They don’t work. Truthfully, I’ve read that stretch marks are
genetic. You either get them or you don’t.
I guess I have my mom to thank for this
one. If nothing else, all of that
lathering up gave me soft skin.
10. a great pair of maternity jeans – Maternity clothes
that make you feel good is a must. Might
as well show off that bump while we have it.
A friend of mine let me borrow some of her maternity clothes, but then I’ve
also been really lucky to find some cute things at consignment sales. I also found one Goodwill in my area that has
a maternity section, and I’ve found some really cute stuff there. Tops are easy to find, but a good pair of
jeans can go along way. I’m short, so I
needed a pair that fit my body. While
most of my maternity items were only a few bucks, I did fork out $35 for a good
pair of jeans, and it was probably the most worn item in my closet while I was
pregnant.
11. maternity belt – Someone in my church gave me
a maternity belt as a gift when I got pregnant.
I carried the boys so low in my second trimester, that the support belt
came in very handy.
12. pregnancy shoes – I’ve suffered from edema
for most of this pregnancy. The swelling
has been intense. My size 5 foot quickly
went to a 6.5 before I was even 20 weeks pregnant. Everyone says not to stretch out your regular shoes when your're pregnant. Honestly, I couldn’t even fit into my regular
shoes, let alone try to stretch them out.
I bought a couple pair of really cute flats just for pregnancy that I
could wear with casual jeans or dressier clothes. Great investment, as I still can’t fit into my
regular shoes. Even my flip flops leave
marks on my feet. My doctor said that a
few weeks after delivery, my swelling should go down. I can’t wait!
13. foot bath – When I come home with swollen
feet, I soak them in Epsom salts and lavender oil, and then my husband tries to
rub the swelling out for me. I didn’t
buy an expensive foot bath. A dish pan
from Wal-Mart was really all I needed.
14. heating pad – This was a great investment on
the nights that I would come home from work and my lower back would be so
sore. I’d put the heating pad on low and
sit on the couch with my feet propped up to get some relief.
15. antacids - Heartburn and acid reflux in pregnancy has been insane. All I can say is that antacids have been my friend and an absolute must on my survival list. Maybe that's why I go through so much milk? I do drink it often when I want instant relief for heartburn.
16. PUPPS supplies - The PUPPS rash has been the worst part of pregnancy for me. I have a list of things that have helped me to try to keep it under control. I won't go into it now. I plan on writing a blog post soon about what has helped me cope with a horible rash that less than 1% of pregnant women get.
16. PUPPS supplies - The PUPPS rash has been the worst part of pregnancy for me. I have a list of things that have helped me to try to keep it under control. I won't go into it now. I plan on writing a blog post soon about what has helped me cope with a horible rash that less than 1% of pregnant women get.
17. my blog - Journaling this pregnancy on my blog has been a way to keep family and friends updated about everything. I don't have to say the same thing 35 times, because most people in my life read my blog updates. It's also been a way for me to capture pregnancy in a way that I will always be able to remember and cherish. Yes, at times pregnancy can be hard, but I know that this pregnancy is a gift....a gift that I prayed for and truly do cherish.
18. a supportive husband – I do not think I could
have gone through this pregnancy without him.
He has been there to hold my hair back when I was throwing up….to rub my
feet when it hurt to walk….to offer back rubs….to help with housework…..to run
errands for me….to wipe my tears when I have been physically exhausted and the
end still seems so far away….to tell me I’m beautiful and always will be when I
look in the mirror and realize that even after I lose the baby weight, my body
will never look the same. He’s been my
encourager, lover and best friend.
19.
encouraging people who pray – Encouraging people who remind you they are
praying for you is a blessing. Many people
have been there to encourage me, especially in these last few weeks when I feel
like it has gotten really hard to carry twins.
20. grace
and patience – This one is hard, but I know I need it. I have no idea how much longer I will have to
go before these babies enter the world.
If it was tonight, I would do a happy dance. But for all I know, I may have to go a couple
more weeks and have a scheduled induction.
In the meantime, may I be filled with grace and patience as I wait out
the next few days or weeks.
