Pregnancy Learnings

I will be 37 weeks prego tomorrow.. just a few more weeks left in my first pregnancy. It made me think of the time that has gone by and the experiences I've had throughout the months.

As with all new things, you learn a bunch after all is said and done. And I know I will learn and experience a bit more in the next few weeks as well.. and then a whole another set of knowledge when the baby arrives.

Anyway.. I decided to write about what I've learned in the past 37 weeks. For anyone who is going through their first pregnancy, here is my perspective from my own experience.
(pictured is me and my hubby.. I'm 24 weeks preggy at that point)



Things people think about regarding pregnant women, pregnancy in general and any advice I may have regarding the specific topics.

Morning sickness: I didn't really experience any to provide any kind of advice for people who do. I puked twice during my pregnancy and I blamed it on greasy food (aka Chinese buffet restaurant food, not good). I think I would have puked pregnant or not. So, I guess my advice would be - stay away from greasy food (if possible and to be honest, I didn't stay away that much) =P


Cravings: I craved grapes, apples, Indian food, and Mexican food. So fruits and spicy food. My heat tolerance definitely went up during my pregnancy. Luckily, I didn't really experience any heartburn.. even with all of the spicy foods I ate. I didn't overhaul on the food intake, which is always a good advice.

Weight gain: Ug. Yeah, it happens. No way to avoid it. =) Stay in the healthy range is the only advice, I guess. You want to gain weight.. it means your baby is gaining. But let's stick to the healthy range, women.


Advice/Comments/Pregnant Remarks: So, I've read many things about women complaining about comments they get while pregnant. It's one of those things that you just have to let it pass. Can't take them to heart toooo easily (though, you will at times). And you can never assume that nice comments will come from a certain set of people and annoying ones from a different set. Honestly, you will be surprised. It's a bit annoying when family can give you pretty straightforward comments that you don't feel like hearing but it's also very refreshing when a random stranger says the sweetest things. And then, it can flip flop and switch in 2 seconds. It's just one of those things you learn to be flexible with and take it with a grain of salt. Just trust your instincts, is my advice. You know yourself and what is best for you and your baby. Trust that.

Maternity Clothes/Gadgets/Stuff: Borrow stuff! I'm lucky to have an older sister that saved her maternity clothes. She passed them on to me and I've had them on my weekly rotation ever since. My advice - don't buy too much maternity stuff. I found it actually pretty easy to pack for trips during my pregnancy 'cause I had 2 pairs of jeans, 5 shirts, and couple of leggings that I wear on rotation. And a maternity dress. That's it. I accessorized a bit more with jewely just to make those baby bump picture opps a bit different from the weeks before. Super easy to pack. But if you can afford to buy a bunch of maternity clothes (which tend to be pricey) .. well, shoot.. don't listen to my advice! Do what you want. Shoes - stick with flats. Towards the end .. my back did start hurting a bit more. So.. to walk around my hardwood floor loft, I got a pair of Crocs. They became my household slippers and I definitely recommend this idea. Croc or any high quality sandal that provides good arch support. It does make a difference.. especially if you don't have carpet around your home.

Stretch Mark Lotion: Use it. You may get stretch marks, you may be lucky enough not to. But my advice, might as well use those lotions. I unfortunately got a bunch of stretch marks even with using the lotion.. but I think if I hadn't, it'd be worse. So.. yeah. Just use it. If anything, it'll help when your belly itches as it grows.

Maternity Body Pillow: I forgot to mention this when I originally wrote this post. But I definitely want to add it in. It's such a big deal to start sleeping on your side (preferably your left side) while you're pregnant. And it's good to get used to it early on too if you're not usually a side sleeper. Then I also started noticing my back was starting to get achy...even with pillow support all around me. I decided it was time to get a body pillow. I chose this contoured body pillow that got the nickname "The Nest". I absolutely love it and I recommend it to anyone, pregnant or not. It provides a great back support while cuddling on your side. It made me sleep much more comfortably than any makeshift body pillow. Yes, it's a bit large and takes up a lot of space in the bed - but it's worth it. Tim loves it too, and tries to steal it for himself whenever possible! =) This is the one I bought. "The Nest" I love it.


Belly Band or.. I think it's called Bella Band: I bought one early on in my pregnancy. I don't recommend it. I barely used it and when I did, it felt uncomfy. I say, just get maternity jeans. Borrow or buy. The band feels like it's gonna slip down or up over your tummy .. the maternity jeans feel more comfortable.


Prenatal Vitamins: I know of people who get a little sicky when they took them. Fortunately, I felt fine taking them. Some go for the pricey kind. I stuck with the Walgreen's kind. My advice - take your prenatal vitamins. Whatever you feel like taking.


Exercise: It's definitely recommended to keep yourself moving .. unless your doctor tells you to go on bed rest, if so..GO ON BED REST. I have the steepest stairs to our loft, so I considered that my daily workout. I do prenatal yoga.. I noticed that that is helping me more at this point of my pregnancy than earlier. I think the stretching and whatnot is really helping the different aches I'm now experiencing with a baby kicking my ribs constantly and a growing belly hurting my back.


Emotions: Be prepared. hah You will have plenty of weird emotional outbursts or cry sessions or whatever. Emotions will just spill from you during pregnancy. If it doesn't, you're one of a small set of people. With all of the changes and hormones going on in your body, you're bound to get emotional on different occasions or for different reasons. Sometimes, legitimately emotional stuff and sometimes, completely random things that will leave your husband completely blank and speechless. Cest la vie.


"What does it feel like?": I got this question a few times. What does it feel like to be pregnant.. to have a baby in there.. Not that this is really an advice given section, I will still provide my input. Pregnancy feels, as cliche as this may sound, amazing. Something about the thought of life growing inside of you is ridiculously amazing. It's magic. This human being in you.. a mixture of you and another human being (hopefully one you love and one that loves you back). It's indescribable. The physical feeling of it all..  funky. heh In the beginning, you have moments where you don't "feel" pregnant, so it was funky to think you were. But as your body grows, and the baby starts moving around - it feels funky, but in a different way. I love feeling my baby move around (and he moves around a lot!). It'll make you smile or crack up when your baby moves. It's just a great way to interact with your baby.. with music or rubbing your belly.. and if he moves during it, you feel a neat connection with him. =) So, yeah, I love the physical feeling of being pregnant. The aches and pains are annoying, but feeling that kick or seeing your belly bump shift around when he moves is so worth it.


My biggest advice for a first time prego lady. Enjoy it. Don't stress too much and if you do, don't stress about stressing too much. heh This will be the only time you will be pregnant with this baby. Embrace it. Eat well, move around, and try to remain positive. No need to let the other annoyances of life affect you too much right now. This is your moment with your baby.