Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Pregnancy Tips with Baby #2

Well, I am officially about 5 weeks out from wrapping up pregnancy #2. Even though my first pregnancy was a good one, I feel like this one has been exceptional.  I SO enjoy being pregnant and am honestly sad to see it coming to a close (but mega excited to meet our sweet new blessing!). I know I wrote a post sometime during the end of my pregnancy with Jase (you can read it here) with some of the tips and what I learned during that pregnancy, so I thought I would do it again this go round.  Obviously I’ve only been pregnant twice so I’m not an expert or anything, but I know this has helped me and hopefully can help someone else you know too.  I didn’t reread my old post yet because I want to share what is fresh on my heart and mind this time, but it will be interesting to compare notes.

Here we go, in no particular order.

1. Educate yourself. For me, knowledge has helped with fear. I feel very ready and prepared, which has me EXCITED for the labor and delivery! Take a class or just read, read, read. Experience is of course the best teacher, and even though I felt prepared last time, now that I have been through it and reread everything I read last pregnancy, I feel even more equipped & ready. I put several apps on my phone and here are a few of the books I have read:

2. Eat plenty of protein, fruits, veggies, & good fats. Nutrition is so, so important (all the time, of course, but especially during pregnancy) and makes a huge difference in how you feel. When I eat like garbage, I feel like yucky. When I eat well, I feel like a million bucks.

And don’t forget a super high quality prenatal & omega (gotta have that DHA for the baby’s brain!). Personally, I can’t don’t want to live without my probiotic or fiber drink either. My digestive system gets a little crazy during pregnancy. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I believe in a balanced, varied diet & great supplements to help keep things as normal as they’re going to be.

3. Drink LOTS of water! I can SO tell when I’m not drinking enough. If I have anything start to come up at all (my rings are a little tight or I have trouble going to the bathroom), it’s almost always because I haven’t drank enough H20.

4. Smoothies are a life saver in the early days if you’re having a tough time getting healthy foods in. Here is one of my favorite recipes.

5. Surround yourself with POSITIVITY. Find women who love being pregnant and love motherhood because they will be a great source of encouragement. I’m not sure if my friends are just exceptionally awesome (well duh), or maybe if I’ve learned to tune out negative nancies. Or maybe there just isn’t much to say to someone who loves, loves, loves being pregnant and being a mom?? But thankfully I have been surrounded with incredibly encouraging women this pregnancy and it has made it even more enjoyable.

6. Read Supernatural Childbirth. No really, read it ASAP. Then let your friends borrow it. Meditate on the Scriptures and proclaim the prayers. It has been a major source of encouragement as well and I wish I had read it earlier in pregnancy.

7. Keep a journal. I have the blog, and it is always fun to look back and see how this compares with my previous pregnancy. And it’s necessary because I can’t remember anything. (Jon said Kade is going to be a VERY smart little guy because he is taking all of my brainpower from me.) I also have a journal for Kade though where I will start writing him little notes. I have one for Jase that I plan to keep writing in and give him on some special day when he is grown.

8. Make time to connect with your hubby. Baby daddy needs some quality alone time too. It’s WAY important. Kids & pregnancy and life tend to take over, but investing in your marriage needs to remain a priority. And make an effort to be nice, loving, and affectionate towards him. Don’t pull the pregnancy card too often. Seriously, we were MADE to do this ladies.

9. Spend some quality alone time with your first little one. I have no idea how this is going to work with two and how Jase will adapt, but I am going to soak up as many sweet memories with him now as I can. After #2 comes too of course.

10. Stay active. You probably can’t help it if you’re chasing around another kiddo anyway, but be intentional about taking time to be active. You’ll be amazed at how much better you look, feel, sleep, & recover from labor.

11. YOGA. Let me say it again, y’all. YOGA is seriously a pregnant lady’s BFF. If you don’t have prenatal yoga around you, take a regular class and modify the poses you need to modify. (I don’t do anything on my back and am cautious about twisting- only to my open side.) Good instructors will tell you pregnancy options too, and if all else fails, you can do lots of pelvic tilts, squatting, and really focus on relaxing and breathing. I recently read an article that said regularly practicing yoga can help in labor and delivery and even doing yoga as little as 6 times before delivery can help prepare you. Personally, it is just as much as a mental thing for me as it is physical. I have been meaning to go for forever and my friend Niki really encouraged me about a month ago. I am SO glad I finally picked it back up & highly recommend to everyone, but especially expecting mamas. It’s just good for the mind & body.

Here is the article and one of the excerpts from it:

“Along these same lines, according to a report in the April 2009 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, rigorous studies have found scientific proof that yoga helps the body deal with stress by slowing heart and breathing rates and lowering blood pressure -- which can benefit new moms after the baby's born, too.”

12. Tart cherry juice & lots of pillows are the key to a good night’s sleep. Make sure it’s organic, and you only need right around 1/2 c (or less) because there is a good bit of sugar in juice. I try to get all my water in during the day so I don’t drink before bed and have to wake up to pee during the night. I also love my pregnancy pillow and use it as I alternate between my right and left side.

13. Choose to be thankful. “Your life moves in the direction of your most dominant thought.” Your thinking is SO powerful. When you choose to have a grateful heart, it magnifies all of the wonderful things about pregnancy and minimizes the few not-so-greats.

14. Become a prayer warrior. I love to read Praying Circles Around Your Children, and there are also some great prayers in Supernatural Childbirth.Expecting has some great (specific) prayers too.

15. Do not feel guilty about naps. If your little one still naps, nap when he or she naps and don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. I know there is so much you fee like you need to be and should be doing, but your body is doing some pretty serious work growing a little miracle, so it’s okay to rest. I have come to the conclusion that I am a better wife and mom when I am well rested and not overly tired. I (obviously) have more energy and am more patient. Plus, I get more done (which sounds counterintuitive) because I’m more energized during my productive hours.

That’s all I can think of for now…

Any tips for pregnancy #2 you want to share??

2 comments:

Anna Demko said...

Thanks for sharing Danielle! I, too, love naps and constantly have to remind myself that it's something I need during this pregnancy. Plus, who wants to have a grumpy and tired wife/momma. I can't wait to see your baby boy!

Happy Medley

Megan said...

Just wanted to let you know I purchased Supernatural Childbirth per your rec and am so excited for it to arrive. My husband and I battled infertility for 8 months until we were finally able to conceive with a specialist. Unfortunately, I miscarried at 7 weeks. It's been pretty rough. I'm excited but also terrified to get pregnant again and am hoping the book helps me to live by faith during my next (hopeful) pregnancy. I also recommended it to a friend struggling with infertility. Thanks for the recommendation!