Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Things I have learned while being pregnant (so far).

1) No one knows what causes autism… we can all speculate, but there's no clear answer.
2) What To Expect When Your Expecting says that if you are going to get a flu shot, you should try to get a Thiomersal-free flu shot. No one in the Utah valley even knows what that means (not even doctors), even though it's published in the top selling pregnancy book of all time. If you are looking for the Thiomersal-free vaccine, you can get it at the Nursing Station that is across the street and north of St. Marks Hospital.
3) Don't hesitate to ask your doctor a million questions. When in doubt, don't be ashamed to ask. That's what you are paying them for and wouldn't you rather get the questions off your chest so you aren't worrying about them?
4) Coconut Milk is good for pregnant women to drink. Here are all the reasons it's good for you : ) http://www.terawarner.com/blog/2008/05/pregnant-women-go-nuts%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6for-coconuts/
5) Certain teas you drink can cause you to go into pre-term labor. Even if it's herbal, make sure to check the herbs within the tea to make sure it won't cause you to go into labor to early.
7) Ginger Chews (you can get them at Whole Foods) are the only thing that made me feel better when I was nauseous during the first three months. My dear friend Jaymee got me some and they made me feel a lot better. They didn't completely cure the nausea, but helped more than anything else (ginger tea didn't help and neither did ginger ale).
7) Massage is okay, just make sure to get a pre-natal massage so you can have a custom pillow for your belly and so they don't press any pressure points that might trigger pre-term labor.
8) Yoga and exercise is okay as long as your doctor says it's okay. I've really enjoyed going to pre-natal yoga. It's not easy, but it helps stretch out my hips, lower back, shoulders, etc. so that I am not in so much pain throughout the week. It's really nice to be able to breath and take a moment for myself in the middle of the week as well. I am sure the baby appreciates it. The yoga instructor I go to makes us do a lot of challenging poses and squats to prepare for child birth as well... she always says "I can guarantee, labor is going to be a lot harder than sitting in this pose for five minutes..." - Definitely helps me get in the right mind-set for labor.
9) Every single person's pregnancy is different. Even if you are related. My sister and I have had a lot of different side affects. For example, spotting is normal and dark spotting after about a month of trying to get pregnant means you are probably pregnant. My mom told me this and I was completely clueless... Also - mild spotting is okay throughout the whole pregnancy, but if it gets heavier you should call your doctor.
10) Build a network. Find people who are pregnant or have been pregnant and ask them questions about what they've done during pregnancy. It will bring you closer and you won't be so lost about the process.

And lastly - have a laugh and don't take life to seriously... pregnancy is definitely hard (and according to this article - so is parenting), but it never hurts to have a sense of humor about it - http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/10/on-parenthood.html

So far pregnancy has been challenging but fun. Only three more months to go before I meet the little man. : )

4 comments:

Ashlee said...

I am so excited for you, missy! I love that you are going through all these steps to make sure that you have a healthy pregnancy and baby. It just goes to show that you are one of those people that SHOULD be procreating haha

Maybe YOU should write a book for those that have no idea what they are up against ;)

Sam, Nicole, & Zzyzx Fiedler said...

you're so cute Jess, can't wait for you to meet your little man!!

Jottings By Jess said...

I can't wait to meet him too!!! : ) Ash - when are you going to get started? ; )

Ann said...

Great tips sis!