What I Wish I Knew the First Time I Was Pregnant
The first time I was pregnant, I was completely clueless about everything! So much so, I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I was nearly 6 weeks pregnant already! It was crazy!
Well, I thought the best thing to do was act normal, stop drinking wine, and refrain from doing any research (as I thought this would scare me!).
For some reason, I thought I would be better off not preparing myself and boy was I wrong!! I gained a crazy amount of weight, I needed to be coached through labor (which didn’t help), I had a third-degree tear, and failed to breastfeed!
I learned the hard way from experience and hopefully, by learning some of the mistakes I made, you would have a more successful experience! Here’s what I learned:
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Watch Your Weight
So, I didn’t really eat much during the first trimester as I felt pretty nauseous. I actually lost a few pounds between my 8 and 12 week checkup. Then came the second trimester and I wanted to eat EVERYTHING!! Boy did I eat a ton!! And it wasn’t the good stuff either! Yikes! My mindset was: “hey, I’m going to get fat anyways so who cares, right?”.
I was also told by many “well-intentioned” friends that the weight would just “drop” off as soon as I had the baby. I pictured my baby coming out along with all the fat I had gained!! Awesome!! I’ll take full advantage of this!!
Well, I was horribly wrong!! I ended up gaining over 50 lbs by the time I had my induction (when the healthy weight gain for me was supposed to be 25-35lbs!). Whoops!!
I took a lot better care of myself when it came to my second and third pregnancies as I knew how tough it was to lose all that baby weight! I ate well and avoided overeating.
Now, I did treat myself to the occasional junk food here and there because I do love that stuff, however, it wasn’t an everyday thing like it was for my first pregnancy. Anyways, eating well can prevent certain pregnancy and labor complications, so it’s well worth paying attention to what you eat.
Stay Active
So, I wish I could say that I’m a complete fitness fanatic and love working out, but I just don’t! I’m a little lazy when it comes to exercising! I wish I wasn’t this way, but I have willingly accepted this about myself!! When I was delivering my first baby, I was so exhausted, it made the delivery so much harder.
As a result, I made sure that I was active and fit in my second and third pregnancies so I was prepared for labor.
I decided to walk at a very brisk pace as this is what I love doing (my husband who is over a foot taller than me could barely keep up!). I wasn’t as exhausted with my other two labors so I really think this helped. Staying active can also help manage your weight gain which is a big plus if you’re trying to have a “belly only weight gain!”.
Please make sure you get the go-ahead from your doctor though as some complications do require bed rest so this wouldn’t help!!
Start Your Kegel and Pelvic Floor Exercises
Yea, I did not do this the first time around and you know what happened? After I gave birth, I lost full control of my pee!! It sucked!! Every time I briskly walked, ran, laugh, cough, you name it, a little bit of pee would come out!! Now, my entire family had c-sections, so they didn’t have this problem.
I had no idea how normal it was until I talked to another mom at a party. Few drinks in and suddenly we opened up about everything, including the pee issue!! It felt good that I wasn’t alone!
Now, I’m the mom at Target that buys a big pack of “pee pads” with no shame!! Anyways, this could have been prevented had I have done Kegels and pelvic floor exercises while I was pregnant!
Birthing balls are amazing for this too!! Strengthen your pelvic floor by doing exercises with your ball. Birthing balls can also encourage your baby to be in the optimal birthing position! I really paid attention to this the second and third time around and things have definitely improved in that department when I really didn’t think it would!
Find a Good Prenatal
So during my first pregnancy, I got the prenatal vitamin with the most “stuff” in it! I looked at the back and thought, “ah, this seems great! It has EVERYTHING!”. The next day I opened it up and gasped in complete horror!! “MY WORD!! That is the BIGGEST pill I’ve ever seen in my life!!
How is that supposed to fit down my throat?!”. Well, I tried and gagged like crazy! I nearly threw up and began to cry because I’m a bit of a wuss. Also, I felt like I wasn’t going to be a good mom as I couldn’t take my prenatal (it could have also been all those crazy hormones that made me cry too!)!!
I then tried the gummies which tasted like fish but at least they weren’t huge and I could swallow them! After one of my doctor appointments, I found out that I had low iron and calcium so I had to take more supplements! I realized that there was hardly anything in them after I read the back label! No wonder why I was lacking the nutrients I needed!
I did a ton of research and tried a bunch of prenatals. I tried: chewables (which tasted really gross), mini-tablets (that just made me nauseous), and other brands that said to be the “best prenatals!” that I struggled to swallow. I finally found the best prenatal vitamin that was basically a crushed-up dried vegetable pill that was easy to swallow and easy on the stomach.
Here you can find out other ways to take your prenatals if you are battling with nausea.
Use Lotion to Prevent Stretch Marks
My mom gave me this great piece of advice and I actually did this during my first pregnancy. I really do think it helped. My mom said that she ended up with a lot of stretch marks because she didn’t use any lotion when she was pregnant.
Every morning and night I would use a lotion that “prevents” stretch marks. I then used an oil twice a week to tone my skin. Luckily, I didn’t get any! Even my husband was shocked when I had no stretch marks after my third pregnancy!
Now, it’s hard to say if I prevented them from the lotion or I just got lucky with genetics, who knows! Anyways, it’s always good to hydrate your skin especially when you’re pregnant, even if it doesn’t work in the end!
I’ve always been told, “you can’t get rid of stretch marks once you have them but you can help prevent them!”. Not really sure how true this is but it does kinda make sense.
…And Finally, Relax and Destress
I remember being told, time and time again: “your baby feels what you feel!”. Well, I think I would have to agree here! I would always get comments about my babies being so “chill!”. I definitely think it was because I made the effort to relax and destress throughout my pregnancies.
Now, being honest here, there were times I would stress out (which I blame the hormones for) however, I quickly recognized it and made the effort to keep calm. My babies would fuss here and there (which is totally normal for babies!) but as soon as I picked them up, they were happy and calm.
It’s easy to stress out a lot during pregnancy so meditations and essential oils really helped me here! I would diffuse lavender or bergamot and would sit on the couch with my eyes closed while concentrating on my breaths whenever I panicked or felt stressed. I also had the essential oils on the go so I could take a sniff and it would really help destress me!
Your first pregnancy can be challenging as your body is going through so many changes you haven’t experienced before. You can also experience a range of emotions. You can go from super excited to absolutely terrified in the space of a few minutes. I know how daunting it can be, but remember to enjoy and love this moment mama!! You got this!!
