5 Pregnancy Savers!

Here are 5 things that helped me survive my pregnancy!  I am now 34 weeks and could not have imagined being pregnant without this stuff!

1.  Zofran aka Ondansetron

Okay, so my OB was totally fine with prescribing this awesome anti-nausea pill.  And boy, was it the best thing EVER.  I was working in the OR still and I could not even imagine how things would have gone if I didn't have Zofran.  I tried the whole saltines by the bed thing, eating dried fruits and nuts before you get up, I even kept bananas by the bed for months... until I ended up throwing them up about fifteen minutes after I got up... then it was no more bananas for me. :(  

I went through different phases where I questioned myself on taking Zofran... things like the typical: what if I was doing something bad, I should be able to tolerate the nausea, I'm just a wimp if I don't tough it out.  So, my compromise was to find the lowest dose that would get me through the days.  The prescription was for 1 pill (4 mg) every 6 hours as needed.  I ended up splitting a pill in half (2 mg) and taking it with water before I even THOUGHT about moving each morning (about 5:30am during the week).  This half pill would keep me happy until about 2 in the afternoon, well past 6 hours.  And on some days I would decided to take another half pill and some days I wouldn't.  I ended up only taking Zofran from about weeks 10-20 and then my nausea peaced OUT!  Give yourself trial days without the pill to see how you are feeling.  If you can ease the nausea with food then things might be starting to look up.  I eventually was able to stop with the Zofran and eat a prophylactic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar each morning before I got out of bed!  YUM! Moral of the story... Make the med work for YOU!  (Yes, as a RN, I am aware that you are supposed to take meds as prescribed... but seriously, little momma didn't need that much!)  

2. THIS Prenatal Pilates DVD!

FOR REAL NOW.  If you are pregnant.  If you are allowed to exercise.  Get this now, just do it.... it will save your life... and your back and your hips and your everything.  It goes for about 10 bucks on Amazon.  She is a great instructor, to the point, and the time flies on the workouts!  It's great because there are 5 10 minute workouts and you can place them in the order you want to do them or pick out just a couple at a time.  I didn't really start doing this routinely until I was about 20 weeks (once the nausea and generalized crappy feeling let up) and it was around this time that my hips and low back started killing me.  Solved all my aches and pains!  I love this workout.  GET IT.  .... okay now...

3. Old Navy Maternity Smooth-Panel Skinny Jeans

These are great!  Being pregnant through winter, I am so happy to still look cute and wear my boots!!  These sell for $34.50 on oldnavy.com but ON is always having sales and such so you may get them cheaper!!  The panel on these is versatile, too!  If you aren't a fan for something over the belly (or just aren't that big yet!) it can easily double over for an under-belly band and yes, the pants still stay up!  Absolutely the MOST comfy maternity jean I tried on!  And well the only one I bought... until about 3 months later I found a great pair of boot cut jeans at Ross Dress for Less for $15!!  (Not all Ross stores sell maternity, but definitely worth checking into anyway!!) 

4. Barely There by Bali Comfort Revolution Microfiber Crop Top Bra

If you end up like me and your boobs start leaking at 16 weeks... First, you will probably freak out.  Second, think, "you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!"  Third, you will cry.  At least that's how it went down with me.  Great timing boobies, great timing with the leaking.  SO!  Go out and get the most comfy, stretchy, barely there type bra you can!  And sleep in it, every night, because the nights you don't... you are in for a little all natural pregnancy surprise!  Also, be prepared that your going bra-less around the house days are probably over.  I wore this constantly when I didn't want to slap on my going out of doors bra.  Saved me a lot of extra laundry :)  This one did the trick for me... if I remember right they were $10 bucks each at Macy's, I got two.

5.  Aqua To Go Tumbler from Target

This is one tough cup!  Okay, so we all know how important it is to stay hydrated, especially during pregnancy.  I found that keeping one of these filled up and nearby all the time helped me down some water.  Especially when I was in the puky stage, the straw really helped get the water down.  So, why do I mention that this cup is "tough"?  Well, ya see... I haven't been the most graceful pregnant lady.  That whole "clumsiness" symptom... well I totally have it.  I have dropped, knocked, and practically thrown this thing off of tables multiple times.  It held up for so long, oh so long.  Eventually, it met it's match when I accidentally slung it onto a hard tile floor and the outer cup broke off.... I did go on to use just the inner cup for a few days until my Mom took pity on me and got me a replacement for an early Christmas present!  Thanks, Mom!  But really, I have had this cup attached to my hip practically, no excuses for not getting enough fluids with this cup around!  And if you end up the butterfingers like myself... you will be happy that it is plastic with a screwed on lid!!

Recommended Read

My good friend, Dawn, who delivered a sweet baby girl 6 months ago lent me this book.  It is very informative about what to expect entering the hospital and possible decisions/hurtles you may have to face if you are planning on a natural childbirth.  I knew that I wanted to be in a hospital to have our baby, especially being the first one.  I knew I would be most comfortable and relaxed knowing that help is right there if an emergency arises.  That being the case, I am also hoping to deliver as natural as possible.  This book really gets you thinking and planning ahead.  I kept a list of questions for my OB as I read through it and asked them at each pre-natal visit.  I have heard that if you hope for a natural childbirth in the hospital you really need to go in there with a strong support group and mindset.  If the staff can feel that it is something you strongly desire and are willing to strive for they will be most supportive.  I am fortunate enough to be delivering somewhere where they are already taking a more holistic approach to childbirth and are placing the mother in charge.  Less than one month and a half now and we will see how this whole plan plays out!  :)  I can't wait!

Happy New Year!

January 1!  This year is going to start off with a lot of changes for D and I!  We are expecting little R in February!  I am so blessed to have had this wonderful time with friends and family.  It was a lot of fun to see everyone while being pregnant!  Also, I felt great through the holidays... not too big yet so traveling was still pretty comfortable!  Now that the holidays are over though, I need to buckle down and get things ready for his arrival!  

D and I celebrated the New Year pretty low key... as usual!  He had to work early the next morning and so we just relaxed on the couch, talking and watching the fireplace flicker... on DVD!  It was nice just spending time together.  I made us each a celebratory cupcake just to make things a little special!  

I also spent a good bit of the evening fiddling around with our new camera!  Hopefully this year will not consist of so many iPhone pictures on the blog!  Ha!  

I used this recipe here. for two cupcakes!  Instead of the vanilla I used almond extract.  I love almond flavoring!!  And for the icing I just mixed together cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and more almond extract until it was the consistency and tasted I wanted!  Happy New Year everyone!