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Pregnancy Tips

~ Wednesday, December 29, 2004

So you’re pregnant for the first time. Congratulations! Pregnancy is one of the most special times of your whole life. Here are a few tips that may make your pregnancy easier, more fun, or something.

Tip #1
Take pictures. Take a picture in a similar pose every 2 weeks. It may feel embarrassing because your body is looking so different, but you will treasure the photos later, and your kid(s) will be fascinated by them.

Tip #2
Make your bathtub pregnancy-friendly. Buy one of those back-rest pillows, and get about 3 large trash bags and some duct tape. Put the pillow into one of the bags, fold the top down, press all the air out and tape it shut (you want a water-tight seal). Put another bag on, this time from the other direction (so the top of the first bag is inside the bottom of the second), fold, press the air out, and tape. Once more with the third bag. Now get a towel and wrap it around the whole thing (it isn’t very nice to lay against garbage bag plastic) and put it in the bathtub. This will make the bath sooo comfy. Baths help relieve stress on your back and just feel so nice.

Tip #3
Your baby has started to move! Here is a fun way to watch. You will need some cocktail straws (the really thin ones) some flat thumb tacks, and some masking tape or other not-super-sticky tape. example 1 First, push the tack through the tape from the sticky side. Then stick the straw onto the pin part of the tack. (see example 2)

Now tape the “baby sensor” to your belly. The straw will wave back and forth every time your baby moves. For real fun, make a bunch and tape them all over your belly!

Tip #4
You have to pee every 10 minutes, and sometimes when you sit down, you can’t go! The problem is that your enlarged uterus presses against the bladder and urethra more when you are sitting, and blocks the flow of urine just like if you step on a water hose. To solve the problem, lean back and place your hands under your belly, and LIFT. Literally lift your belly upward. This will release the pressure and allow you to do what you gotta do.

Tip #5
Drink as much water as possible. I know it makes you pee, but it also keeps you from feeling sick and crappy. It is very easy to get dehydrated, and the symptoms can be mistaken for morning sickness. Nausea, dizziness, fatigue, etc.

Tip #6
Take lots of vitamin E. This will help your skin stay elastic and reduce the chance and appearance of stretch marks, and will help your belly go back to its normal shape after you deliver your baby.

Tip #7
Eat lots of fruit or other foods with fiber. Constipation comes easily during pregnancy.

Tip #8
Get a belly support belt. You can find them in maternity stores or buy them online. The difference it makes is enormous. In addition to the more balanced weight distribution, the less your belly pulls on your skin, the fewer stretch marks you will have.

Tip #9
Buy a stethescope and listen to your baby! Stethoscopes tend to be rather expensive, but I have found that you can get ones from a pet store on the cheap, and they work just fine. Here is one, for example — it is the same one I have and I love it.

Tip #10
Ask your obstetrician if you can tape your ultrasound (sonogram). When I had mine done, they had a vcr hooked right up to the machine and if you brought in a vhs tape, you could record it and take it home. They are a lot of fun to watch later, and your kids will love seeing themselves when they are older.

Tip #11
See if your local hospital offers a breastfeeding class. It is often a one day class and it explains a lot of things that you might not know. Many children have difficulty breastfeeding at first and the class will help you learn different strategies.

Tip #12
Talk to your baby. And not just you—anyone who the baby will be around shortly after the baby is born should talk as well. Many doctors say that babies can hear and learn to recognize voices while still in the womb. After they are born, they are comforted by hearing a familiar voice.

Tip #13
Do your Kegel exercises! I can’t emphasize this enough. Do them every day. Do them after you give birth, as well. Having strong pelvic floor muscles will help you in many, many ways. I confess that I slacked off on doing them myself, and for a month after giving birth I had a terrible time. Every time I laughed, coughed, or sneezed I would have to cross my legs hard to keep from peeing on myself. It is WORTH IT. Do them.

Tip #14
Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can about the changes in your body. Be informed. Here are some books that I think are wonderful:

Your Pregnancy Week by Week – you will know exactly what is happening in your body at every step, including how big your child is (the size of a grape, the size of a lemon, etc)

A Child is Born – possibly one of the most amazing books in existence. This book contains photos of every stage of fetal development (through a special technique of poking a tiny camera and light up there) so you can really visualize what your baby looks like. It even has photos of fertilization and so on… a truly spectacular book

I would avoid the popular book “What to Expect When You Are Expecting” and here is why: several places in this book the author(s) recommend that you drink alcohol. To relax when you are stressed… during labor… they just flat out assume that you will be bringing a bottle of champagne to the hospital (if you are breastfeeding you don’t want to have alcohol in your system). Even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can be VERY HARMFUL to your baby. Visit the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome for more information. In my opinion, a book that encourages something like that may be suggesting other ill-advised things that may not be so easy to spot. I know that when I was pregnant and reading it I was outraged a number of times, but it’s been a long time and I don’t remember all the details.

Tip #15
Consider making a Belly Cast. You can buy a kit to do this and it is very simple. Afterward you can paint it and decorate it, and it makes a really neat keepsake of this special time.