nine months of having something growing inside of me

I am nearing the end of my pregnancy (hoorah, can't wait to meet the little bug in my belly). I thought I would try to assimilate the information I learned these past nine months about pregnancy.

My first disclaimer is that I am 100% aware that every pregnancy is different, everyone's bodies react differently to pregnancy, and even the same body can react differently to subsequent pregnancies.

My second disclaimer is, because of the first disclaimer, it is essential that you BE KIND TO YOURSELF. If these points do not benefit you, great, move on. My purpose for writing this is to record my own experience and offer some helpful tips that might be beneficial to other friends in the future. Do I think I did everything right? No. But I did learn some things that I'd like to record for myself or others interested. Take it with a grain of salt. If it doesn't work for you, I'd love to read your blog post of what does! I made need it in the future. ;)

1. Do Yoga to prepare mentally and physically.- honestly, before I got pregnant, I liked yoga, but I didn't incorporate it into my weekly exercise routine. To me, it wasn't hard-core enough; because it wasn't cardio, it wasn't as good for me in my book (yes, I know, 100% FALSE). But after becoming pregnant, my body began to stretch and change in unpredictable ways throughout the entire nine months. I would experience random aches and pains. I would wake up with sore back, sore shoulders, and sore hips from side-sleeping (not something I'm used to) or groin discomfort due to a stretching pelvic area. Yoga has saved and continues to save me physically. I crave it now. It has been a huge part of keeping my body physically fit for labor, and I anticipate in recovery postpartum. Additionally, it has been a huge help in coping with and preparing emotionally/mentally for this big change in my life. I subscribed to an online yoga company called Yogaglo and I only watch the instructor Stephanie Snyder's prenatal videos. She has had two babies and provides not only exercises that will be beneficial physically for labor/motherhood, but also advice and encouragement that can help you prepare mentally for labor and motherhood. I am now a firm believer in Yoga as a regular practice. 
2. Don't be afraid to pamper yourself and treat yourself well. For me, that means a hot lavender bath, a nap, or the acknowledgment that I'm doing something hard so I don't need to be so hard on myself. Every day is different. Some days, I wake up feeling tired, achy, and unable to do much. That's ok. Start again tomorrow and you'll likely feel different.
3. Don't compare your body to others. Everyone's body is different. We all react differently to pregnancy. Heck, our bodies react differently to subsequent pregnancies! There is absolutely no point in trying to figure out whether you have gained enough weight, too much weight, whether your belly is big enough, too small, etc. Some people gain it uniformly throughout pregnancy; some women have huge bellies; some women have huge everything; some women are super tiny; some women gain a ton at the very end. It is so hard not to compare and to question the normality of things; I still do it all the time. But the best idea is to focus on doing what is healthy and good for your body and then letting go of expectation and comparison. This will free you from the guilt complex, which often triggers emotional eating and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. It will also help you appreciate the wonder that is your body and the miracle that is happening inside you.
4. Redefine your "active" and try to stay active most days of the week. If you're like me and enjoy many sports/activities, pregnancy might be an adjustment. You might have to redefine what "active" means to you. Before pregnancy, "active" involved something intense cardio-wise. But after I became pregnant, a walk up a hill became a huge physical feat at times. Running, which is normally one of my favorite exercises, for me wasn't as enjoyable when pregnant because of the stress it put on my already-adjusting joints. You won't be able to engage in many of the sports you may have beforehand enjoyed (skiing, biking, etc). But don't let that deter you from getting daily exercise. Before pregnancy, another activity that I found to be "not worth my time" was walking. Walking was for old ladies. But, again, pregnancy changed my view of that, too. Walking is for old ladies, pregnant ladies, and ladies with babies. :) Just kidding. It's for everyone! I started to track my steps in an effort to remain more active. Walking has been one of the few exercise that has felt relatively good throughout my pregnancy. And now that I'm further along and close to the due date, it's getting harder. Now I pant on walks. My pre-pregnancy self would have scoffed at this. So I no longer knock ladies walking. I know how hard it is. :) Other ideas to stay active include swimming, elliptical, yoga, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, stationary biking (if you have that many options!)
5. Peppermint gum is helpful to curb nausea and acid reflux. I have had pretty bad acid reflux on and off during second-third trimesters. Pop a Tums, you say? Ha! Tums don't work. And neither did Zantac. Although I sometimes pretend that Tums work, I have found that gum is the most effective. Acid reflux happens because the hormones that accompany pregnancy loosen all of your muscles. Unfortunately that includes the sphincter that keeps the acids from your stomach from going into your esophagus. Additionally, your intestines are all squished into a smaller space than they were before. The consequence of these two factors? Acid reflux, for some. You should be drinking lots of water, even if it causes acid reflux, too. Other helpful foods, in my experience? Mangos. Non-sugary yogurt. Things I tried to avoid? Tomatoes. Citrus fruits (miss them so bad) and sitting down after meals. 
6. Eat every two hours. I found this useful and still do it. I plan to continue to do it. I think it's better for your metabolism, pregnant or not, and helped curb nausea and acid reflux throughout the entire nine months. 
7. Eat lots of protein. I'm not anti-carb, don't get me wrong. I love toast more than anything. But small meals with protein, I found, keep me full longer. Some good sources of protein I would recommend that are my go-to's: cottage cheese, string cheese, non-sugary greek yogurt, boiled eggs (2 a day baby!), hummus + veggies, almonds, fruit + almond butter, tuna salad, roasted chick peas. I am too lazy and cheap to cook a lot of meat, but when I do, that's an obvious option as well. 
8. Beware of the google trap. If you google any question related to pregnancy, such as, "I'm having such-and-such pain, is it normal?" you will get all sorts of answers, from all sorts of sources. Some factual, but most will end up making you unjustifiably paranoid. I would avoid it all together. If you're not bleeding, having contractions way too early, or feverish, you're probably fine. But don't listen to me! I'm on the internet, too. Ask your doctor what warning signs you should look for, and then rest assured that the vast amount of symptoms that are not on the warning signs list that your doctor gave you are NORMAL for pregnancy (as uncomfortable as some may be).
9. It's ok to ask for advice, but recognize that every situation is unique. I am learning this the hard way. I love asking for advice from people who have gone through something before me. But when I do so, I start to realize that everyone has opposing and vastly different viewpoints on the same issues (i.e. what items are essential for when baby comes). Some said they swore by the rock n' play, some say they loved their stroller, and some said they never ended up using either. What you use and like will depend on YOU and your baby, as well as your lifestyle (do you hike? do you value being outdoors? will you be doing a lot of city activities that require a nice stroller? what are the roads like where you live? sidewalks? what kind of schedule will you/husband have? what are the things you want to value in your family? what equipment will you need for that? what matters most to you? where do you live and what items do that climate warrant?) 
10. Try to surround yourself with supportive people. Try to surround yourself with people who are emotionally supportive of what you're going through. You don't need any more negative influences, you are going through enough as it is! Limit the interaction with people that aren't supportive and seek out those that are strong and validating to you. Try to extend the same grace to other people.
11. Don't throw away any clothes. I ended up fitting a lot of clothes that were formally "too big." I wished that I had not thrown away so many clothes that didn't fit just right before pregnancy. On this same vein, invest in good pregnancy pants EARLY. I just bit the bullet and invested in Motherhood Maternity pants and I have never regretted it. In fact, I wished I had bought them earlier. I tried to stay in my "normal" pants, keeping them together with a rubber band. But even the crotch area was uncomfortable early on for me. Pregnancy pants have a stretchy waist so they can fit you very early on. It's worth it! You'll be wearing these clothes for nine months. And possibly more for subsequent pregnancies.
12. Have zero expectation for yourself during the last few weeks of pregnancy. I am adding this point today, at 39 weeks, because these last few weeks/days have been rough! I've kind of been a wreck some days emotionally. I cried through most of general conference. At least I'm aware of why I'm acting this way, right? Ha. Husbands are saints. Let them serve you and don't have high expectations for yourself, especially the last few weeks. I'm talking to myself right now. :)

Hopefully my next post will be about a bundle of joy that has come into our home. Birth story and photos to boot. It's a crazy ride! Enjoy it.

And just because I want to see the progression of baby girl...here is a photo collage of that, minus a photo from today (39 weeks) because I don't want to get out of pajamas yet. #thisisreallife