My Favorite Pregnancy Tips | Baltimore Photographer | Personal

Sep 11, 2017

If you’ve been following along for a while, by now you know that I’m a proud mama to Brody, who’s now 7 years old. You might also know that I’m well on my way to being able to welcome baby number two into our family! She’ll be joining us sometime before the holidays and we can’t wait! 

It’s been let’s just say, a bit since I’ve been pregnant (you can do the math) and I’ve found that there’s a big difference in being pregnant in your early twenties and your late twenties. Maybe it’s been so long that I had forgotten all of the not so fun parts or maybe I lucked out the first time. I really think I did luck out with my pregnancy with Brody. My biggest complaint from that go round? Leg cramps and restless leg syndrome. This time, I’ve had most of the typical issues- morning sickness (that came like clockwork around 4pm), exhaustion, headaches, food aversions… the list goes on. I have tried all sorts of things to battle these symptoms! I figured maybe my discoveries could be helpful to someone else in this stage of life, so I’m sharing that here today. 

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME. I remember years and years ago when I first started seeing prescription commercials on TV for drugs that claimed to be able to help with this ridiculous sounding ailment. ” Now they’ve thought of everything!” is what ran through my head. I was wrong. It’s sort of an inexplicable feeling for me, but man, it’s a doozie! I’ve found relief two ways and it allows me to actually fall asleep at night. The first is sort of an old wive’s tale and I have no idea where it came from or if it actually works. Maybe it’s a mental thing, but for less than $3 at the grocery store, you can pick up a bar of Ivory soap. Unwrap the sucker, stick it at the foot of your bed between the mattress and fitted sheet and that’s all she wrote! The other trick that I’m a big fan of is this Burt’s Bee’s lotion! Prime shipping and under $11 sounds pretty good to me! I put it on as I’m getting to bed every night. The magic is in the peppermint oil! 

MORNING SICKNESS. For me, it skipped the mornings and came like clockwork at 4pm every day for a few months. As soon as it started I let my doctor know and she wrote me a prescription for some anti-nausea meds. Don’t be afraid to speak up! Just because it’s such a common symptom doesn’t mean you should be suffering if you don’t have to! I definitely lost a few pounds from a lack of appetite but it could have been a lot more unpleasant! I also did my best to remember to always have something to snack on. Some days it was cheerios, some days it was lime tostitos. Ginger ale was plentiful in my fridge, too! If you’re hungry eat right away! I found that hunger turned into nausea very quickly! 

SLEEP. My favorite topic. Usually, you’ll hear that you get some energy back in the second trimester. Most people do! This girl? Not so much. Sleep is like my favorite thing ever. I’ve been getting lots of practice. I love putting a drop or two of lavender oil on my pillow at night! Also, since I can’t sleep on my stomach anymore (can’t wait till I get to do that again!) I found a pregnancy pillow to stay extra comfy. This amazon find is huge! Everyone in the house loves it and oftentimes during the day I’ll come into the bedroom to find the dog curled up in it. It has a removable cover, prime shipping, and can be used when reading, as a lap desk, whatever you want! 

MATERNITY CLOTHES. Let’s fist admit that they’re a huge waste of money and it’s not fair the companies charge what they do for clothes we’ll really only need for 5 or 6 months. Ok, I feel better now. My first pregnancy wardrobe was verrrry small; I was an ambulance dispatcher and we wore uniforms everyday. I had maybe 8 articles of actual maternity wear. This time I needed dresses for weddings, cute outfits for client meetings and shoots, and things to wear around the house. Step one? Figure out who I know that just had a baby! See if she’d be willing to share the wealth! I got some really great items from a friend who also works in the wedding industry and I just love her for it! Second step was to go to Target (duh). I made it a little past the halfway mark just by buying tees, tanks, and leggings in a larger size. I’ll be able to wear them post-pregnancy too, so I think they were a good investment. I don’t have a huge maternity wardrobe now but I have a lot of things that can mix and match and I think I’ll be covered for just about any occasion.

I hope these little tips help! I know that this stage of life can be tough and it has it’s own set of unique challenges, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Just remember there will be a sweet little squishy baby soon 🙂

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