I always associated pregnancy with the “glow.” You know, the flawless skin, the beautifully thick and shiny hair, and the adorable little belly. What I came to realize was that pregnancy is a lot harder…a lot harder.
Even though during my pregnancy I never got the perfect skin or the tiny belly (yeah, I got huge), I did learn some tricks that helped make pregnancy a little bit easier. So, here are my seven tips for surviving pregnancy.
1. Have a Bag of Cheerios With You Always
Cheerios helped me with morning sickness so much. I was really nauseous throughout my pregnancy, and my OBGYN told me this little secret. That first trimester, I promise you, I was never without my little Ziploc bag of Cheerios.
Honestly, I’m surprised my baby didn’t come out looking like a giant Cheerio with how many I ate, especially those first few months.
2. Get Prenatal Massages
If you can, try and get a monthly prenatal massage. There are licensed professionals that are specifically trained in giving prenatal massages, and they know exactly what areas need to be worked on. I had really bad lower back pain during my pregnancy, and I always felt like a new woman after I left the massage place.
3. Buy a Body Pillow
I waited until three weeks before my due date before I bought one. Once I bought it, I realized how ridiculous I had been for not getting one from the very beginning of my pregnancy. It would have helped with so many of those sleepless nights! So please, for my sake, get yourself a body pillow.
4. Take a Nap
Nap a lot. Your body is growing a tiny human, and it is absolutely exhausting! On days when you can’t take a nap, try going to bed extra early. The key is to get as much rest as you can!
5. Hydrate
Go buy yourself one of those cute little Tervis cups and drink a lot of water. Dehydration can actually lead to premature labor, so make sure you are constantly refilling your cup with water. Pregnant women should drink 12-13 (8oz) cups of water every day.
6. Buy Yourself Some Cute Maternity Clothes
When I was pregnant, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on cute clothes, I mainly just wore gym shorts and huge T-shirts.
However, I did invest in a couple of really cute outfits. Near the end of my pregnancy, when my belly resembled a hot air balloon, and my swollen ankles looked more like tree stumps, it felt nice to be able to wear at least one nice outfit.
7. Beware of the Internet
I’m a researcher at heart. If I feel the tiniest twitch, you better believe that I am researching all of the possibilities. During pregnancy, however, it can be dangerous to look up stuff online. Your body is going through so many changes, and you can really psych yourself out if you are constantly looking up all of the possible things that could go wrong during pregnancy.
Try to relax. Yes, be informed, but don’t feel the need to look up all of the diseases that you could contract.
Overall, just enjoy pregnancy. I know that it can be awkward sometimes, but learn to laugh about it. I peed myself (like, completely emptied my bladder) in the middle of Bed Bath & Beyond. Yes, it was awkward. Yes, I felt like a two-year-old instead of a grown woman. Yes, at the time I wanted to die; however, I had to learn to laugh about it.
You are going to have a lot of very weird things happen to you during pregnancy, you may as well try to enjoy them!
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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