Pregnancy: First Trimester Tips and Tricks

Since posting about our pregnancy, I realized that I now have a lot of tips and tricks that I have tried and thought I would start up a new series to share some of what has been working for me.

First Trimester tips and tricks.

So, I want to start at the beginning of pregnancy and give you tips from there as we go along. 

Please remember that these are all things that worked for me but, may not work for you.

All medical and health advice should be run past your health care professional of choice.

So first things first, if you are looking at that positive pregnancy test do yourself a favor and take a quick photo. You may or may not ever show anyone that photo, but a photo is a better way to capture that memory than keeping a stick you peed on. And the stick fades after about two weeks anyway (don't ask how I know). This frist tip helps cut clutter right from the get go and your not buying a "preservation kit" for you pee stick (yes, they do exist).

Next, do not run out and buy stuff. Yes, for most of us this is the first instinct. There are really only a few things you will need right now. 

I managed my (admittedly, only intermittently and slightly) upset tummy with ginger-ale that had real ginger and with a small box of pregnancy tea. I also kept some crystalized ginger candy on hand but only used it a few times.

One of the top items that I found handy to have stocked at home and in my purse were tums. You may want more than one bottle as I used 2 bottles. 

The first thing I had to go buy for myself that I didn't have on hand was cranberry pills, this was due to the fact that at the very start of my pregnancy I had a urinary track infection. These pills, real cranberry juice and medication from my midwife took care of it nicely.

There were a few other things that did end up being handy those first few weeks. 

First of all, I could not breath at night those first few weeks without nose strips.  But, I would suggest only one box till you know if your nose is going to continue to be stuffy. Mine thankfully cleared up quickly. 

Which lead to my next issue. It seemed like after I swelled I leaked, in ways no one ever told me pregnant ladies can. So for that I used lots of fresh underwear (at about twice my normal rate) and wipes because I personally can not stand disposable panty liners and getting cloth was going to be supper expensive. Then when I wasn't leaking, I was having other bathroom issues those fist few weeks and ended up getting the okay and a schedule to use dulcolax from my midwife.

Two of the few other things I couldn't live without this pregnancy have been my reheat able hot pack and my ice pack.  I used the later to the point I'm going to need to replace it and have put it on my registry.

The only dietary changes I made once I knew I was pregnant was to change my daily snack to a protein bar and start drinking two extra cups of water. Bringing my total daily cups to 10.

To keep my skin clear I maintained my normal skincare routine. Morning cleansing followed by  moisturizer with sunscreen. Evening cleaning followed by my timeless skin moisturizer.

For that ever growing belly I started moisturizing at night before bed with one of my two normal body lotions. I recently was given a free 10 day trial of Mama Mio Tummy Butter and fell in love, but am saving up for a small container for my third trimester when I will be doing the most stretching.

That's it for tips and tricks in the first trimester! I'll try to be back with another post on second trimester topics soon, and then move on as I'm hitting the third!

New Year, New Life

Oh my, so much has happened since I last updated... lets see if I can catch everyone up quickly with this post and then try to be more regular in posting new content shall we?

The last time I updated content here at Graceful Pathways we were just starting our parenthood journey and we were unsure where it would take us or how long the trip would be.

We got very lucky was our answer.

On our first try in August of 2012 we conceived our first little one. 

However, we were unsure until late September that we had been successful. 

We then contacted our local midwifery group and a doula who had been recommended to us to get on their schedules. Our first appointment was made with the midwifes on October 2, 2012. 

The appointment went well and we were scheduled for our dating ultrasound on our 2nd anniversary, October 10, 2012. 

This was the day that we got to find out that we could expect our first little one around

May 18, 2013.

Hearing that first fetal heartbeat and seeing that tiny being moving around in my tummy was the most moving moment I have ever experienced. Until that moment life was all about me, my hopes, my dreams, my life. Now without question I was living and sustaining myself for another being. Seeing that tiny person inside me changed me and my outlook on life. It changed the way I saw my husband, our house, our animals, our life. We had truly created life. It was an amazing evening realizing we were truly on the road to becoming parents.

In November and December we had our normally scheduled monthly appointments with the midwives. I asked questions, got answers, got to hear the heartbeat on the doppler and enjoyed watching my belly grow.

In January we had our monthly appointment and our first anatomy ultrasound. The ultrasound was on January 2, 2013. This was the first time we got a sneak peek at the little ones personality. Baby is stubborn! The baby curled up tight in the upper right corner of my uterus and refused to move no matter what tricks the tech tried. This ment that although we got to know the sex of our baby we would have to come back to finish the scan with another ultrasound, hopefully on a day when baby will be in a better mood.

During our monthly appointment this month, with the information we did get from the scan, we learned many things. First of all my body has grown a very large uterus, it looks to be very healthy with plenty of extra room for our big baby. You see baby is in the 88th percentile for growth and is measuring about a week ahead of it's due date peers. So far that means a big, happy, and most likely healthy baby!

This month was also the month that we decided it was time to register for all that crazy baby stuff. There was an amazing variety of items on offer and tons of decisions to be made. Doing this and making these choices definitely made us feel like parents. 

Currently our plan is to breastfeed and cloth diaper, which helped us cut down on some of the items people seem to think that a baby will need.  

Also starting this month I joined a mommy group put on by our doula. I had a wonderful time meeting other new mommies and babies. I made me excited to get to meet my own little one in May. While things were a little awkward to start with it is to be expected with it being a brand new group. And without question there is tons of potential for some long term friendships.