4: Get Informed

When I found out I was pregnant, I didn't know anything about having a baby.  I always felt a little awkward around babies; wasn't sure how to hold them comfortably or how to talk to them.  My sister in law gave me some pregnancy books that she had when she was pregnant and I also discovered helpful websites and apps to help me along the way.  Reading up on being pregnant and having a baby made me feel so much more confident on becoming a new momma.  Some of the experiences would have been so frightening if I didn't know what was going on.  Educating myself on current practices also helped me to recognize inaccurate advice when it was given and the knowledge to support my inexperienced hiney!  Although, some advice was simply outdated,  getting advice from every mom I spoke to became invaluable to me.  I absorbed everything like a sponge.  So my advice to you is to read up on all you can, listen to all advice offered, and do things that feel right to you.  Here are some of my favorite sources to help get you started:

What to Expect When You're Expecting Book This book is the pregnancy bible. I had it with me everywhere. Always had an answer for my questions.

What to Expect the First Year Book I read as much as I could before she was born.  Now, after her birth, I've been reading for the associated month.  Super helpful if your clueless..like I was.  Provides information for every month about your newborn for an entire year; feeding, development, questions and concerns.

Baby Center This website was also extremely helpful with both my pregnancy and her development.  They also have an app that tracked how big she was in the womb and had daily tips and interesting bits of information.  Loved the graphics of what she may look like and it also compared her weight and length to that of a piece of fruit or vegetable.  I also enjoyed sharing her progress with my friends and family on Facebook.  In addition, I recommend the following app for your growing baby and the birthing class app.  In fact, my husband and I did not go to an actual childbirth class (that would have been an hour and a half round trip, $100, 8 hour class!) but we did do the free two hour childbirth video by baby center right in the comfort of our living room.

Total Baby App I tried a few apps to help me keep track of breastfeeding and this one was my favorite and easy to use.  I use it everyday to know when her last feeding was, how long it was, and which breast it was.  It also has recording options for diaper changes and baths and you can even add your own recorder.

WebMD Baby I have this website at the top of my bookmark list and I also have the app.  Yes, I have used it and yes I'm glad it was there!  Of course, in case of an emergency always call 911 or consult with your pediatrician for non-emergency situations.

CPR This may be the most important thing for you to learn! Don't wait till its too late.  Baby center provides an illustrated guide and also provides sources to get actual training which I highly recommend! If you take away anything from this blog, have it be to train yourself on how to perform CPR and first aid for choking!

3: Pink Little Bow

Before we found out what we were having, I bought a pack of hair bow clips that included pink and blue. When we found out we were having a girl, I wore the pink bow everyday till her birth.  Everyone seemed to get a kick out of its cuteness!  Anything can be used as a memento.  A bracelet, earrings, scarf.  Plus, I think it would be fun to one day show it to her and let her wear it on special occasions. 

In this photo (taken by my brother, Zack. zfsphotography ), I'm also wearing pink feathers I had put in at my last hair appointment before her birth and wore them till after she was born.  For my next pregnancy, I'm going to get blue and pink feathers put in when I find out I'm pregnant and the day we do find out, I'll take one color out and wear the feathers till he/she is born.  Then I won't have to worry about putting them in and the feathers can still be saved to give to him/her when they are older.

2: Prenatal Exercise

Exercise is important.  Try to stay active your entire pregnancy.  Of course, give yourself the needed breaks because you'll tire easily and don't push too hard. Staying active will improve the experience of your labor.  A friend of mine at work, JM we'll call her, told me the more active I am, the earlier she'll be born and the labor will be easier. It seemed to prove true with me; McKayla was born two weeks early and my actual delivery was only 24 minutes long.

Make sure you do an actual prenatal workout or pregnancy safe workouts and always check with your doctor before doing any workouts.  

The video I used was: Prenatal Video

If you don't already have a resistance cord: Light, Medium, Heavy Resistance Cord

And I just discovered the following that may be worth purchasing.  I may get this for pregnancy number two.:  Gaiam-Baby-Ready-Yoga-Kit

Another exercise that is highly recommended (pregnant or not) are Kegel exercises or pelvic toning. Kegel exercises work out your pelvic floor muscles and can also help with labor and the healing process(Eisenberg, Murkoff, & Hathaway, 1996).  See the following website for further information: kegel exercises

I worked out with the videos when I could, but the bulk of my workout was a lot of walking at my job.  From the parking lot to my building varied from 7 to 15 minutes one way.  I always took the stairs unless I wasn't feeling that great.

Normal weight gain is 25-35 lbs by the end of your pregnancy for an average woman (Eisenberg, Murkoff, & Hathaway, 1996).  I gained exactly 35 lbs! I was really getting nervous there at the end!  I believe that working out and attempting not to indulge in my favorites, sweets and potatoes, really helped me out.  In fact, my craving was for french fries (or any type of potato).  If someone said french fry at work, I was going to a fast food restaurant after work for a large fry!  That was mainly during my first and second trimesters, though.  Didn't last the whole time.

So, try to keep active.  It will be so much better for you and your unborn baby! :-D

References:

Eisenberg, A., Murkoff, H. E., & Hathaway, S. E. (1996).  What to Expect When You’re Expecting. New York: Workman Publishing.

1: Start a Journal

When I found out I was pregnant back in December 2011, I bought a journal, a big one, to start jotting down my experiences and memories along the way. It would be best to keep up with it daily or weekly, or as things happen.  You don't want to get stuck after your precious bundle is born and trying to remember every detail about the appointment when you found out the sex, or when you felt that first kick. (Which is what I did!) But if you are like me, can't keep up with a journal to save your life, then at least jot the date/time and a short note in the back of the book to reference later when you do have time to write. Even utilizing a note app on your phone to jot down those reminders since most of us always have it with us.  We  would just stop functioning if, God forbid, we ever left our phones at home! You could also make notes in your planner to refer to. I ended up using all three of these methods.

For me, the journal is for my daughter, McKayla, to read one day about her mother's pregnancy, her birth and her raising. Then, perhaps, later down the road, pass the journal down to her to continue her life story and her pregnancy! (I'm getting emotional now!)

In addition to your writings, add pictures to the journal such as your belly, her ultrasound, her first 30 seconds in this world...

Keep in mind that when you choose a journal, stick with one that can go both ways. When I bought mine, I didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl.  Planahead Jumbo Journal is the one I got.  I figured it would would work ok for a girl or boy: