Friday, August 9, 2013

7 Quick Takes: Old Mom, New Tricks


Just because I'm pregnant again by no means makes me an expert at this growing-a-baby thing.  I was reading my go-to pregnancy book, and all sorts of things jumped out at me that I don't think (pregnancy brain?) I ever knew before.  Such as:

1) 
Don't drink green tea.


What???  I think I drank a lot of Trader Joe's Candy Cane green tea when pregnant before.  Tea is one of the drinks I pick up during gestation when coffee sometimes doesn't sound too appealing, and diet soda is out (stupid fake sweeteners).  Apparently green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid, which we all know is super important for a growing baby.

2) 
By the time you miss your period, and discover that you're pregnant, 80% of the baby's organ development has ALREADY occurred!  
Whoa!  There I was, living life as usual, and my body was growing another human's organs before I even knew!  It's amazing!  And also, how can anyone be pro-choice?

3) 
Women who experience morning sickness have a lower percentage rate of having a miscarriage.  People always told me that sick mom = healthy baby, but I thought they were saying that to make me feel better as I was living with my head inside the porcelain throne.  You know, like how rain on your wedding day = good luck.  No.  Rain on your wedding day = crazy hair and a wet dress.

4) 
The more weight you gain in your first trimester, the more likely you are to have a bigger baby.  
This definitely holds true for me.  I gained the most weight at the beginning with Alexander (like this current bambino, I have to eat every few hours or I feel terrible) and he was my biggest baby at 8 lbs. 14 oz.  The times I couldn't keep food down and lost weight my first trimester, my babies were smaller.  

Now for some things I learned from other experienced mothers that I wish I knew earlier...

5) 
I am definitely going to try Hallie's trick of taking Liquid Calcium to ease the postpartum cramps, which seem to get worse and worse after each baby (amiright?).  SO glad I know about this in advance!

6) 
I had never heard of wearing a girdle during pregnancy, but I do remember being "in the family way" with the fifth baby and feeling a lot of muscle cramping and achiness in my lower abdomen.  It's like my muscles were just overused, in fact it kept me from running any longer than the 5th month.  Kendra suggests wearing a girdle to help with all that achiness, and I'm definitely going to try it this time around!

7) 
I don't know who told me this when I was pregnant for the 3rd or 4th time and sick as a dog (I'm going to stop talking about morning sickness, pinky swear no take backs) but the Sea Bands really do help me. I'm the type of person who gets car-sick, sea-sick, motion-sick, and morning sick, and they all feel pretty similar, so for me wearing the bands help.  Even if it's only in my head, I'll take whatever relief I can get.  Mama H does not agree with the magical powers of the bands, but she's so funny that we'll agree to disagree.  

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!  And if you have any other helpful hints or tricks to share...please do!!

30 comments:

  1. I found out about the green tea thing when I was in my 3rd trimester and had already consumed a cup every morning. thank God Ben is ok. I was very nervous about it. Glad you found out in the beginning! The other tips are very helpful.

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    1. I think God provides for whatever knowledge we are lacking :-)

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  2. Oh man, there is so much here that I didn't know!!! Me and my smug been-there-done-that pregnancy philosophy... I'm taking ALL the supplements next time!

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    1. I know, you think you have it down pat and boom! Humility lesson!

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  3. Protein, protein, protein, and protein. Seriously, so many issues at the end of pregnancy are diet related. 80 grams a day. I've found when I'm focusing so much on getting the required protein I don't have time or room for the other carby, sugary junk that causes so many pregnancy issues. A liquid B12 supplement was a huge life changer for me with the dizziness, lightheaded, breathlessness stuff I deal with each time.

    And I'm also pretty convinced that starting to drink raw milk when I was pregnant with luke was a factor in him being my easiest baby by far. No gassiness, tummy issues, refluxy stuff. I may have to test that out again, though, but we'll see if I get the chance...

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    1. My midwife pushes the protein too! I started taking b6 for nausea, is b12 better?

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  4. I hope the weight gain thing holds true... I forget how much I gained in the first T with both the girls but my total weight gain with R was less than E and R was a solid lb heavier! This time around I did not gain any weight in my first T courtesy of a stomach bug : (

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    1. Small babies are more fun to deliver ;-)

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  5. Hope you are feeling better soon and congrats on the new family member.

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  6. Yes to the girdle thing. It really helps A LOT. And you are so right on about the postpartum cramping getting so much worse each time...yikes! Wish I had known about the liquid calcium, but if I'm super vigilant about my ibuprofen I do alright. Congratulations again!

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    1. I actually use vicadin (or whatever prescription pain killer they will give me) for the first 24 hours after delivery because the pain is so bad!

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  7. Those are great tips!! As soon as I read Hallie's tip on supplements to ease cramping, I filed that in the MUST, MUST REMEMBER NEXT TIME I'M PREG category. Wish I would have know that with my second. I'm wondering if it might help ease up on overactive BH contractions, which also killed me with Lucia.
    Also, the weight gain in the first trimester corresponding with baby size has been true for me.
    ALSO, I plan on rocking the girdle next time too!
    This might be super late, but congrats on the pregnancy! :)

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    1. Never to late to congratulate, thank you!

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  8. Well it seems to me you sure have learned a lot along the way! I also highly recommend girdling after the baby is born as well, not for the looks, but because it really does help you heal and help give support, it actually feels very comforting!

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  9. Interesting on the weight gain in the first trimester and baby weight thing. I tend not to gain much weight in the first trimester at all (don't worry, I make up for it in the 3rd) and my babies all ranged between 6'12" to 8 lb 1 oz.

    My tip is to take Magnesium..it helps a lot with muscle cramps and leg cramps.

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    1. Yes I started magnesium during my 4th pregnancy and still take it every day. It took away all my middle of the night Charlie horses and helps with general muscle recovery from exercise. Love it!

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  10. I am so excited for you. Please don't stop talking about being pregnant. Even the vomiting is interesting to me! (What? So I'm hormonal and want another baby? What of it?)

    I want to try the liquid calcium, too. I can't remember if hers had magnesium in it? That helped me a lot last time. Also, Floradix for iron if you tend to be anemic. LOVE that stuff but can only justify the expense when I'm preggers or postpartum.

    Yay for babies!

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    1. I love hearing about pregnancy stuff too, I just don't want it to turn into now that i'm pregnant, i'm a one hit blog wonder! Its just consuming all my thoughts right now. So exciting!

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  11. Have you ever heard of amping up the magnesium while pregnant? You just take lots of epsom salt baths, and you can also use a magnesium oil spray (homemade or amazon has them). I'm hoping that the next go round will be better for me if I do these tricks. But until I can test them out myself, I'm trying to get other pregnant moms to try them and tell me if they work!!!!!

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    1. The magnesium makes a HUGE difference during pregnancy for me. When I remembered to use it I had barely any muscle fatigue and my head felt clearer.

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  12. How precious! Baby #6! Congratulations!
    I hope you feel better soon

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  13. Sadly, I know from experience about #3. :( Especially if symptoms suddenly cease, but even my pregnancies that had really mild, almost non-existent pregnancy symptoms seemed to end badly whereas my 16+ weeks of morning sickness babies stuck! :)

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  14. Loving all these tips :). I didn't know that about the tea either.

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  15. My trick? Herbs. My midwife makes uh-mazing tinctures ~ from uterine cramps and crankiness, to my weird hyper-stressed state I get when pregnant, her tinctures help them all. Oh, and a tincture for heartburn. I got heartburn so bad with Isaiah that I actually thought I was dying from a heart attack or something. With Olivia I had the tincture and when I first felt the burn I would take it and it would go away in no time. She has one for nausea that lots of moms swear by. If you want to try it, let me know.

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  16. There are those pregnancy belt things that help hold up the belly and take relief off the groin which I should have just broken down and bought but it seems like the girdle would help with the same issues.
    I've heard the green tea thing but know there are so many teas that are good for you throughout, too.
    Yes, I definitely believe the more weight you gain in first trimester thing... but what if you were overweight to begin with haha that might contribute as well (I mean me, not you, of course).
    I also had to eat something every few hours to not get sick... better than not being able to eat anything, I guess.
    I love that the Martin kids are so excited for a new sibling. I keep thinking about how cute that video is!
    I'll try to remember some remedies and let you know but it seems like you've got lots of good advice to go off of! Yea!

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  17. Oh Colleen!! Congratulations and thank you for the mention! Guuurl, you go ahead and WORK them seabands, okay?? LOL. Dang, I'm glad they work for SOMEone.
    Anyway, I will be praying for you. It's so hard to be so sick, isn't it? Some days I would wish I could just, like...set my uterus on a shelf or something for awhile, just so I wouldn't feel sick.
    Wow. Detachable uterus. Do I ever have an idea for the people at the Mrs Potato Head factory!;)
    Congrats again!!!:)

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  18. Oh congratulations on the pregnancy! Prayers to good St Gerard for a healthy pregnancy, momma and baby.

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  19. Congratulations to you and your family. A new baby! How wonderful! So happy for you.

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