Pregnancy, What Helped Me

Morning Sickness, Temperature Flashes, Body Aches, and more.

I’ve created this list, because these are tips/tricks that helped me through the tough times of pregnancy and maybe they will will help you too!

Cucumber Water

Drinking water is very important, especially during pregnancy. But why add the cucumber? When pregnant I began having a hard time regulating my body temperature. One second I was over heating, and the next I was freezing cold! Turns out that cucumber is a natural body coolant. Eating or adding cucumber to your ice water helps your body lower its core temperature. This is my go to, now that I’m 34 weeks in the dead of summer! I like to add a few slices of cucumber and a half squeeze of lemon to my ice water.

Lemon and Ginger Tea

This is a “kill two birds with one stone" kind of deal, not only does lemon ginger tea warm the body (ginger naturally raises core body temperature) when your chilly, ginger also helps when you feel nauseous or sick! It was a game changer for me battling morning sickness while freezing my bum up in the cold snowy mountains of Colorado. When I felt sick, and was having a hard time eating, sipping on this was the only thing that saved me. I enjoyed adding local honey to my tea.

Eucalyptus oil

A friend actually told me about this tip and I am forever thankful. During my first trimester, I didn't just have morning sickness, I had midday sickness, afternoon sickness, and night sickness! I luckily never vomited, but gagging throughout the day over anything slightly gross was a REAL thing.  I asked a friend if they did anything that helped with morning sickness and her response was adding a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in a cloth or tissue and then holding that up to your nose and taking deep breaths. I couldn't believe it, this worked so well for me. Though, I probably looked like a goof holding cloth to my face every time I walked passed a puddle, or smelled anything slightly gross. Try this and see if it works for you!

Foam Rolling and Stretching

Once your belly starts growing, the aches and pains make headway in your everyday life. You may start to lose your balance more, and your feet and back might start hurting.  I found that foam rolling and stretching every morning or every few days made a HUGE difference in managing my balance, and body aches. I also found that foam rolling helped with circulation as well as helped reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks on my legs. There are many benefits of foam rolling or stretching, and it definitely has helped me.  GET the Foam roller Below on Amazon!

 

Get a Massage

If you can spare the extra cash, I recommend getting a prenatal massage! Once I was getting into week 30 my entire body ached all day, every day. But one thing that my partner couldn't fix was my painful hip. The baby just enjoyed her awkward position in my uterus that caused my muscles to be pulled on weird.  My midwife and chiropractor suggested seeing a message therapist and I’m so glad I did. Not only did my aches and pains disappear for a while. I left that massage feeling very energized, in a good, and patient mood the rest of the day!

 

Take that Nap!

It’s hard to give into so many naps while pregnant. I felt useless, unmotivated, and lazy, every time I spent my day napping. But you know what I finally realized? I’m tired not because I’m lazy, it is because my body NEEDS it. I am making a HUMAN! All of your energy stores are going to making your perfect little baby, and it’s exhausting! But avoiding naps isn’t healthy, once that baby comes your sleep schedule will be put on the back burner. So, if you’re tired, girl, take that nap enjoy them while you can! You deserve it, and your body and baby with thank you for it.

 

Eat Smaller Meals Frequently

MORNING SICKNESS SUCKS! It seemed like I could never win. I would feel so sick, I couldn't eat. But if I didn't eat, I would feel even more sick. If I gave in and ate a big meal, I also felt sick from eating so much. I COULD NEVER WIN! So, what did I learn? I learned that eating very small meals more frequently helped fight morning sickness. If I ate a small amount first thing before I started to feel sick in the morning I wouldn't get so nauseous. Then every few hours I would eat a small snack to fight the dizzies. Sometimes I would make it the entire day without feeling horrid. Eating small healthy meals more frequently also helps keep up your metabolism. This in turn helps your body stay energized and feel good throughout the day, as well as kick pregnancy craving to the curb.