What’s thе first thing thаt pops into уоur mind when I say “giving birth?” If уоu were raised оn western mass media like me, thе clip thаt plays in уоur mind is оf аn angry, sweating woman screaming hеr lungs out while lying оn hеr back in a tiny white hospital room, surrounded by fussing nurses аnd machines.
Childbirth in America is almost universally known tо bе painful аnd scary; аnd thе assumption is thаt thе only wау tо get through it is by taking drugs аnd trusting thе doctors. That’s thе image I had when I started down thе road tо pregnancy.
Thаt is until I was аt a friend’s baby shower two years ago, аnd a mom started talking about hеr birth experience using a midwife.
What this mother described sounded nothing like what I’d always been told (even by my own mother) thаt birth was like. Thе experience ѕhе described was intimate, loving, spiritual аnd easy.
This made childbirth seem not only less frightening but аlѕо transformative. This conversation was what started tо change my mind about what birth had tо be, аnd thе kind оf birth аnd pregnancy I wanted tо have.
When I gave birth, there weren’t аnу doctors оr drugs оr machines in sight: just my partner, аnd my midwife. Choosing tо place myself under thе care оf a midwife fоr my pregnancy аnd birth was a big decision. Sо let mе tell уоu why I made it.
***Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.
By the way, there may be an affiliate link or two in this post at no extra cost to you. This helps keep our blog up and running. Thanks for your support!
Midwives Vs OBGYN: Which Is Best For You?
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Thе Level оf Care
Thе standard prenatal procedure is simple: see уоur doctor monthly, get weighed аnd poked, аnd interact with thе OB/GYN fоr a few minutes each appointment. If you’re lucky, уоu hаvе a doctor уоu like, аnd if you’re very lucky, they’ll bе аt уоur birth.
Midwife care is very different. Through thе midwifery practice I chose, I didn’t hаvе one midwife — I hаd a team: a Certified Nurse Midwife, аn assistant midwife, аnd a student midwife.
I met with my team оnсе a month, fоr a full hour, but more visits happened closer tо delivery. My midwife kept a very close eye оn my health, checked my vitals, answered my questions, аnd made suggestions, but didn’t force anything оn me.
Unlike doctors, midwives see their job аѕ providing information ѕо thаt mothers саn make their own informed decisions. Thеу don’t force anything.
Fоr instance, I hаd no desire tо know how much wеight I’d already gained (or would gain) from my little bundle оf joy, аnd that was okay. Tracking weight, it turns out, isn’t really thаt important, аnd since I didn’t wаnt tо do that, we left it out.
Thе Birth Experience аnd Environment
So we talked about the image of birth most people have in mind earlier. It’s not a pretty picture. Particularly laying flat on your back and pushing for hours ( that happened to me during several births ). Well, It’s very different when you give birth with a midwife.
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You will likely give birth in a center associated with your midwives’ practice, which is basically a B&B where реорlе hаvе babies.
They are often full оf pretty rooms with big tubs аnd everything thе midwife will need neatly tucked away. Birth will go аt your pace аnd tаkе however lоng it needs to. Afterward, thе baby will stay with you аnd your partner fоr аt least another day оr two tо give you time tо bond аѕ a family without being rushed out thе door.
You may even get a massage. All this depends on what kind of set up your midwife has of course.
If you want a home birth they will often do that as well.
Or if all of this seems too scary for you and you’d like to be in a hospital but with a different experience, Midwives will often work out of the hospital too. That’s right, you can have the best of both worlds.
You can give birth at the hospital but they will provide a slower more considerate birthing experience with all the medical necessities that make you feel comfortable.
When it comes tо most hospital births, if уоur labor is too slow it will bе sped up with drugs. Mаnу оf those drugs inсrеаѕе pain аnd trauma tо thе baby, ѕо you’re given pain medication. Read What doctors don’t tell you about Epidurals but should.
Thе pain medication slows down labor, necessitating more stimulants. This саn often lead tо a snowball effect оf interventions thаt necessitate a C-section. Onсе thе baby is out, you’ll get tо say hi fоr a bit before thе sweet little thing is taken away while уоu recover.
I wish this was аn exaggeration, but America has thе highest rаtе оf birth interventions in thе world аnd аn astronomical C-section rаtе – 32.8 percent!
Giving birth is, no matter what, a transformative аnd life-changing experience. You’ll wаnt tо bе completely in touch with it when it happens.
You’ll wаnt tо embrace this profound experience; one thаt should bе joyful, spiritual, аnd natural.
Fоr me, thаt means surrounding myself with women whо will support mе in this adventure аnd hеlр mе bridge thе gap between life аѕ a woman аnd life аѕ mother.
What do you think?
It’s what thе Europeans Do
When I started thinking about going with a midwife, I did a lot оf research. I watched documentaries, read studies, аnd most importantly, talked tо midwives аnd other moms.
Aѕ it turns out, midwifery is thе norm in most оf thе developed world, аnd thе picture оf childbirth аѕ a painful, antiseptic hospital experience is аn almost purely American phenomenon.
In Europe, Australia, Japan, аnd other nations, thе death rates оf mothers аnd infants аrе massively lower than in thе U.S. (seriously, оur infant mortality rаtе has been called a “national embarrassment”).
I didn’t know this until I did research. I naturally assumed that we had fewer death rates than other countries but that’a not so.
Midwifery is not only safe аnd better fоr mothers аnd babies, but it also turns out tо bе cheaper too.
Because of Feminism
Many people don’t understand the practice of a midwife. People tend to worry about it.
Fоr thе first month оf my pregnancy, my partner аnd I were constantly asked if wе were seeing a doctor. Pеорlе wanted tо know if my pregnancy had been “confirmed,” аѕ if thе evidence оf my own body аnd a bazillion pregnancy tests wasn’t good enough.
Pеорlе asked mе if I was going tо bе okay with thе pain оf natural childbirth, how late I could change my mind, what if a complication occurred during labor, аnd оn аnd on.
This attitude seriously bugged me. Beneath thе concern was thе message thаt I didn’t know what was bеѕt fоr my own child аnd body.
This attitude is in part why America doesn’t hаvе many midwives — thеу were mostly driven out оf practice in thе early 20th century by thе medical establishment in a concerted smear campaign replete with tones оf racism, classism, аnd misogyny.
In thе same wау thе patriarchy has been taking away women’s traditional roles аѕ healer’s аnd wise women fоr centuries, ѕо too did thе near eradication оf midwives in America reek оf men taking power from women.
And thаt taking back оf my own power over my body аnd birth is thе most important aspect оf this choice fоr me.
Choosing a midwife is a feminist act. I refuse tо allow thе patriarchal, capitalist system tо tell mе what is bеѕt fоr my body.
I am choosing tо trust myself аnd other women whо hаvе decades оf birth experience аnd wisdom in this experience. And I can’t wait.
If you are looking for a midwife locally you can go to this site right here. If you crave a different kind of birthing experience then this may be exactly what you’re looking for.
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Having a baby is such an exciting time but we all know that there is some major pain involved. Many women opt for an Epidural to relieve this pain.
In fact, fifty percent of women today are now having epidurals and there’s no shame in that. I had one for all three of my babies and I enjoyed the heck out of them.
It allowed me to be present during the birthing experience instead of screaming into a pillow.
Please Note: In this post, I am featuring mamas showing off their full pregnancy journey. Enjoy!
But there’s plenty to learn about Epidurals before you go into the hospital. Me? I was clueless and I now know that I should have done my research.
Epidurals have Pros and Cons and it’s important to know what you’re in for. So let’s take a look!
By the way, some of my posts contain affiliate links at no cost to you.
12 Epidural Side Effects You Need To Know About
Your Epidural Won’t Happen The Second You Need It
When you get to the point where you feel like you absolutely need an Epidural, like 10 minutes ago, they’re gonna make you wait.
It usually takes 45 minutes but can take as long as an Hour and A Half. Yikes!
Just like everything else in a hospital, they have to order the procedure, do the paperwork, and then you have to wait your turn.
So that’s something you should consider. When they do get around to giving you one the relief is SO sweet. You are able to enjoy the experience so I think it’s worth it.
As I was saying, the relief is sweet and it often starts right away. So at least you don’t have to wait any longer once they do the procedure.
Or Not At All
There’s some bad news though. Epidurals don’t work for everyone and that’s just the way it is. You will know when you have one.
My sister had one with her first and it did nothing at all. NOTHING. But with her second child, she had another and it worked just fine. This happens because sometimes they’re not inserted right.
It really has a lot to do with the skill of your Anesthesiologist so make sure you go to a reputable hospital.
After having an epidural, you may develop a ‘post-dural puncture’ headache.
A Post Dural Puncture Headache is a severe headache felt at the front or back of your head.
It may get better when lying down and worse on sitting or standing. Along with a headache, you may experience neck pain, sickness, and a dislike of bright lights.
Not fun stuff but it doesn’t happen too often.
Getting An Epidural Can Really Hurt
Getting a needle stuck in your spine is not a fun business. You’d think the pain would be dim compared to the labor pain and it is somewhat. But if they hit you in the right spot it can be pretty bad.
The first one I had was just a good pinch. But the second epidural I had with my next pregnancy was really painful despite labor. It was as if they hit a nerve and I had this horrible dull ache shoot all through my back that was even worse than my labor pain for a minute.
Not trying to scare ya. But again, it’s well worth the pain relief and it only lasts a minute. If you can handle having a baby then this will be a breeze.
When your epidural kicks in you may begin shaking violently all over. It’s like really intense shivers.
I was told that this is caused by your body reacting to the medication causing an adrenaline rush. I have since Googled it to find more information but there’s not a lot online about why this happens.
It can happen at other times during your birthing experience too.
An Epidural Can Slow Down Labor And Interfere With Pushing
Sometimes an Epidural will slow down your whole birthing process. Occasionally contractions even stop but this is rare.
When this happens they will turn down the medication to get things moving again. So while you will have some pain relief you may have to feel some of the experience to keep things moving.
Pushing can become a problem too. Your pushing may not be effective because you simply cannot feel a thing. This happened to me and I pushed for three hours! Woo, I’m still tired and it’s been ten years. But he was really large, almost 10 pounds, and that was a big part of the issue.
You Will Need A Catheter
Because you are unable to feel and everything down there is paralyzed you won’t be able to urinate. You also won’t be able to feel when your bladder is full.
To resolve this issue they will give you an in and out catheter as they see fit. They gave me one about every two hours. Not fun but you can’t feel it so it’s not so bad.
You May Not Be Able To Move For Several Hours After Birth
It can take a while for the medicine to wear off. Even when it does start to wear off you’ll need assistance for a few more hours after that.
The first thing they wanted me to do was to urinate after and I could still barely use my legs so they put me on this standing wheelchair to assist me and someone had to help me sit down. It’s pretty humbling but it’s all part of the process.
An epidural can cause the need for further medical intervention
Some say there’s an increased risk for C-Section with Epidural and some say there’s not. Even though there are studies that say they don’t I have interviewed Health Care Professionals in this field and they often agree that it does seem to increase the chances.
The problem here is that Epidurals increase the pushing stage a lot because you just can’t feel how to push appropriately. If this stage lasts more than 3 hours or so they may start talking about c-sections.
Or they may start considering Forceps or vacuum assistance.
An Epidural Can Affect The Baby
Most notably, these medications have been known to cause respiratory depression and decreased fetal heart rate in newborns. Though the medication might not harm these babies, they have subtle effects on the newborn.
Another possible side effect of an epidural with some babies is a struggle with “latching on” in breastfeeding. This can cause a delay in the whole breastfeeding process.
You May Get A Fever And That’s A Problem
Rarely an Epidural can cause a fever in the mother that can be dangerous to the baby.
Studies suggest epidurals induce an inflammatory response and boost cytokine levels that inflict neurologic damage. This is what starts the fever and if it gets above 101 degrees it could cause significant harm.
The fever can increase the risks of hypotonia, assisted ventilation, low Apgar scores, and early-onset seizures.
This doesn’t happen often so don’t worry too much.
Most women get an epidural and nothing at all goes wrong so your chances are really good that everything will go as planned.
Good Luck and enjoy your babe when she gets here.
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So you are having a baby and your due date is approaching. You have all these thoughts on going into labor soon and then you go to your doc appointment and she mentions induction.
Hold up. This is not something you’ve considered but should have. One in four women are induced and you knew it could happen.
So let’s talk about what you need to know so you’ll be fully prepared for this turn of events.
Below are 6 things that doctors don’t tell you about induction.
***Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.
6 Things Doctors Don’t Tell You About Pregnancy Induction
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to scare you. It is meant to help inform you where your doctor has failed. Many don’t tell pregnant mamas anything about the process, risk, and advantages and it’s not cool. I know because it happened to me. They should be educating patients on this process since it can be really invasive and have unwanted consequences. As always, I encourage you to do more research.
**This post may contain affiliate links at no extra charge to you. It’s how we keep our blog up and running to bring educational resources to pregnant and breastfeeding moms.
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You Should Ask Why You Need To Be Induced
This seems obvious but many doctors tell their patients that they want to induce them and then don’t tell them why. And oftentimes the patient doesn’t ask.
It’s important to know if there’s a medical issue so you can weigh the pros and cons of the situation. Sometimes it’s just not that necessary and you could easily wait a couple more days to see if he comes on his own. It could save you a lot of grief.
Sometimes doctors schedule inductions as a matter of convenience for them. This happens WAY more often then you’d think. In fact, my doctor tried it with me with my third child.
Make sure that there’s a medical reason and that induction is appropriate in your situation.
Want Freebies For You And Your Baby? Get $330 Worth Of Gear!I have partnered with many companies to give you the best baby freebies online including Nursing Pillow, Pregnancy Pillows, Nursing Covers, Baby Leggings, Baby Clothes and so much more. You can find out how to get your freebies in this post right here.
Induction can take several days and make labor much longer
You read that right. Induction can make labor much, much longer. It can go slow if your cervix is completely closed because you’re essentially trying to force your body into something it’s not prepared to do at that moment.
Sometimes ripening your cervix requires a day or more when your body is not ready. Also, the induction of labor almost always takes much longer if this is your first baby.
But if your cervix is pretty ripe it may only take 3-6 extra hours compared to natural labor. It really does depend on where your body is at.
After a certain period during the induction, you won’t be allowed to have anything to eat and if the induction takes days, this can be extremely difficult.
They don’t allow food to minimize complications but knowing this won’t make you any less hungry. For a while, you’ll run on adrenaline. But soon enough, if it takes longer then expected you’ll be ravenous.
So make sure you eat a huge meal to help fuel you through this process and enjoy it while you can.
Induction may not work
This is a big one. Sometimes trying to force your body to have a baby doesn’t work. Can you imagine being in the hospital for three days and then having to go home?
It does happen but not very often. Just something to consider.
Inductions Make Labor More Painful
Out of everything on this list, this one is the most likely to happen. Induction with a Pitocin drip tends to be more intense and painful than a natural response to prostaglandins or having your waters broken.
If you’re wondering what Pitocin is it’s the typical medicine used to start your contractions.
Pitocin, when used to induce labor, tends to create what’s known as Jackhammer contractions because it is administered with a continuous drip IV that does not simulate the pulse and rhythm of natural oxytocin production. These intense contractions can overstimulate the uterus, stress the baby and require interventions such as a cesarean. More about that later.
I have had Pitocin in one of my three pregnancies and I can attest to this. My labor pain was SO much more intense. I had to have an early epidural ( which pissed my crappy doctor off ) because I couldn’t stand it and all I could do was scream into my pillow.
This alone is a great reason to avoid an induction unless it’s medically necessary.
Inductions May Increase Your Chances Of Needing A Cesarian
There’s actually a lot of controversy over this. There are studies that say that being induced will NOT increase your chances of Cesarian. That’s great and all but if you ask pretty much any labor and delivery nurse or Doc they will tell you that it does seem to increase the chance.
At least the ones I’ve interviewed and talked with. So you’ll have to make your own conclusions about this. It’s hard to say really but I believe that it probably does.
It’s Gonna Be OK
These are the things that your doc just fails to mention when they start talking about induction. I’m sure most of the time they just don’t want to scare you and that’s fine.
But I went through a pretty terrible induction and I wish I’d known some of this stuff so I could have prepared differently.
Most of the time inductions will work out fine. The hardest part that occurs most often is that labor pain is on a whole different level. Sometimes things just go wrong but things usually work out fine.
If you need an induction for medical reasons it’s gonna be OK. You’ll do what you have to do and you will make it to the other side. But it’s good to know the full picture so you can be prepared.
Good Luck!
If you have any Induction stories you want to share scroll down and leave a comment!
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At the end of your pregnancy, you’re tired and you’re ready to meet your babe. You want her OUT already and you know that you’ll likely go past your due date and have to wait even longer. It all gets pretty old and exhausting.
But there are ways that you can help things along. There are some natural things you can do that will help contrary to what you may read online.
Some articles I read when doing research for this post said that you cannot help induce labor naturally. Well, that’s just silly.
If you’ve had a healthy pregnancy and your babe is strong you can try inducing labor yourself at home at around 38 weeks. It’s best to wait to induce labor at 40 weeks though.
Let’s look at how you can get things moving along. Below is THE list of the very best ways to induce labor at home naturally.
Want Freebies For You And Your Baby? Get $330 Worth Of Gear!I have partnered with many companies to give you the best baby freebies online including Nursing Pillow, Pregnancy Pillows, Nursing Covers, Baby Leggings, Baby Clothes and so much more. You can find out how to get your freebies in this post right here.
**By the way, this post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
6 Best Ways Of Inducing Labor Yourself At Home
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Castor Oil
This will definitely help move EVERYTHING along. Castor oil has been used for centuries to help induce labor naturally at home. It works really well but it does have side effects so you need to be careful and aware of what you’re in for.
Castor oil will affect Special receptors, known as EP3 receptors, that are found primarily in the intestines, uterus, and immune cells. The ricinoleic acid in the castor oil stimulates these EP3 receptors, causing the smooth muscle fibers to contract. This is what causes the contractions when taken while pregnant.
The downside is that it can cause diarrhea. But some think that this is a good thing ( as long as its not too severe obviously ) because it can help prevent bowel movements on the table during birth.
***Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.
It will definitely clean you out and will likely start contractions too. How do I know for sure? Because it worked for me! and lots of other mamas too. Within an hour of talking about a tablespoon and a half, I went to the bathroom and then started having contractions. The next day my sweet girl was born. Tons of mamas who tried this have a similar story to tell. Just Google it and check out some forums.
**Please note that everything has risks and you should do your own research before taking this route. This is not medical advice, only what I and other mothers have experienced when taking this age-old remedy for this purpose.
Acupressure
There are acupressure points on the body that can get your labor going. They are widely used by natural health practitioners and said to work very well.
If you’re wondering what this is, Acupressure is the lesser-known companion to acupuncture. Acupuncture is the traditional Chinese medicinal practice of sticking thin needles into areas of your body that are believed to control a specific organ or body part.
But instead of needles, acupressure requires physical pressure to be applied to points that run along your body’s meridian system — or life-energy path.
You can find out where these magical points are on your body in the video below to get your labor started.
Having sex is a great way to get contractions started and there’s science to back this up.
First of all, semen is a natural source of prostaglandins, And prostaglandins are known to ripen the cervix and get it ready for labor. Prostaglandins can also be used to induce labor medically.
Second, sex, especially with an orgasm, has been found to increase uterine activity, and nipple stimulation is also thought to stimulate the uterus (more about that later ) to induce labor. So get between those sheets.
Have Your Membranes Swept
Stripping the membranes is a way to induce labor. It involves your doctor sweeping their (gloved) finger between the thin membranes of the amniotic sac in your uterus.
If the cervix is soft but still closed, your doc may stretch or massage the cervix to stimulate it to begin to dilate. Stretching the cervix can feel pretty uncomfortable, and many women describe it as a sharp, shooting pain.
After the sweep, you will likely experience cramping and bleeding.
This is definitly not my cup of tea but if you’re are really anxious to give birth it is effective.
Drink Red Raspberry Tea
I Used Red Raspberry Leaf Tea To Induce Labor with all three of my babes. It does seem to help and it certainly cannot hurt.
Midwives claim that red raspberry leaf tea will shorten the length of your labor by softening your cervix, making contractions more intense and helping to make labor way less uncomfortable. Give it a try and see if it helps you!
Getting in some good physical activity stimulates everything including your uterus when you’re pregnant. It’s a great way to induce labor naturally at home.
This sounds strange, doesn’t it? Who wants to sit around and rub their own nipples?
I don’t know if this one actually works but the theory behind nipple stimulation is that it mimics breastfeeding and causes sensory cells in the nipples to signal the brain to release oxytocin. This, in turn, causes contractions.
While it does cause your uterus to contract, most studies show that it does not bring about the onset of actual labor.
Some women who believe that nipple stimulation works pump their breasts in hopes that it will get things moving, but I think some of the stuff I mentioned earlier are much better options. You decide.
Good luck with having your babe and I hope some of these things help! I think Castor Oil is hands down THE BEST way to get labor started naturally at home but it’s a personal choice. Just go into it carefully and do your research.
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Pregnancy is so exciting but It’s also a lot of hard work. Your body changes so quickly from day to day you never know what to expect when you wake up each morning.
Fortunately, there are tons of pregnancy hacks that will make the whole nine months so much easier.
Read on to discover the best pregnancy hacks across the internet that will help make your pregnancy a breeze.
You can make your own belly band so that you can wear your pre-pregnancy clothes for so much longer. It’s simple and you can find out how to do it over at A Beautiful Mess, one of my favorite blogs!!
Use A Pregnancy Planner
Using a Pregnancy Planner is a great way to log the events of your pregnancy as well as make important decisions. You can get a completely free Bohemian style pregnancy planner I created below and print it out and use it to plan everything from your nursery, your budget, your appointments and more. You will also get a weekly sheet to write out your thoughts and feelings that will tell you the size and shape of your babe that week as she grows. It’s all a lot of fun! Grab your’s free below.
Consume Ginger To Fight Nausea
Drinking Ginger Tea or Eating Ginger candy will work WONDERS when you are nauseated. The natural compounds in ginger will soothe your stomach muscles and prevent you from vomiting, at least some of the time.
It’s well known and has been used for this purpose for centuries. Here’s a great ginger candy that many pregnant women use and love and here’s an awesome tea.
These are the go-to drops for pregnant mamas who have a lot of nausea. They work really well and you can find them on Amazon right here.
I used them all the way through my pregnancy all the way up to labor ( because my nausea wouldn’t die ) and they kept me from vomiting so many times.
Want Freebies For You And Your Baby? Get $330 Worth Of Gear!I have partnered with many companies to give you the best baby freebies online including Nursing Pillow, Pregnancy Pillows, Nursing Covers, Baby Leggings, Baby Clothes and so much more. You can find out how to get your freebies in this post right here.
Apple Cider Vinegar For Reflux
Many women who’ve never had reflux before discovering the physical torture it can cause during pregnancy. It can be terrible and it often happens at night when you’re trying to get your precious sleep.
One easy way to remedy acid reflux is with some good old Apple Cider Vinegar. It will help neutralize the acid and calm your system down and it does work wonders. I used it myself and still do.
Plus it’s just good for your health. You need to get Raw Vinegar and Braggs is the best on the market.
Organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (like Bragg’s) also contains “mother,” strands of proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give the product a murky appearance. That’s the good stuff that makes it so potent.
Use Belly Armor To Protect your Babe
Everyone uses devices these days and we often have a tablet, laptop, or phone in front of us sitting on our bodies. But this has been proven to cause harm. Well, Belly Armor Can Help Protect your babe.
You should be actively working to prevent this kind of electromagnetic radiation exposure for your unborn child ( and after he’s born as well ).
Belly Armor makes products to help minimize the risk. I wholeheartedly support their efforts and products and I think they are a must for every mother and baby.
You can get the belly armor belly wrap, Nursing Wraps, blankets, and even hats for after your babe is born. Really good stuff and there should be more companies like this making awesome products that address this issue. You can find out more about Belly Armor right here or in the banner below.
Using Kinesiology Tape will help support your skin and the weight of your belly. Many pregnant women use it and find it very helpful. You can wear the tape for several days at a time comfortably. I highly recommend it.
TheraBand Kinesiology Tape is your best choice and it comes in pretty designs and colors. It’s also waterproof so you can wear it in the shower if needed.
Eating Dates to shorten labor is an old wive’s tales that’s been passed around for centuries. But now there are studies proving this old myth to be true.
It’s certainly worth a try and with scientific evidence backing it up, it may be a good idea, because you’ll want your labor to be as short as possible. Believe me… Find out more over at Wellness Mama, another blog that I adore and recommend.
Take A Prenatal Course And A Breastfeeding Course Too
Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.
If you plan on breastfeeding there’s another great course called Milkology that teaches you everything you need to know about breastfeeding in a couple hours and it’s only $19.
Many women think breastfeeding is a natural, simple process but actually, it’s pretty hard work. Getting the latch right can be super hard and painful if you don’t get it right in the first hour or so. Taking a course prevents all the guesswork. You can check out Milkology right here.
After the first trimester of pregnancy, you’ll need to sleep on your side and a pregnancy pillow is an absolute must-have for comfort. Sleeping While pregnant is hard enough and without the proper support, you’ll be losing rest you really need.
Here’s a really great one available through Amazon at a good price. It’s the one I had and loved through two of my three pregnancies.
Use These Jeans Extenders to Keepy Wearing Your pre-pregnancy pants
Pregnancy Jean extenders are these little nifty things you attach to the button of your pants so that your pants are looser. They will allow you to wear your regular jeans for a couple more months.
I had a bunch of them and wore them after pregnancy too while I got back into shape. They’re another pregnancy must-have. You can find the one pictured above here on Amazon.
Use Cocoa butter On Your Tummy
Using Cocoa butter on your pregnant belly will help prevent stretch marks, at least from my experience. I have had three babies and it worked every time.
Some say that this doesn’t work but every mama I know who used it didn’t get the dreaded marks and the ones who didn’t bother did! You be the judge.
Many women claim that it helped them and I’m inclined to believe it does as well. You can find a great belly butter right here. It’s my favorite and I used it each time I was pregnant.
Padsicles
If you don’t know much about postpartum yet you’re probably wondering what the heck a padsicle is.
Padsicles are Perineal Cold Packs that you put up against your vagina after birth to help ease the pain and take down the swelling. They are VERY necessary and really help take the pain away. You can buy them here.
I’ve always said here on the blog that so much education and effort is put into learning about what to do during pregnancy and childbirth but we ignore the aftermath, which can and often is very painful.
Getting Educated about how to help yourself during the postpartum period is vital for your comfort so that you can enjoy your little bundle as much as possible. Here’s a great post that will tell you everything you need to know.
Do Prenatal Yoga For Easier Birth
Prenatal yoga is an excellent way to condition your body so that you will be ready for birth. It helps pregnant women to develop proper breathing and relaxation techniques for easier and more comfortable labor.
It also helps stretch you out just right. It’s a really good low impact exercise that will help keep you fit and calm. Look for a local class near you, buy a video or just look up some videos on YouTube.
Buy Bra Extensions
Bra extensions are a good way to keep using the bras you love as your body and breast begin to expand. They will allow extra comfort and can be used over and over.
You can also use them on your nursing bras until you lose the baby weight. You can get them in any color to match your bras. Here are some great ones you should check out. Priced well too.
Get A Pregnancy Box Subscription!
Pregnancy box subscriptions are a fun way to discover products that you can use while pregnant and when the baby comes. It’s exciting to see what comes each month.
Ecocentric Mom sub boxes are the best you can get. They carry all organic products that are safe for both you and your babe. You can get boxes from the very beginning of your pregnancy up until your babe is two or so. Check them out here or in the banner below.
Soak Feet In Tonic Water
Your feet can get really swollen during pregnancy. It’s a real problem.
It happens because your body retains more fluid during pregnancy. Also, your growing uterus puts pressure on your veins, which impairs the return of blood to your heart. Hormonal changes also play a role as well.
Soaking your feet in room temperature – or cold tonic water can help relieve the swelling. The quinine and the bubbles can help reduce inflammation. It works so give it a try!
Oatmeal Bath For Itchy Skin
As your belly and body expand there will be some itching, and An oatmeal bath is very soothing to your stretched out skin.
Use the recipe below to help soothe your skin:
Blend together oats, baking soda, and milk powder in a food processor or mixing bowl. Then scoop 1/2 cup of this mixture into your bath water and soak for 20 minutes.
Do you have any awesome tips you want to share that helped you get through pregnancy? Let us know in the comments below!
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Hey, I’m Toni and I’m the mama of 3 Little Birds. I love Writing about all Things Mama. Learn more about me here. Grab a Tea or Coffee and come see what you find.
