A Few Words of Wisdom For First Time Pregnancy
So, I was just thinking of the few things that I had learned, wish I knew, or been taught during my pregnancy and labor and delivery. So here they are…
1. Vitamin B6 not only helps with fertility, it also eases nausea (a.k.a. morning sickness).
2. Ginger-ale and ginger snaps also ease nausea.
3. If you are retaining water and have swollen feet and legs then vitamin C, cranberry juice, and yogurt will help reduce it (you can also try soaking your feet in cold water but this doesn’t always work.
4. If you need an excercise routine go the route of water aerobics, it allows your belly to float, thus eliminating the strain you would get with impact aerobics (just make sure you tell the instructor that you are pregnant.)
5. The epidural tends to cause constipation so do your best to stay hydrated during labor (eat lots of ice chips and send for the nurse when the I.V. drip runs out.)
6. Episiotomy stitches hurt, but witch hazel pads and your pain medications from the doctor help BIG TIME, if you don’t have a boppy or an inflatable donut to sit on, you ought to consider investing in one.
7. If you do not like your nurse at any time during your hospital stay (you will have a labor and delivery nurse, a post partum nurse, a CNA who takes your vitals, and a nursery nurse for your baby) then demand they leave and request a new one! It is your right and the nurses make or break how well your stay goes. Be brave!
8. While at the hospital, let your little one sleep in the nursery. In my mind I thought, well I won’t have a “nursery” to stick the baby in when I get home, I will just tough it out. I should have realized how important it was to get sleep while I could because I needed all the energy I could get once I brought the baby home.
9. You will get little to NO sleep after the baby is born, enjoy sleeping while you can. (There will be nights when you will only get 2 hours of sleep, a good night is 6 hours, try to catch as much sleep as you can in a 24 hour period as you can. Don’t think of sleep as only a night thing.)
10. Don’t feel bad about the things that you need to do to cope the first couple of weeks. If you feel it would be easier to feed your baby formula then do it, if you want to give them a binky do it, it is important to stay sane and in a positive mood because the baby will sense if you are frustrated or overwhelmed and will become agitated.
11. You can not prepare yourself for the IMMENSE amount of love you will have for that little bundle of joy that is yours to keep forever.
Well there you go. I hope that these tips are useful for any of you who are pregnant for the first time. Adios!