5 Top Tips for Pregnancy Survival!

As I get to the end of my pregnancy, I wanted to get this post up while all of these things are fresh on my mind, before I forget!

Pregnancy is such a magical thing! There are woman around the world who wait their whole lives to be pregnant, some who never expect to be, and some who can't. Whatever your story is, once you are pregnant, as much as you are extremely thankful for that journey, all our bodies handle it differently! And on top of that, our bodies handle each and every pregnancy differently as well! It's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows. Your body goes through some intense changes! Physically, emotionally, mentally, and hormonally! Some stages are beyond rough, and others you could compare to the "honeymoon" stage! Regardless of how your body handles it, there are always tips and tricks you can find to make those days that much easier to get through, to find that reward at the end of it! So here's my tips, tricks, and products that I hope will help you through every aspect of pregnancy!

1. Prenatal Vitamin:

One of the first things you have to do as soon as you find out your are pregnant is to get and start taking a prenatal vitamin, if you weren't already! The worst part is these suckers usually suggest you take them with food, and it does NOT help feeling sick from them! My best piece of advice in these early, sick, days of pregnancy, is to take that thing at night before bed or after dinner! I almost NEVER got sick feeling when I would take my vitamin at night! And now since it's a habit, I've continued to take it at night all throughout my pregnancy!

2. Diet/Exercise:

Blah blah blah, right? hahaha If you're anything like me, you don't want to have to CARE about what you're eating and how active you are in pregnancy! Because let's face it, early days you are sick, in the middle you're getting used to quickly growing belly and lack of balance, and at the end you are just downright uncomfortable! The best way to feel good though, is to MOVE and eat well! Not that you need to be on any strict crazy diet, but just being mindful of what kinds of things you are using to fuel you body, and trying to get the best nutrients for both you and the baby! When it comes to exercise, the general rule is "whatever you were doing before, in moderation"! So tone it down a little, but keep on keeping on as long as you are still comfortable doing so! Listen to your body! Mom always knows best ;)

3. Sleep Pillow:

When that belly starts to weigh you down, you usually start to lose more and more sleep! If you're anything like me, and love to sleep on your belly.....sleeping in pregnancy can be a TOUGH thing! I had a pillow that I randomly bought with Charlie before I really needed it, and once I did, I was in LOVE! I take it traveling with me and never sleep a night without it! I debated this time around to get the very well known "Noggle" pillow but by the time I started to have my worst trouble sleeping, I was a month so away from delivering and it didn't seem worth it! If you haven't gotten anything yet, I would definitely suggest just starting with the best! But if you want a cheaper option, and one that has done the job for me, you can find it here! :]

4. Sleeping/Napping:

Now that you have the greatest tool to help you sleep, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting ENOUGH sleep! This is of course true in every and any stage of life, but especially in pregnancy! For me, one of my worst pregnancy symptoms is exhaustion! Especially with baby numbers 2 and 3! I have been pregnant or nursing for the past 4 years now and it has done a serious toll on my body! So wroth it of course, but my body has suffered! Making sure you get enough sleep at night can be the difference in how you feel overall for that day and days to come! If you have the chance, napping can be the healer for your soul!!! I have been completely spoiled with my husband being home most of the time while in school full time, and I'm able to nap whether the kids are napping or not! Usually I can't sleep well if they're up, so I take full advantage when at least one of them is sleeping and get some rest! It recharges me for the rest of the day and usually a night of swimming as the weather here in Vegas has gotten hotter! DO NOT underestimate the power of a good nights sleep or midday rest hour! Your body will thank you!

5. Accessories:

Research, research, research! Like I mentioned before, EVERY single pregnancy is different for every single person! I have personally not used too many extra accessories to accompany a growing belly and discomfort! There are belly bands, clothing modifiers, and different things that you may deem necessary in pregnancy! Try things out! Talk to your friends who have a similar body shape and tolerance as you, and see what worked for them! The one I will recommend, especially for travel, is compression socks! Have a  pair on hand just in case! But once you get past 25 weeks, if you are in the car for longer than a couple hours, or flying in a plane, you will want those socks! They will help with swelling, circulation, and overall comfort while traveling!

I hope you LOVE being pregnant as much as I do! The days are long, the weeks are short, and these babies come and grow faster than you'll ever expect! Overall, I absolutely love being pregnant! There are plenty of things I could focus and dwell on that make it hard on me, but I choose to see the positive and understand how truly blessed I am with my nature of bearing children! God let me have it pretty easy, with a deep understanding for the people who don't, and I can't tell you enough how much I will NEVER take that for granted!! I am so thankful for the ease I have before, during, and after pregnancy! Please let me know if you have any questions or if you think I left anything out! <3

Thank you for being here, Tribe!
xoxo, McCall