Annie's Bunny Grahams I was going to go nuts if I had to eat another Saltine. These crackers are far more delicious. I kept them by my bed, in my purse, at my desk, in the car. Honey Maid Honey Bees are a nice change from the bland ol' crackers, as well.
Kagome Juices I didn't find out about Kagome until the day after I had Beatrice. Our friend Amy came to see us in the hospital and brought a bottle of this deliciousness along with her. Oh, how I do love the Purple Roots and Fruits mixed with a little ginger ale! This juice makes it easy to get some of the benefits of fruits and veggies, even when your tummy is rebelling and refusing to cooperate with the whole eating and keeping it down thing. Digging around the Kagome website, I found tons of recipes--I hadn't even thought about cooking with the stuff, but now I'm thinking I might give it a shot.
Zen Mama Yoga I wasn't allowed to work out for the first trimester and that set a lazy tone for the rest of my pregnancy. Once I fall off my workout pony, I have a tough time just hopping back on. This was made even more difficult by the protruding belly that began emerging while I was sitting on my also-growing ass those first twelve weeks. Rainbeau Mars is one of my favorite yogis. She seems to be totally high most of the time, but she's a total yoga badass. Seeing her pregnant was fun for me and the moves in Zen Mama really made a difference in both my delivery and recovery. I actually had a pregnant pilates video, too, but I never managed to do that workout...maybe next time :)
Go for a walk. No link for this one. Just go for a walk. The fresh air is fabulous. The exercise will help with any constipation that might set in during the first trimester. Plus, getting out of the house and out into the world will distract you from all the thinking and fretting and fretting and thinking.
A bra to sleep in will make life so much easier. I'm a pretty busty lady to being with, but pregnancy turned me into a total Tits McGee. I'm still nursing and have finally shrunk from an I cup to about a G cup. It's insane. My boobs are bigger than my baby's head. I got a sleeping bra very early on. I couldn't (and still can't) sleep without it. It's not super supportive, but the little support it does offer makes a world of difference. The one I found was at Motherhood. I waged a one-woman war against Motherhood after that purchase. I was pleased enough with the sleeping bra, but I was outrage by the little salesgirl who scoffed in disgust when I didn't want to give her my name, address, phone number, email, and due date. It was maddening. All I wanted was my sleepy bra. Just let me pay cash and leave the store already! Geez...so, I managed to get through the pregnancy without ever having to give the little wench my information, but it jaded me a bit and now I avoid the stores like crazy, unless I need a new sleepy bra. I'm sure there are others out there that are great, but I like this one.
Luna Bars are good. So are Junior Mints. Oh, I loved the Junior Mints. I swear their minty goodness made my tummy feel better.
Sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. If you feel like sleeping, then sleep.
What to Expect When You're Expecting made me feel like I was doing everything wrong. Granted, there is some good information and I turned to it pretty often, but I learned to do so with a certain amount of disdain. The book claims that ice cream is only for special occasions (whatever!), constantly harps on weight gain, and uses adjectives like "unsightly" and "gross". I never managed to find the perfect pregnancy book, but I know there are better ones out there. Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn was pretty good.
Oh, and a Bella Band will make getting dressed a lot easier when you start to enter that looking-bigger-but-not-looking-pregnant-yet phase.
It's an amazing time, those first few weeks of pregnancy. Nerve-wracking, stomach-turning, exhausting and anxiety-filled, but still so much fun. it's crazy. You're growing another human being. Every step of the process is absolutely miraculous and you are forever changed--both as a woman and a couple. Just thinking about it is enough to make me want to have another baby, so I'll call it quits for today and go get some things done before the baby I do have wakes up to face the mid-morning.
woohoo!
Thank you so much for this! I just got teary reading it - ah, the hormones! But seriously, I've learned a lot already and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you want to share your wisdom. Thank you :) *B
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