Things I Wish I had Known Before I got Pregnant.

For years I have heard or asked friends what pregnancy was like. I was always so curious as to how they were feeling,what they were craving and always wondered if I would feel the same. I mean can you blame me for being so curious as to what to expect while you are expecting? To be completely honest, before I got pregnant, the idea of it actually happening was kind of scary to me. I really just didn’t know how my body would respond to all of the changes and like most of you, I too have a fear of the unknown.

Currently I am 6 1/2 months pregnant and as my due date gets closer, I wanted to share a few things that I have learned thus far. I know I have quite a bit of time left and things are still going to change but I figure now is a good time to let you all in on a few things I have figured out/learned along the way. I do want to say that I am NO expert and everything that I list below are my personal opinions!

• No pregnancy is the same. For as many questions as I have asked my girlfriends and articles that I have read; every single one of us has had different experiences.
• Working out while pregnant gets harder and harder the further into it you get. At the beginning, I made a goal with myself to keep it up regardless of how I was feeling. During my first trimester, even though I was exhausted I would make myself attend a yoga or spin class at least 4 times a week. Some days I felt better than others but on the days when I felt so tired I wanted to cry I would either just lay in childs pose during yoga or ‘take a ride in the park’ in the back row of a spin class. For me, I have learned that it’s just good for me to go and at least clear my mind. Yes, I am still working out regularly but I do want to say that just because I am attending a spin or yoga class does not mean that it is easy. My entire life I have always enjoyed setting personal goals for myself and trying to attain them. My goal of working out during my entire pregnancy is something I hope I can accomplish but honestly, if I wake up in the next few months and want to throw in the towel, I am for sure not going to stress about it.
• ‘Bad’ Cravings are not real. For years I have heard ‘things’ people have craved during pregnancy and secretly wondered why even though I was not pregnant, why I too was craving the same things. As I have mentioned before, things in moderation are always a better idea, especially when it comes to ‘food cravings’. Yes, if you feel like french fries, go for it. Maybe just get a small? If you are craving chocolate…just have a bite! That way you don’t deprive yourself of things you really love, so when you actually do get pregnant you don’t use ‘cravings’ as an excuse to go crazy with food!
• The tiredness will go away….Although I did ‘wake up’ more around week 13, I still get tired in the afternoons.
• Natural Calm has been a lifesaver. I have been drinking Calm every night for the last year+ and not only has it changed the way I sleep but it has changed the way I feel on a day to day basis. Plus, I really think that it helped me avoid morning sickness.
• ‘Maternity clothes are hideous’… FALSE! This is the biggest misconception I had prior to pregnancy. I thought that I would be deprived of feeling cute in my clothing once I got pregnant but I could not have been more wrong. I have actually loved the challenge of getting dressed while pregnant. I have found that brands like Vince and Theory are great for ‘basics’ that you can actually wear during pregnancy as well as post (their garments are generally flowly and more forgiving). Anthropologie is literally the BEST for anything clothing related to style your bump ‘stylishly’ and actual maternity brands like Hatch are starting to pop up to really accommodate moms-to-be everyday style needs.
• You get more sunburned while you are pregnant. This is one thing that I did not have a clue about. As someone who is obsessed with sunscreen and never burns…like ever (Wade has never seen me with a bad sunburn); last week in Cabo I got FRIED. Like so burned that we had to stay indoors one day. Little did I know that your skin is more sensitive to the sun while you are pregnant, therefor you burn easier. Please, tell all of your friends because I did not have a clue and I want everyone to know!! Oh and did I mention I was wearing SPF 50?
• People are going to try and touch your stomach and think that it’s totally appropriate just because you are with child. This has to be my number one pet peeve that I always thought would never happen. Even though my bump is still on the ‘tinier’ side, some still feel like they can just throw their hands on my stomach. As someone who doesn’t love to be grabbed, this has literally been my worse nightmare. One of my sisters the other day asked if she could touch my stomach…my response was ‘if I can touch yours first’. Point taken. 😉
• Total strangers will give you advice. This has actually been something that I thought I would get really annoyed with and in fact, it’s the exact opposite. Hearing strangers/peoples advice/stories/experience has actually been my favorite thing. I love learning about what they figured out, what they wish they had known and really any advice of what worked/didn’t work for them. As a first time mom, I need all the advice I can get!
• You get distracted easily. This has been the weirdest thing for me. I have always had a bit of ADD (who doesn’t) but since I got pregnant it has been on a whole different level. I find myself sometimes in a daze just wondering about what my life is going to be like once our little baby boy arrives. I am constantly thinking about if I will be a good mom, what our babies personality will be like, what his interests will be, will he be a good sleeper (hit or miss I hear) and if he will like being around us later on. It’s so weird but ever since the wallpaper in his nursery went up, and the crib got delivered it’s started to seem more real. For months I have been occasionally walking past his room and peeking into his closet to see the little outfits I have picked up along the way but let me tell you…when that crib arrived last week, that was weird for me. Not weird in a bad way at all but in the sweetest, most rewarding way. It’s so crazy to me to think that he will be with us SO soon! We really are over the moon and cannot wait.

Sorry for the somewhat scatterbrained list but some of these things have been mentioned to me prior to pregnancy and some have not, so now having gone through them, I wanted to share my personal experience with you all! Again, I do want to mention, I am not a pregnancy expert, I know I have quite a bit of time left and I do understand every pregnancy is different…these are just my personal experiences with pregnancy thus far. xx