Packed with valuable pregnancy hacks and tricks to make your nine months as comfortable as possible!
Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, but it does take you to many strange new places like the OB/GYN to trying to find a solution to the never-ending morning sickness. During my pregnancy with my daughter, I had often found myself in unknown areas like facing acute back pain during my second trimester, running out of clothes to wear to work and the scariest unable to walk due to swollen feet.
Since that was my first pregnancy, I often found myself struggling to find solutions to these questions. I remember calling my OB/GYN in the middle of the night to seek medical advice or taking a quick trip to the mall and ending up shopping mindlessly to find clothes to wear to work.
Learning from all my past experiences, I decided to create this post so that it could be of help to another pregnant mommy and I hope that after reading this she will have solutions to her unanswered questions.
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1. Use a hair tie to button your jeans
This simple hack of using a hair tie to hold my jeans with my growing belly was a great help as I was able to wear my regular jeans with my growing belly for a really long time. Although investing in maternity clothes is a good idea but they are expensive. It’s best to buy them towards the end of your pregnancy when you absolutely need them. Till then you can easily work your way around with your regular pants and jeans using this simple hack.
2. Invest in a belly band
Belly bands are such a huge life savior, especially during your second and third trimester. They are very effective in supporting your growing belly and back which in turn reduces pain. From my second trimester onward, I did suffer from acute backache and found using these belly bands very helpful as they were very helpful in minimizing the pain and I was able to carry on my daily activities as usual.
3. Beat morning sickness with Sea-Band mama
Morning sickness is a common concern for all pregnant women. It can start from the first trimester but for some, it lasts throughout the pregnancy. Although there are many ways you can combat morning sickness, one of the effective methods which have worked really well for many pregnant women is using the Sea-Band mama wristband. Sea-band works by using acupressure and helps relieve morning sickness. They are worn on your wrist and there is a plastic knob sewn into the side of the inside of the wrist band which exerts pressure and restores the overall balance of the body.
Related: My nine months journey through pregnancy
4. Use citrus or ginger to fights nausea
Ginger and citrus have proven to be popular natural methods to commonly treat nausea among pregnant moms. You can try these ginger candies which have been very effective in treating nausea. Also, you can buy these citrus candles and keep them in your room. The aroma of these candles can also help treat nausea to a great extent.
5. Start applying stretch mark oil to treat itchy skin
So important, as your belly grows it’s going to stretch the skin and make it itchy. This was a very uncomfortable situation for me. I found rubbing this jojoba oil very helpful in providing me relief from the itchiness. Also rubbing these oils from as early on in pregnancy can help in keeping your skin hydrated, which can in turn help minimize your chances of stretch marks post-delivery. A few more options for oil and moisturizer to rub on your belly are.
6. Understand your medical insurance coverage
During your first trimester, take your time to understand how you can benefit from your medical insurance during your pregnancy. Make sure to visit doctors and specialized doctors during pregnancy that are in the area of your insurance network, as you will be visiting them often and your bills can really spike up if you don't have one within the network. Also, it is important to get clarity on what your co-pay is at the doctor's visit and the pharmacy visit.
Also, another thing that I found very helpful during my pregnancy was speaking to a representative from my insurance to get the information on what my pregnancy benefits were when I was pregnant. It was interesting to know that my insurance covered my prenatal vitamin and a few other medicines and a few prenatal class for free and, they also paid for 80% of my breast pump, which was a big saving. It is important to understand what your perks are with your medical insurance during the pregnancy and after the delivery.
Also, if you are looking for a free breast pump, you can fill out this form. There are many options for breast pumps available here. You can get started here to learn more!
7. Click more pics
Something I wish I should have done more often. Although I was able to get a good pregnancy shot with my growing belly every week. I found these pregnancy photo props ideas so cute. They come in a lot of variety and I loved documenting my pregnancy in my keepsake book by clicking fancy pictures with these photo props of my growing belly. Some great options for photo prop available are.
8. Start a pregnancy journal
I remember when I was pregnant my husband gifted me this pregnancy keepsake book to journal my pregnancy. I loved writing in it, and I used to click instant photos of my growing belly with this camera and stick it in my book. It was a wonderful keepsake and I still often love looking back at the book and reliving those precious moments like the first kick or the first time I heard my daughter’s heartbeat. Some more options for pregnancy keepsake books are.
Related: 12 must-have baby products for a new mom
9. Start enquiring for local daycares from the start of your pregnancy
I am glad I did this as soon as I found out that I was pregnant. I knew that once my maternity leave was over, I had to get back to work and leave my precious baby in the hands of people who I can completely trust. But although I started to inquire about the local daycares in my area, I was surprised to find that the average wait time to get a slot in the infant room was 1-2 years. That sounds crazy but it’s true! Throughout my pregnancy, I kept following up with my favorite daycare and was luckily able to get my daughter in before the return to my work. This was such a huge relief.
Make sure to call up your local daycares and ask them for a tour of the facility and get your name on the waiting list!
10. Keep exercising
It is so important to keep moving throughout the pregnancy. It helps find relief from pregnancy discomforts like indigestion and bloating and also it keeps your mood elevated and pumped up throughout. Also exercising regularly throughout the pregnancy has been cited to help in easy delivery of the baby as the mom was active throughout the pregnancy.
The Belly Only Pregnancy Program is an online fitness program for expecting moms. The program offers a workout plan for each trimester, a nutrition guide, and information on how to protect your core and pelvic floor during pregnancy.
11. Use a pill organizer to never miss your daily prenatal vitamins
You will often find yourself suffering from big fat pregnancy brains. Between trying to beat nausea and planning for your baby, it was very common to forget to take my pregnancy vitamins. Hence, I found keeping this pill organizer in my purse super handy. This pill organizer kept me accountable to make sure that I was eating my vitamins daily and it was also very easy to carry anywhere.
12. Invest in a pregnancy body pillow
The pregnancy body pillow is an absolute must-have. It was so helpful to me throughout my pregnancy to help me position myself properly while sleeping and it provided me the much-needed support for my growing belly. I would wrap myself around it as well be able to elevate my legs which were so helpful to take off the extra pressure on my abdomen during my third trimester. Below are a few great options for the pregnancy body pillow.
Related: Top 10 C-Section recovery products
13. Treat heartburn during pregnancy with these effective solutions
I had suffered from an acute case of heartburn especially during my third trimester. It was unbearable and the only way I could find relief was by eating tums, drinking apple cider vinegar or having a cold ice cream. These three methods made the heartburn pain vanish in a few seconds and that would make me feel great instantly.
Related: 12 tips to relieve heartburn during pregnancy
14. Stay hydrated
Keeping hydrated as much as you can while you are pregnant is very important for the mom as well as for the baby. During pregnancy it is recommended to take in at least 10 glasses of water and hence carrying a water bottle with you all the time can help you keep track of your water intake. I really liked this water flask, which kept my water cold the entire time and they are available in so many colors to chose from. Some other water bottle options are.
15. Invest in clothes that you can wear post-pregnancy
Maternity clothes are expensive and since I hadn’t planned my outfits properly, I did find myself wasting money on these clothes as most of them were packed up and stored in the basement post-delivery. One way to shop mindfully for pregnancy clothes is to invest in clothes that you can wear post-pregnancy. Also, try out a monthly apparel service like StickFix that has a huge variety of maternity clothing options to choose from. For a small fee, you can wear a variety of fashionable maternity clothes all through the nine months and keep only the ones that you love.
Related: Tips to save money while raising a baby
16. Extend the life of your bra
During your pregnancy, your breast is going to increase in size. It is ideal to shop for bras a size up because once you start nursing your baby, they are even going to get bigger. Another great solution to increase the life of your existing bras is to invest in these bra extenders that can help you use your existing bras for a long time without having to invest in new bras.
17. Treat swelling of feet with a salt
I had suffered from an intense condition of swelling feet, especially towards the third trimester. My regular shoes stopped fitting me entirely and it was unbearable to walk or sit. I found dipping my feet in Epson salt mixed with water in a tub to provide a lot of relief. If it was for me, I would have spent my entire third trimester with my feet dipped in the Epson salt, because it was that good!
18. Eat a banana to prevent leg cramps
Leg cramps are another big concern when they will suddenly hit you in the middle of the night. It usually happened to me while I was sleeping in the night and it was unbearable. At that time, one of my mommy friends suggested me this trick of eating a banana to help with the leg cramp. Surprisingly it did work, and I found that the frequency of my leg cramps from 5-6 per day got down to 1-2.
19. Use an inner tube to sleep on your belly
If you are unable to find relief from the backaches and want to lie on your tummy as it can help you, then make sure to buy this inner tube. This can help you place your growing belly in the hole and you can comfortably lay on your belly.
20. Use kitchen tongs to pick things fallen on the ground in the bathroom
As your belly grows, it is going to get more and more impossible to bend and pick up things from the ground. Although you can ask people around you to pick up things if fallen to the ground what do you do when you are in the shower? Shampoo and body wash would often slip out of my handy while I would shower, and I would not be able to pick them up. I found using these kitchen tongs very helpful to pick things off my bathtub.
21. Make a morning sickness kit
It is a great idea to create a morning sickness kit to keep it on your bedside table or carry it in your bag. You can keep a few ginger candies, lemon drops, a few crackers, hair ties and whatever works for you.
22. Start planning your babymoon
So important and often ignored! You might be pregnant for the first time, second or third. Whatever it is but it is really important to enjoy the pregnancy moments to the fullest before the baby arrives. Hence get excited and plan for that awesome babymoon to someplace new!
23. Keep icy popsicles handy in your freezer to beat the heat
I was pregnant through summer and found it the hardest time. Pregnancy makes you feel like you have a heater on the inside and imagine if the weather outside is also in the high 70's or 80's. Keeping some icy popsicles handy in your freezer or at your place of work can help you beat the hot summer days. You can also make healthy homemade popsicles using watermelon, pears and etc. and freeze them in these molds. You can avoid taking in too many sweet calories and still enjoy a cool popsicle!
24. Sleep on your side to get relief from the backache
As your belly grows, you might start experiencing acute backache. It might get very difficult to lay flat on your back due to the pressure of your growing belly. In that case, you can sleep on one side, which can help in taking away the excessive pressure on your back and hence you can find some relief from the pregnancy back – pain.
Related: Mishika’s birth story
25. Keep a small box to elevate your feet while sitting on a chair
I found using a small cardboard box or a small step stool to elevate my feet off the ground as a great way to find relief from the pain of my swollen ankles. I had placed a small unused cardboard box under my office desk to keep my feet on it. This helped in taking away the pressure from my swollen ankles which was very helpful.
During your nine months of pregnancy, you will often find yourself uncomfortable and exhausted, but it is all worth it! You are creating a beautiful life in your belly, who you will get to enjoy at the end of your pregnancy journey. So, hang on dear pregnant mamas, this phase will soon pass.
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