Top 10: Pregnancy Essentials

This will not be your average top 10 list of favorite products. Instead, I really wanted it to be a holistic look at pregnancy needs, not limited to the latest and greatest things on the market. Preparing for a baby is a lot of heart work, just like preparing for marriage is more than picking out the best silverware, so is preparing for motherhood.

1. Mom friends.
   Find someone who’s been there before and will be upfront about all the insanity that is pregnancy and motherhood. For real, super crazy stuff happens. A lot of weird things you won’t find in a copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” You need to find someone who’s gonna tell you like it is, and a voice of solidarity when all that stuff is going down. Also, having a friend that is win the same stage is so comforting! You get to go through all the crazy together! Having a Mom Squad has been one of my favorite things about motherhood!

2. Naps.
   I do not nap. Ever. Except when I’m pregnant. Your body NEEDS it. Find some time to take naps. If you can’t take one daily, take one on the weekends or when you can. You may not feel like you’re doing much, but your body is hard at work and could use some extra rest. I also highly recommend a pregnancy pillow. It will save your belly and your back & hips once you are further along!

3. Some good clothes.
   You are going to want to be comfy. Find some versatile clothes that can transition through pregnancy. Old Navy and H&M have lots of great options for inexpensive basics. Going to a wedding or other special occasion: ASOS has some beautiful dresses! For the everyday, some athletic shorts or leggings (these Blanqi ones are AMAZE), t-shirts or tanks (even long length and not necessarily maternity work well too, then you can wear them post baby too!), and a comfy bra. Also, I highly recommend splurging on one outfit that just makes you feel good, beautiful, and sexy. You’re body goes through a lot and you’re doing an insanely hard work growing another human, you DESERVE to feel beautiful!

4. Oils
   You know I’m going there. I know some of you may not be into oils, but during pregnancy I feel like it’s a no-brainer. The list of meds you can’t take is a mile long and even the ones you can might not be the best for you little one. Pregnancy is the best time to get into oils, if only for the reason of limited options. Did you know that citrus and mint oils can help with nausea and other digestion issues? Lavender and Frankincense are amazing for that itchy, stretching baby bump. Joint pain and muscle aches, gotcha covered. My favorite is valor and copaiba together rubbed on problem spots, hello widening hips! Feeling emotional? Bergamot, White Angelica, and Stress Away can help. Ningxia and Super B can boost your energy, trust me, you need these. Total life changers. And there are so many more, give me a shout if you’d like to learn more or click here!

5. Worship, Prayer, & Jesus Friends
   I don’t know if you know Jesus, but I sure hope you do. Pregnancy can bring many unexpected things, and He personally led me through some pretty dark times. I had two high-risk pregnancies with many uncertainties. Knowing that no matter what, Jesus was in control gave me so much peace. And having a group of women to pray over me and hear me and speak truth into me gave strength to me when I wasn’t sure if I could go on.

6. Pre-natal massage
   Go ahead and pamper yourself. Especially in that third trimester when all the aches and pains are happening. A massage will feel wonderful on your body and on your mind as it helps you to relax. Find someone local who specializes in pre-natal massage and be upfront about your trouble spots!

7. Nutrition.
   Eat well, and often. Plus get a rockin’ prenatal. I know, from personal experience, that morning sickness may keep you from eating for a while, but as soon as you are able, try your best to eat nurtrient dense foods to fuel your body and your baby. I know pregnancy can be an excuse to eat all the junk food and sweets, but try to limit those (I definitely had a snow cone or two) and really give your body food that will make you feel good and not worse! Also finding a prenatal that is good is so important. Do some research and find one that will be best for you, here’s a hint, it’s probably not one from Walmart.

8. Water
   Water is EXTREMELY important during pregnancy. Get you a nice, big water bottle and carry it around with you everywhere. Hydration is so key and will help you feel so much better. It can help with headaches and muscle aches and much more!

9. Exercise
   Whether its walking around the block, or doing yoga in the living room, excercise will keep you and your baby healthy. It will also do wonders for your upcoming labor. Labor is like a long, very intense, work out. And taking care of your body during pregnancy will help give your body an edge during the labor process.

10. A great OB/midwife
    I can’t even stress how important it is to have a healthcare provider that you trust and that trusts you. Schedule a meeting before you pick a doctor. See if they are going to be on your side when it comes down to delivery. Remember they work for YOU! My first pregnancy was twins. I wanted the BEST twin doctor available because there are so many more risks with two babies. But I also wanted a vaginal delivery, I did not want a doctor that was going to automatically schedule me a c-section. I was so blessed to find my OB. He was completely on board with a medication-free, vaginal deliver of twins, and I DID IT! My next pregnancy was also high risk, and having a vaginal delivery would have likely killed one of us. I trusted him with my c-section and he even said, “I am going to do this with as little incision as possible because I know you want another vaginal delivery with your next babies.” Um, hello, amazing. And he kept his word and helped me through an unmedicated VBAC with my next child. I am forever grateful that he heard what I wanted and made sure to honor those wishes. Find a provider that is going to let you trust your body and help you make hard decisions!

My twin pregnancy journey.

We were in no way trying to get pregnant with our now almost-3-year-old twins. In fact, if you know our conception story, it's a bit crazy and definitely TMI for blogging. I can laugh about it now, but that evening, I sat in the bathroom, knowing 100% that I had just gotten pregnant, and cried. A lot. My husband sat patiently, holding me, and prayed over me and our future. Somehow, this moment slipped my mind but exactly a week later, after having an emotional breakdown because Greg was reading his Bible instead of having breakfast with me, I remembered. After Greg left for school, I took a test and sure enough, I was pregnant.

It was a really hard time for both of us. We had only been married for 7 months. We didn't have any friends with kids yet...we were still in college. It was scary telling our parents. It was scary thinking about how we were going to afford anything, neither of us were working.

Pregnancy was physically demanding. I got sick quick. It was only a week after finding out . that I became extremely sick...only 2 weeks after conception. It was ridiculous. I actually told a couple people that there was either something wrong or that I was having twins because there was no other reason why I could be that sick. Fast forward to my first ultrasound at 8 weeks, and there they were. My two tiny babies. Twins. I was not surprised. I was actually relieved. I think God mentally prepared me for that one. But the sickness continued. There were days that I couldn't even walk because I was so weak. Greg would have to carry me around our apartment. I missed tons of classes (I was still in my last semester!). I lived off of Gatorade ice chips and saltine crackers. I lost almost 15 pounds during my first four months.

Around 26 weeks, if I remember correctly, I went into labor. After a stay in the hospital, we were able to control the contractions and I was put on bedrest. It was just one more thing to add to the situation.

Even though it was physically taxing, it was even harder emotionally and mentally. I thought I had ruined my marriage. No more alone time, no more time to invest in each other. The stress of finances and housing on our young marriage. And it was all my fault. I slipped into depression. I had always wanted to be a mom, but not this early. Not when I thought it would put my marriage at risk, not before I had a chance to pursue my own dreams.

I felt alone. I felt stress. I felt pressure. I felt like life was impossible. I would day dream about my old life...wishing I could just go back and stay in that chapter for a little while and get pregnant later on. I felt so bad for my husband. He had to take care of my physically. And our "honeymoon" phase was brought to an abrupt end. He didn't deserve that.

My husband was patient. He listened. He held my hair. He carried me. He snuggled me. He spoke words of encouragement. He did not doubt. He cooked. He cleaned. He prayed.

I vividly remember the conversation that helped me come to terms with our new situation. He said, "That reality that you dream about...not pregnant, living at our old place, when life was easy...God does not exist in that reality." He reminded me of all the blessings we would not have received had I not gotten pregnant. The miraculous provision of Greg's job at CCF-willing to work with his schedule to finish up his senior year of college. All of the relationships we made that wouldn't have been there if we moved away after graduation. Our beautiful house. The love and support shown by provision of needs for our two precious babies. And countless other things. After that conversation my guilt started to lessen and I began to feel peace.

Our birth story is great. My water broke at 3am. We got to the hospital around 4am and contractions didn't start to increase in pain until about 4:30am. I chose not to have medication, though every time a nurse came in they tried to get me to change my mind. I threw up a lot. I wanted silence...so I yelled at my mom and brother-in-law when they were talking. I had back labor and wanted Greg to massage my back with an ice pack. A nurse tried to get him to do a technique that supposedly helped with back pain, but it made it worse so I yelled at him. I only yelled those two times though, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I sat criss-cross for most of the labor, closed my eyes, and just breathed. I reminded myself of God's special purpose for me and how he had made me perfectly cable of doing it. I was ready to push but they made me wait because I wasn't at a 10. And that was stupid. I had to give birth in the OR due to possible complications with twins, it was cold and impersonal. The anesthesiologist was rude and tried to not let Greg stand by me, but Greg stood his ground. I didn't push long. Jack was born around 10:30am. Traeh had her arm above her head so my doctor attempted to get her to move it...and that was the most painful part of the whole labor. After about 15 minutes, she still hadn't moved it so we just decided to go for it. Thankfully, after breaking my water, the force moved her little hand out of the way. Her heard rate started to drop so they told me I had to push without breaks to get her out safely. She was born about 5 minutes later. They are exactly 20 minutes apart.

I look at my labor and delivery as a little gift from God after having such a hard pregnancy. I could not have asked for it to be any smoother physically. My recovery was quick and easy as well.

Now my kiddos are almost 3. Life is definitely more insane with them, but also a lot more fun. I am thankful for my whole journey with them, and very proud to be their Momma.