Pregnancy advice?

That I had a man that loved me. Good luck with your pregnancy, when are you due?

I am not a mother.

Hell I’m not even a father.

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. :)

@Dibley thank you! I do have a very supportive husband. I am due mid-August. I am very excited and very nervous. The most interesting thing I have found is that some people make you feel very guilty for admitting you (I) am nervous. I wish I could be more open about this. I hate feeling guilty. I understand why…I am thankful that I can go through this. I feel terrible for women who are unable to have children. But, I still stay up at night worrying about things…
thank you for your good luck!

Just don’t overdo something. Watch your step!,nutritional diet,and relax. Congratulation!.

@jenandcolin You have nothing to feel quilty for, it’s only natural. You have a supprtive husband, you are already more lucky than most.

@jenandcolin Well I’m a father, not a mother, and my wife is pregnant with number two, and I worry all the darn time. I worry about all the things that can go wrong, but probably wont. But what I think is the best advice is to be flexible. Don’t get caught up in thinking that you have to do things a certain way or follow a certain philosophy to be a good mother or have a good child birth experience. There are some hard and fast rules, like no alcohol and no smoking while pregnant, don’t smoke around your kid, and don’t hit your kid or shake a baby (there are some more, but that’s not what you’re here for). If you follow those simple rules, all you have to do to be a good parent is love your child, and you will. Every darn cliche about becoming a parent is true.

1. That peppermint eases nausea.

2. Don’t dwell on the what-ifs and freak yourself out. Not just the major things, but even things like having caffeine every once in a while.

@Supacase Makes a great point. Don’t fret over every little thing. That discharge? Yes, it’s normal. You are not in labor any time fluid comes out of you. Your breast may or may not leak, it has nothing to do with how much breastmilk you will produce once you give birth.
Honestly, I just didn’t even think about it this time around. I was a paranoid freak with my sons pregnancy and didn’t get to enjoy it. Now I let things go with the flow and know that all those aches and pains are normal…which, honestly is hard to tell if you’ve never done it before. But, OBs are used to women being concerned..so if you ever have any questions, call your doctor.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your doctor.
Sleep when the baby does.

1. You’re no more likely to get salmonella/mercury poisoning/Lyme disease now than you were three months ago. Don’t deprive yourself of the occasional Subway or your favourite clean, reputable sushi bar just because some news story said it’ll kill you. It won’t. You would literally have to eat a pound of salmon every day for months to have a serious mercury issue.

2. Give in to your cravings, unless they’re for stupid things like dirt, ashes, or laundry detergent powder. (Those are signs of serious nutritional deficiencies) One of the most fun days of my pregnancy was the day I just had to have an English Muffin with Lemon Curd. I drove for two hours, and hit four different grocery stores until I could find a jar of lemon curd. Craving ice is a sign of anemia, by the way. I learned that one the hard way.

3. Drink lots of water. The amniotic fluid in your belly replenishes itself every 30 minutes, and you need to make extra blood, too. Just carry a big cup with you all day, and don’t pass a faucet without filling it up. Seriously.

4. Back to the anemia thing: baby spinach salads are a lot easier on your stomach than iron pills, and they taste better, too.

5. Those electronic “Fetal Sounds” monitors don’t work. I tried three different ones, and so did several other mamas I know (we passed them around the class). Don’t waste your money.

6. Just buy yourself 7 copies of a shirt that says “Yes, I’m pregnant. The baby’s due in August. We’re not finding out the gender. No you may not touch my belly”. Wear it every day. Carry a whiffle-ball bat for bludgeoning persistent annoying strangers.

@Seek_Kolinahr The issue with sushi has nothing to do with your body, it has to do with the little body inside you and the fact that if you do get sick, what you could easily have recovered from or a treatment that would be no problem for you would not be so easy for the little one inside you. And salmon is not a major mercury issue, but tuna is. Eating tuna once in a while probably won’t cause problems, but regular consumption of top predator fish for pregnant women and infants is not wise. Again, it’s not how it will affect the mother, it’s the little body growing inside.

Great, here we go with the conflicting advice. I’m not trying to start an argument, but I feel the need to make the point.

@Snarp

I did use the word “occasional”. I don’t know anyone, other than my cat, who lives solely on canned fish.

Make sure your partner does 50% of the child-taking care of. Get lots of sleep. Try to not feeling guilty for whatever reason. Postpartum depression is very real and it’s okay to see a doctor about your feelings of anxiety and panic if you have them after you deliver. Trust your instincts.

Eleminate rhe words “I can’t wait” from your vocabulary. Before you know it they are gone and you will be kicking yourself for not reveling in each and every sleepless poopy moment.

Enjoy your pregnancy. If you don’t, when you are done having children, you may look back and wish you had.
Breastfeeding is what come after pregnancy.
Your body will make milk for a very good reason. (your baby) I hope that you will give it a try.
Try to relax. Ask questions, even if you think they are stupid questions, they aren’t.
I wish you the very best in this most wonderful adventure that you are having.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and warm wishes!

I thought of one more thing. Prenatal vitamins can cause nausea, especially during the first trimester. Take them at night so you can (hopefully) sleep through it.

my daughter is now 2½ and she was born when i was 41. i am a fairly laid back person. when i was pregnant, i did drink a cup of coffee every day. i figured if that’s my only vice, so what. i let myself eat whatever i wanted (within reason, of course) which meant bagels for breakfast if i wanted, desserts, etc. i did not buy maternity clothes, because i did not want to spend a lot of money on a bunch of outfits i would wear for 3 or 4 months. i just bought velour “lounge” pants and shirts a few sizes bigger, and it was way cheaper and some of the clothes i could continue to wear after she was born. a lot of people told me i would be exhausted after the baby was born. she slept all night from day 1. luckily for me that part was not bad. some parents make a rigid schedule for naps, feedings, etc. i didn’t – i just fed her when she cried and she slept when she wanted to, and it was fine. if i can think of anything else i will post it.

See your doctor, get your blood tests and sonograms, eat the right foods and make sure your partner is there for the delivery and make a video if you can!