I did some research myself and asked friends but they didn’t really give me any advice, just stories about how labor went and whatnot and the internet is very contradictory. So, I’m turning to you berries for advice on things I should do, things I should buy or hold off of buying, home cures for aches and pains and morning sickness…anything! [name]Just[/name] tell me anything you found helpful or good to know during your pregnancy.
Congrats, didn’t know you were pregnant.
No advice really, as nothing that anyone advised me worked for me, except enjoy every day of your pregnancy. It’ll be over before you know it and it’s the calm before the storm, where it’s just you and your baby together.
Thanks. So far I’ve only been sick twice and I feel great if tired. I did one of those tickers and according to it, I have 236 days or so left O_O
I heard grapefruit or grapefruit juice helps get rid of morning sickness. Good luck! 
My morning sickness cure (or night sickness really): Pineapple! I make granita of it and keep it in the freezer and it’s delicious and calming to eat! And I made an amazing coconut sorbet the other night. I’m addicted to all sorts of fruit, it makes me feel really good. And I drink herbal tea’s from Pukka, and I put lots of ginger and cinnamon on my food.
I take a bath every morning and evening, that’s very comfortable. And I love my yoga and running, and swimming!
I don’t know if you’ve got this stuff in [name]America[/name], but I’m using these amazing products from Mama [name]Mio[/name] for stretchmarks, chest and breast and cellulite. They’re really really amazing.
I’m in my second trimester now, so I’ve started buying some things for [name]Baby[/name], but only the necessary things, Boyfriend wants to wait as long as we can.
I’ve been taking a lot of baths too. They make me feel better. I haven’t been too sick yet, so that’s a plus, but just in case I’ll keep fruit and grapefruit juice in mind.
I’m just switching over to herbal tea. I don’t like it as much, but I’ll get used to it
Herbal tea sucks… try and find interesting ones, I’ve found nice ones with ginger, lavender, rose, licorice, fennel and chamomile.
Pineapple helps to prevent stretchmarks as well!
I really like some cinnamon tea I found, and chamomile. There’s also a 'sleepy time" tea I really like.
I’ve never been pregnant so I can’t offer any advice, but I do know that anything with ginger in it is great for morning sickness.
My sister suffered with hyperemesis (severe morning sickness), and her doctor advised her to carry some gingernut cookies around with her in case nausea kicked in, as it reduced the cramps and sicky feeling.
[name]Hope[/name] that helps
Try and do a lot of fun stuff with your husband/friends. Go to the movies (because you won’t be able to unless you have a trustworthy sitter after baby) Go dancing, take a vacation or even a weekend trip, stay up late and sleep in (won’t be able to after!)
Find a doctor or midwife that you like and trust and prepare a birth plan, don’t let anyone make you feel bad for your choices. If you feel like a doctor isn’t listening to you or not taking your wants and needs into account, drop them. I had a horrible birth experience because I let doctors and nurses push me around and I didn’t trust my instincts.
[name]Don[/name]'t spend tons of money on maternity clothes. Go to thrift stores and try to find really comfy lounge pants and shirts, and if you need to go up a jeans size buying used jeans/pants saves you a lot of money.
And when the baby is born, take all the help you can. If your friend volunteers to help out for a few hours, take it! [name]Don[/name]'t be a hero. And only buy a few newborn things, they grow out of them so fast it’s better to buy more 3-6 month, 6-9 month stuff because they will be in them longer. My daughter was 8 lbs 1 ounce when she was born, which is a pretty average size, and she didn’t even fit into any of the cute newborn stuff I bought her. I was so disappointed and I ended up with a HUGE bag of newborn and 0-3 month clothes and almost no bigger sizes.
Thanks so much [name]Rowan[/name]! I try to go to the dollar theater every weekend if I can with my husband anyway and shop at thrift store for all my clothing anyway. The ones around here carry some nice name brand clothes for very cheap (including maternity and baby clothes and furniture). Coincidentally, I just went on a weekend trip to [name]Houston[/name]
I’m hoping by the time baby gets here I’ll have my own place and a room mate who is one of my good friends.
I’ll definitely keep in mind to buy bigger clothes rather than all newborn. I was think something like 7-10 newborn outfits. Is that too little or too much do you think?
Oh! And save money to do a newborn professional photography shoot, I didn’t think it mattered but I am so mad at myself that I didn’t because all of my friends have professional pictures of their babies with little fairy wings and such on their walls, and all I have is crappy cell phone pictures. 
Thrift stores are awesome. For baby clothes too actually. 7-10 sounds good. All I needed was 3 or 4 of those fleece footed sleepers because [name]Rowan[/name] was born in [name]October[/name] when it was chilly, a couple pairs of socks, 1-3 onesies, and blankets. Make sure to have enough receiving blankets/burp cloths because newborns have so many various fluid leaks, haha. And if you are limited on space for a crib, get a Newborn [name]Rock[/name] and Play sleeper, they are amazing. They fold flat so you can bring it anywhere, and they are so comfortable for a baby. [name]Rowan[/name] slept in hers until she was about 5 months old, and I credit it for her not developing reflux issues because she was in an elevated position. Fisher Price Toys & Baby Gear | Mattel
All the baby clothes at my closest thrift store are .99 - $2.00
My aunt is a professional photographer so she’ll do it for free She did my wedding for free too.
[name]Do[/name] you think a bassinet would work the same as the rock and play sleeper? I can get a rocking bassinet for like, $20 at the thrift store.
Warm baths can be very relaxing, but careful not to make them too hot. That’s not recommended to pregnant women.
It’s hard when you feel icky, but keeping food in your stomach and your blood sugar as stable as possible (eating snacks or several small meals, even maybe a handful of nuts right before bed) does help curb nausea.
Nutrition is very important in pregnancy. Two things I’ve done alot of research on are protein and salt. [name]Both[/name] are really really good when you are pregnant. don’t limit salt - I think alot of people tend to do that because salt is seen as unhealthy, but my high risk OB tells me to to salt everything “to taste” during my pregnancy. I’m following the [name]Brewer[/name]'s Diet if you want to look that up online. Focus on getting alot of your calories from protein. It’s definitely ok to cave in to the pregnancy cravings (I’ve read some studies that show sometimes cravings are your body’s way of asking for things it needs-- definitely believeable for a mom craving milk, but craving mashmallows? I dunno! lol) but focus on protein and good fats too.
I’ve been told to eat some saltines whenever I get nauseous. I’ve been craving dairy like crazy (which is weird because I’m mildly allergic to dairy).
Mint tea and frozen yogurt helped me. Pretty sure [name]Sadiya[/name] and [name]Wendy[/name] were swimming in tea by the time I gave birth because I drank so much. Baths were really relaxing as well.
I don’t think a bassinet would be the same because it isn’t elevated, and it doesn’t cradle the baby to make it feel secure. Each baby is different of course, but [name]Rowan[/name] hated to be swaddled and hated lying flat. she would sleep 5 hours at night as a newborn in the rock and play and only 1-2 in her crib. And I felt better because she was right next to my bed, all I had to do was reach down and check on her.
Not trying to scare you here, but be careful with the types of herbal teas that you’re drinking. I’m currently pregnant, too, and my doctor specifically warned me against sage tea, chamomile tea, berry teas, or anything containing hibiscus (which turns out to be a lot of flavours that you might not guess). I was also advised to drink other types of herbal tea only in moderation.
Besides that, my best pregnancy advice is to drink a lot of water. I’ve been trying to drink at least 3 litres a day, though I’m not always successful. Dehydration is the most frequent cause of preterm labour, so water consumption is really important.
I think the best advice is not to worry too much. There is a lot of paranoia surrounding pregnancy that is really just that, paranoia. For example-- you absolutely don’t have to give up caffeine. The only study linking caffeine consumption to poor pregnancy outcomes was done in Denmark, and an effect was only seen when mothers consumed more than EIGHT cups of coffee daily. You can absolutely drink your morning coffee or regular tea. Also-- eat deli meat and all the soft cheese you want. There are less than 30 cases of Listeriosis in the US a year, and they’re nearly all from food prepared/imported straight from Mexico. [name]Just[/name] two examples-- but honestly, the world has not suddenly become infinitely more dangerous.
By far the best and most important thing you can do re: a healthy pregnancy is not gain too much weight. I cannot emphasize this enough-- weight gain is linked to gestational diabetes is linked to big babies and tough births, not to mention hypoglycemia in the baby.
Oh, and don’t feel that you suddenly have to become an obstetrician. There’s a lot of emphasis, especially on the internet, about educating yourself on childbirth. Excellent idea-- read books, take childbirth prep classes. But you will be hiring a professional licensed person to safely shepherd your child into the world. It really is OK to place your trust in that person, and it really is impossible to learn everything a CNM or OB knows without going to school and doing the training.