Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Questions

I have a friend from work who is pregnant with her first baby and is looking for some advice from the group. She writes:

"So I have some questions for the mommy blog since I'm 15 weeks pregnant and starting have some trouble with some things.

1. What things helped you stay asleep on your side during pregnancy? I was doing well sleeping on my side and now that past week, it's been so hard plus going to the bathroom constantly...I have not been sleeping well. I wake up and find myself sleeping on my back which I know is not good especially later on. I'd appreciate any ideas. I know about those big body pillows, but I don't want to buy one if they're way expensive.

2. Eating for me is difficult, especially trying to eat every 2 hours foods that are healthy. So if anyone could share maybe a whole day's worth of meal ideas that worked and tasted especially well when you were pregnant and that doesn't use a lot of dishes. I'm really interested in more natural foods, not prepackaged meals that are easy too.

- Maryanne Nelson"
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7 comments:

Paige said...

I wouldnt necessarily go buy a body pillow I would just use an extra pillow and put it between you legs. That is what worked for me. And I also wouldnt get all worked up about waking up on your back...really you will be fine.

Brittany said...

Hi! Someone...I don't know who...commented on my blog asking about taking her child out in the sun. My Daughter was born last June and we took her out all summer. We did have her wear sunscreen and a hat last year because she was only weeks old when we started hiking and going out all day. Now she is a year and she still wears sunscreen but no hat. She hasn't had a problem with the heat at all and tans really nicely....Now for the expecting mom...you don't HAVE to sleep on your side. It is better to get sleep then to sleep on your side. I slept on my side/tummy through the whole pregnancy...just lay on your tummy and put your leg up. Pillows annoyed me! About eating...I LOVE fruit when I'm pregnant. I just eat like I'm a toddler...bread, carrots, apple, hard boiled egg, etc. Those things are easy to carry around with you too.

Melissa D said...

Don't worry so much about being on your side. You are not far enough along that it matters too much! Once you get farther along and your belly gets big, it will be a lot easier to stay on your side because its SOOOO uncomfortable/impossible to move! But your concerns are normal. I was really worried too because until I was 6 mo along, I always would find myself on my back!

As far as foods....I agree with the last comment, you have to eat like a toddler through out the day!

Lindsey M said...

I am pregnant with my second child. I'm only 14 weeks along but I feel your pain. Like everyone else said, don't worry about sleeping on your back right now. Trust me, your body will let you know when you can't sleep on your back anymore. Get all the sleep you can right now, nap whenever you want, go to bed whenever you want, just sleep. You'll need it. I had a good baby but starting at 6 months I could barely sleep anymore. About the bathroom, it will go away...for a while. Try not to drink any liquids past a certain time, that helped for me.
Food...each pregnancy is different. With my first I forced myself to eat foods that I didn't crave but were good for me. I felt awful the whole time. Eat what makes you feel good (within reason, don't over do it). Just make sure to take your vitamins and drink lots of water during the day. If your not hungry every two hours don't eat every two hours. Eat when you need to. When you get home from the grocery store chop up all your veggies and prepare all your fruits and then they'll be ready for you whenever you need them. I just had to put threatening notes on mine so my husband didn't eat them all.

paulandcherisvreeken said...

I agree with a lot of what has already been said. I could only sleep on my back at the beginning because I felt sick when I slept on my side. I also couldn't do a t on of pillows and it makes me cringe now thinking about sleeping with more than one... and that's the one for my head!!! Once I got to a point where she started gaining a pound every month I really couldn't do it any more but I shuffled from side to side so much at night it was hard to stay asleep because at that point you can't just roll. You have to actually wake yourself up and make a full effort to move. So if you sleep better one way now take it while you can. And like Lindsay said you deserve to sleep so do it when you want to!!!

As for eating I just tried to have something on me that would calm my stomach. I was one of those people who couldn't let their stomach get empty so I always had something with me. I found that carrots were easiest at work... that and pop tarts. If you are trying to stay healthy you can try to ones without frosting. I found they were better than I thought they'd be. But when the doctors tell you to eat every two hours that's not for the baby's benefit, it's mostly for yours. If your stomach gets empty you feel sick. If you're not having that problem then don't stress about eating so much. Our bodies are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and if you listen to how your feeling or try to eat what seems right at the moment you'll do fine. You'll probably even start craving healthier foods if you're really paying attention.

And for the bathroom breaks... Once I was in my last trimester I had a huge problem with that. I had to pee every time I had to change my position so I get even less sleep. I also could never empty my bladder so it was really annoying. But I had to do what a lot of people have already said and limit my intake about an hour before bed. When I really tired to do that I had better nights.

Just pay attention to your body. It will make sure that the baby gets what it needs first and when that's taken care of it will tell you what you need to replace what's been taken. If you can stay up on things that are high in iron and that will help a lot when you get towards the end of everything.

Paige said...

This might sound weird but since we are on the subject of emptying your bladder I remembered a trick my Doctor told me. When you "think" you are done lean forward and almost everytime more pee would come out. This helpd to make sure your bladder is actually empty.

Zak and Allysia said...

I think now, at 15 weeks is a good time to retrain yourself to sleep in a different position. At 15 weeks the weight of the fetus is not enough to restrict blood flow. As your baby gets larger certain positions become painful to stay in for any period of time so you will wake up rather quickly if you find yourself slipping into one. I slept with several pillows that my husband and I had accumulated while trying to find the "perfect" pillow for each of us to sleep with before the pregnancy. I placed one at my back, one between my knees, and I hugged one as I slept (not to mention the one under my head). It was nice in that by the time sleeping at all become difficult later in pregnancy I had become accustomed to a new, comfortable position. Someone had mentioned feeling ill while sleeping on their side...sleeping on the left side closes the sphincter that seperates the stomach and the esphagus, this usually will prevent or at least minimize that problem. Also, most pediatricians advise against the use of sunscreen (except for zinc -based types that are thick and don't rub in) until at least 6 months of age. This is because they work by chemical reaction in the skin which can inhibit a babies own skin from developing natural defenses to the sun. A tan at all is also evidence of skin damage and does not protect a baby any better from the damaging effects of the suns rays.

The best advice I can really offer is always, ask your O.B., midwife or nurse practitioner who is over-seeing your pregnancy and is aware of your specific medical history.