Hellobee

This list of items (and the occasional decaf pumpkin-white mocha latte from Starbucks) has kept me sane during this pregnancy. I admit I’ve had little to no complications and most of these symptoms have been nothing more than a nuisance, but this is has what worked for me!

1. For heartburn: Gaviscon for immediate relief and Prilosec OTC when it gets really bad. If I have one complaint regarding this pregnancy, it’s the heartburn. I was plagued with heartburn for years before I even got pregnant, so you can imagine how my growing belly has only aggravated an existing condition. During the first and second trimesters, I only took Tums and Gaviscon, which are both chewable and generally deemed safe by doctors. I found Gaviscon works a lot better – Tums to me is like glorified candy! Once the third trimester hit, I needed something more. My doctor recommended Prilosec and it has done wonders for helping me sleep and keeping acid reflux down.  I try to only take it when absolutely necessary.

2. For dizziness: KIND bars and pretzels in my purse, always.  During this pregnancy, I have had very low blood pressure. A few times when I’ve been standing for long periods of time, or if I sit up too fast, I will start to faint. Dangerous for a woman trying to protect her belly! I began keeping snacks with me for a quick jolt of salt and protein to offset any dizziness when it hits.

3. For an itchy belly and to prevent stretch marks: L’Occitane Shower Oil with Almond Oil and L’Occitane Amande Firming & Smoothing Milk Concentrate Lotion. As soon as I started to get even the teeny tiniest bump, I began using both of these products.  The lotion has been my favorite “splurge” body product for years, and I decided that during the pregnancy I was going to use as much as I needed to keep my belly moisturized and soft. The shower oil is an added bonus and works great as a shaving lather. So far – no stretch marks!

4. For leg cramps: Coconut water. The first time I woke up in the middle of the night with a leg cramp, I think I scared Mr. Markers half to death! Talk about worst pain ever. I started to see a trend when I got them, and it is definitely related to hydration. The days I drank enough, no cramps. I love coconut water for the electrolytes and I used it all through marathon training instead of Gatorade.  I try to drink one every day, and my leg cramps have since stayed away!

5. For lower back pain: prenatal yoga DVD and the Miracle Balls for Pregnancy. Staying active in my yoga practice, both with a DVD and classes at my gym, has been vital to maintaining good posture and keeping my muscles stretched out. My lower back started to bother me quite a bit and someone recommended rolling a tennis ball on my sciatica to relieve the pressure.  I found a tennis ball to be a bit hard (and painful) so when I came across the Miracle Balls I decided to give them a try. When used regularly, it works great for relieving tension in the lower back and hip pain.

6. For insomnia: Earth Mama Angel Baby peaceful mama tea and my Kindle. For some reason, most nights I wake up around 3am and struggle to fall back asleep until 5 or 6. It is decidedly NOT fun. I know it’s probably my body’s way of preparing for the baby’s schedule, but it is very frustrating. I’ve started to drink this peaceful mama tea before bed, along with some yoga stretches, and even if it’s only mental, I’d like to think it helps. And when I really can’t fall back asleep, I bust out the kindle and catch up on reading.

7. For nausea: Citrus anything! Especially lemon water and grapefruit San Pellegrinos. Aside from the aforementioned snacks, which definitely helped keep morning sickness at bay, I only wanted citrus – lemon, orange, grapefruit, doesn’t matter!  For some reason the flavor calmed my nausea and always tasted great.

What could you not live without during pregnancy? Any secrets for dealing with pesky pregnancy side-effects?