I Can’t Believe I’m Pregnant! Now What?
Did you just find out you’re pregnant? Amazing! Congrats, warrior! You won the first battle!
Not sure what to do now? Don’t worry, you are in good company.
It can be overwhelming, this next stage in your journey. You’ve worked so hard just to get to this point. To accomplish this goal. And you nailed it!
But now, you need to figure out your next battle and start prepping for it like a true warrior.
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information in this post is for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice in any way. I am not liable for any damages resulting from using the information in this article. Please consult a doctor for your medical advice.
The More You Know, The More Prepared You’ll Feel
So, this may seem kind of cheesy to you, but since being pregnant was something I looked forward to for a long time, I would watch movies that had pregnant women in them and they would always be reading the same thing: “What To Expect When You’re Expecting”. I would watch and think to myself that I couldn’t wait to read that book when it was finally my turn.
So, that’s exactly what I did. I wanted to arm myself with knowledge and I felt that book was the best place to start, and boy was I right!
There’s a reason why it’s the go-to book for pregnancy. It covers everything!
– It breaks down your pregnancy week-by-week
– It gives you insights on what to expect during each monthly visit to the doctor
– It answers questions on things you might be wondering
– It has information on different topics that are related to the stages of your pregnancy
– It even prepares you for labor and delivery, the first 6 weeks postpartum, and how to deal with potential complications that may arise with a pregnancy
And what’s even better is they keep coming out with newer editions as the world advances in medicine, technology, methods, etc.
I would highly recommend it as an excellent place to start educating yourself. This is the latest version.
Other Great Resources
I am the type of person who dives in head first to research when I have something to plan for and am excited about it.
After I purchased my pregnancy “bible” (What to Expect When You’re Expecting), my next stop on the knowledge tour was Pinterest. I started creating boards and pinning things left and right.
I wanted to know about the best ways to help my body stay in the best condition I could for a healthy pregnancy. I looked up things like the best diets while you’re pregnant, exercises that are safe and beneficial for pregnant women and vitamins/supplements to take.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting has some great info on these topics, but I wanted to read about others’ experiences as well and find out what worked well for them.
I also started pinning things about babies that I found informative and potentially helpful for later on when the baby arrived.
Create boards and sections that will help keep your information organized and easy for you to access later on. Here are some of the boards I created that I found helpful:
– I labeled one board “Having Babies”. I made sections in this board dedicated to information on:
– Pregnancy Prep (I actually started this section when I was preparing for my IUI): This section included exercises, vitamins and supplements, and things that would help to prepare my body the best I could for getting pregnant.
– Pregnancy Workouts: Workouts that were safe for pregnancy and would keep me and baby healthy
– Baby: This section included pins about baby names, baby products, prepping my pup and home for baby, budgeting for baby (including freebies to claim)
– Baby Registry: Check out my post The Realistic Baby Registry: The Things You’ll Need (And Will Actually Use)
– Gender Reveal/Baby Shower: Ideas for the reveal, themes, planning (you may have a friend(s)/family planning these things for you. I’m just a control freak and like to plan)
– Nursery: Ideas for how I would want to decorate and prep for the nursery and what I would need
– Maternity & Newborn Pics: Ideas for what kind of maternity pictures I wanted to do (indoor vs outdoor, dressy vs casual) and of course all the cute newborn picture ideas
– Labor and Delivery: Preparing myself mentally and emotionally for this part of the journey
– Postpartum Care: This topic doesn’t get talked about enough and you need to be prepared for this whether you have a vaginal birth or a c-section
– Breastfeeding: Tips and tricks, information on breastmilk (storing it and the shelf life), milk supply (how to increase your supply/what limits it), pumping (how-to and the parts you’ll need, packing your pumping bag for work/travel, pumping schedules, power pumping, etc.)
– I labeled another board “Mom Advice”. I made sections in this board dedicated to information recommended by other moms on:
– The Newborn Stage: This is typically the topic people know the least about/feel like they are the most unprepared for. This one included tips on swaddling, if they are gassy, tummy time, tricks for burping, how to soothe a crying baby, etc.
– Napping/Feeding/Milestones: They say it’s best to stick to a schedule and this changes as different stages
– Sick: Tips and tricks for when babies/kids get sick
– Traveling: What you need to pack, tips and tricks, etc. I had three trips planned for that next year when the baby would be here. I think I added this one later on in my pregnancy, but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.
Everyone’s knowledge base on these topics is going to be different. I felt that I knew a fair amount about babies and what that involves from growing up as one of five kids, having nephews and nieces, and having previously worked in a daycare. There was so much more to learn.
There is so much information out there. Updated information. And for the things that haven’t changed, it doesn’t hurt to get a refresher.
Not to mention that when it comes to taking care of your brand-new baby, sometimes that knowledge falls right out of your head. Call it pregnancy brain or just feeling a little overwhelmed as a new mom, but it will help to be able to rely back on the information you pinned away for safekeeping.
I know it was still a bit early on to start digging in on all the things, but like I said, when I get excited, I go into full-on research mode.
And besides, if something happened where this pregnancy didn’t end up working out, I wasn’t going to stop trying. This would all still be useful to me at some point.
I chose to stay positive and have faith that this child was meant to be. I continued with my knee-deep-in-knowledge approach.
Pregnancy Tracking Apps
I downloaded the What To Expect When You’re Expecting app to learn and track my pregnancy as it progressed.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
This isn’t the only app I downloaded. You will find that most of these apps are very similar, but have some differentiating features you may want to utilize.
But the first one I downloaded (What To Expecting When You’re Expecting) was the one I consistently used throughout my pregnancy and even after. It not only tracks your pregnancy but helps you track your baby’s feeding, diaper changes, sleep schedule, and more.
This may sound like a tedious feature. Maybe you’re thinking “Whoa, helicopter mom, I won’t need to be all up on my kid’s every move like that”. Actually, tracking that stuff is the norm and you absolutely should.
You want to make sure your baby is staying on track and the pediatrician will ask about those things, not to mention it keeps you on track. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Back to the apps tracking-your-pregnancy features. It informs you of fun things like the size of your baby in reference to the size of fruits, vegetables, and pop culture items.
It also informs you of where your baby is developmentally, helps you know where you are at in your pregnancy, and prepares you for what comes next.
I would look forward to tracking the changes with each new week, along with the helpful articles it would feature for that week to correlate with where you are in your pregnancy.
This one was definitely my favorite and you would be set with this one, but check out the others out there to find the best one for you.
The Pregnancy Pillow
This was actually one of my first purchases after I found out I was pregnant. Some might consider this a little premature since I was still in my first trimester.
I was pumped for this one though. I had the tendency to sleep on my back and stomach and I wanted to break this habit as quickly as I was able to so I could ensure that I was sleeping safely and comfortably for me and baby.
I started searching for the perfect pillow. I wanted one that was super comfy, firm enough to provide support, and long enough for me to curl up on. I’m 5’10”, so I wanted to make sure it was going to work for my height.
You will want to get one that helps you sleep as comfortably as possible. Some of the pillows create a loop that goes between your legs and circles around to your back.
I initially thought that was the style I wanted. Others have an extra pillow attachment where your belly sits for added support, which I thought might be good.
The most important feature for me though was the length, so I went with one that was a huge ‘U’ shaped pillow. This is the one I got.
It was definitely long enough and became the sole pillow that I actually used on my bed (my poor, neglected SIX other pillows).
I ended up sleeping in kind of a slanted-sideways position on my bed. This made it more convenient for sliding in and out throughout the night when I had to get up to pee and it was easier to position the end of the pillow between my legs.
Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was waking every hour to pee and switching the side I was laying on each time. My hips would get sore and it helped to alternate sides.
If I had gotten the other style, I don’t think I would have made it through my last trimester’s nights of sleep as easily as I did.
Let’s Go!
There is a lot of FREE information and tools out there for you to help you prepare for your little one’s arrival. Take full advantage.
Now, get prepping! It will help you to feel better prepared for what is to come. One more thing… Prepping is supposed to help you not stress, so don’t forget to have fun doing it!
Cheers, Warriors!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it entertaining, educational, inspiring—hopefully, all three. Please be sure to leave any comments or questions you have in the Comments section below.
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