Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pregnancy favorites...

What a blessing it is to be pregnant now, compared to even a hundred years ago!

Just consider all the advances in medicine. In the 1800's, I, like so many other mothers today, probably wouldn't have survived childbirth. Nowadays, the focus is not only on safety, but comfort too.

How spoiled we pregnant women are today. ;) There's safe sleeping pills and cute maternity clothes and birthing balls and nursing pillows and the list goes on and on! A few of my favorites are.
  • Ginger gum- A few weeks ago, Joshua came home from an errand with a package of gum. But not just any kind, this ginger gum was designed for nausea. And, it certainly works for me. Any time I begin to feel really nauseous I grab a piece and the strong burst of ginger does wonders. Almost immediately my stomach starts to settle and I soon feel much better. Ginger has long been hailed for helping with nausea (and a recent clinical report confirms its beneficial effect). I'm so grateful they've put it into a form that's a bit easier to take than a spoonful of minced ginger. ;)
  • Fish oil- Because the omega 3 fatty acids, DHAs and EPAs found in fish oil have been shown to help brain development in the baby, many doctors now recommend that pregnant women take it: as long as it's pure, high quality, mercury-free fish oil--not the cheap stuff at Wal-mart.

    So I went to the health food store in search of high quality fish oil. There was quite a selection that met the requirements, but one made the bold assertion: tastes great! Naturally, I was quite suspicious. Fish oil tastes great? Whatever! But being somewhat nauseous already, I decided to give it a try. And, it does!! Someone came up with the brilliant idea of adding a very strong natural citrus-scented "fresh lock" in with the gel caps which masks the otherwise very strong odor excellently. Oh! I really think they should receive a "grateful pregnant woman's award".

    One Word of Warning: don't let your toddler into the bottle. The odor of popped pills lasts a long long time and through many a laundering. Trust me.

  • Peace Treaty- Though I'm not the one taking it, this has been a life-saver. About a month ago, Rosalind decided to start skipping her naps. I'd put her in her bed and she'd just lay there singing for an hour...then pop up and play with her dollies. But by 5:00 she was so cranky that I was counting down the hours 'til bedtime.

    While we were up for Spring Break, Joshua's mom handed me a bottle of herbs she thought might help. Enter Peace Treaty: a small spoonful of the stuff and within fifteen minutes Rose was sound asleep. In the month since then, I've tried not giving it to her and she almost invariably skips her nap. Though a bit pricey, it just takes a small amount. I think a bottle for a years worth of naps well worth it!

  • Unisom- Speaking of sleeping aids, Unisom is wonderful! My midwife first recommended it after Rosalind was born and I was having difficulty sleeping--half a pill later and Joshua had to carry me to bed. Not only is it safe to take while pregnant and nursing, the pill version even helps with nausea!
See more "Friday favorites" here.
photo by chris27

3 comments:

A. Victoria said...

Wow! That is very cool. Thanks for all the information. I always like hearing others things that people are using for their pregnancy and little ones. I hope you are feeling well and doing well. :)
Love you!

J. Christensen said...

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This blog post is not intended to be used in the diagnosis or treatment of any disease or. . .condition ;)

Anna @ Feminine Adventures said...

Very funny, my love. A true lawyer already. ;)