You’ve been trying to conceive for a while, or maybe this has taken you by surprise. But guess what, you’re here now. And if you’re planning to continue with your pregnancy, very soon (in around 38 weeks, in fact), you’ll be greeted with a brand new baby. And for most of us, after two days in the hospital we are sent home with a “best of luck!” and very little else. What do you do now? These nine months are supposed to be the most beautiful time of your life. But honestly, it’s also filled with a lot of fear of the unknown.
Don’t worry – this is where I’ll help. As a mother of two kids under two – I’ve not only been there, but I’ve learned from my mistakes the first time round & had a much improved delivery the second time. This post will give you all the information you need to be prepared for those 40 weeks of pregnancy.
Confirming your pregnancy
Many people wait till they’ve missed their period before taking a test, but if you’ve been actively trying to conceive, you can usually get a positive test 1-2 days before your period is due. Most of the pregnancy kits in chemist stores use the dropper method where you’ll have to collect your pee in a separate container (not provided), and then use a dropper on the test itself. That’s really inconvenient, so I would recommend buying mid-stream pregnancy tests. Buy at least 3-5 tests so that you can recheck; I know when I got my positives both times, I had to test multiple times before I believed what was right in front of me! Mid stream tests are convenient because you just pee on it mid-urine stream and it automatically registers whether you’re pregnant or not. It’s faster and cleaner, and more hygienic in disposal as well.
Mankind Prega News Advance Mid-Stream Urine Pregnancy Test
Finding a good gynaecologist
Over the next 40 weeks you will be visiting your gynaecologist at least 10 times for an uncomplicated pregnancy. Find a doctor who is good but not too popular – the very popular ones have long waiting times and you may not even get to consult with them, you’ll have to meet with their assistants if they’re not available at that moment. Also, place a lot of importance on the hospital you’re deciding on. During the actual time of delivery and hospital stay you will only interact with your doctor a few times; the nurses and other staff will be around you and your baby far more. Make sure you like the rooms and other facilities in the hospital before you finalise your choice, and ensure that your chosen hospital takes your insurance. We went with a relatively newer mother and child hospital for our first baby; it became very crowded by the time we were ready to deliver our second, and we felt like our experience suffered due to that fact.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is a misnomer because it lasts all day. Apart from the prescribed medications, what helped me was a lot of ginger-based items (ginger tea, ginger candies) and sour items (like sour skittles). I spent the first three months just living on those candies and also peanut butter sandwiches. It’s okay, because this time will definitely pass.
Urban Platter Dried Ginger Candy
Pintola All Natural Peanut Butter Crunchy/Unsweetened
Skittles Crazy Sour Flavoured Candy
Prenatal vitamins
In addition to the vitamins that were prescribed by my doctor (calcium, iron and folic acid), I also used to take prenatal vitamins. I wasn’t eating very well due to my nausea and I wanted to ensure that I was getting all my nutrients in even though I didn’t feel like eating at all. This was the one I used as it was a well-known international brand.
One A Day Womens Prenatal One Pill
Body Pillow
This was probably the most important purchase I made in my entire pregnancy. I used it every day and even now, after giving birth, I have to fight with my husband every night over who gets to use it, it’s so comfortable! Pregnancy comes with many body aches and pains but the worst pain is in your back and hips while sleeping. You have to sleep on your side and it puts a lot of pressure on your body. A body pillow helps relieve a lot of pressure and gives you relief and comfort while sleeping on your side at night. When you give birth, you can also use it as a nursing pillow. If you only get one item in this list, please get a body pillow! There are fancy ones which are C shaped and U shaped but I find them unwieldy. I went for a normal rectangular one which I still use to this day.
Tishnagi Designer Ultra Soft Body Pillow
Pelvic Girdle Belt
The last trimester brings about terrible hip and pelvic pain as that part of your body is opening up to prepare for birth. Using a girdle belt was very helpful for me as it provided extra support and reduced my hip and pelvic pain to a great extent. This, along with physiotherapy, gave me relief until around 35 weeks after which nothing much gave me relief except for giving birth. But after delivery as well, it provided me with support to get back on my feet well.
Wonder Care Pregnancy Support Maternity Belt
Pregnancy Tights
Pregnancy wear is more than just buying XXL sized clothing! Finding clothes that fit was a real challenge during pregnancy especially in the second and third trimesters. I pretty much lived in these tights during that time. They accommodate your growing belly but at the same time don’t make you look frumpy. You can pair this with any maternity top or kurta, or just a loose fitting T-shirt and feel put together. They’re great for prenatal yoga as well.
Maternity/Nursing Bras
Finding a bra that fit during this time was a challenge. Your breasts increase in size and leak at times too. However, you’d want to ensure that your bra is flexible enough to accommodate feeding as well after you give birth. And you’d also want to use breast pads so that your clothes aren’t stained with milk. These bras need to be comfortable enough for you to sleep in as well. This was the brand that I used – I found them to be convenient and I repurchased them for my second pregnancy.
Morph Maternity Nursing Sleep Bra
Luvlap Bamboo Washable Breast Pads
So these were by far the most important things throughout my pregnancy!
Till next time, bye!
