Just found out that I'm pregnant :-)

Hi everyone

I just found out that I'm pregnant and am SUPER excited!!!!!

None of my friends have kids yet so I really dont have anyone to ask about past experience or practical advice so figured I'd try this forum.

So is there anything in particular that I should NOT do?

I know the usual of no raw fish ((((( drinking (which I dont normally do anyways), but is there anything esle in particular I should look out for?

I also go to the gym which I'd like to continue with for as long as I can, which I hope is ok.

Thank for all your advice :-)

CONGRATULATIONS!! I don't know any advice though, lol

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm super excited for you!

Two biggest bits of advice I wish I would have known about. . .

1) because you are carrying one don't eat for two. I gained a few more pound than necessary. Don't skimp though! Be kind to yourself but don't be a glutton!

2) keep sucking in your tummy. Somewhere along the line I decided it wasn't worth the effort to practice this bit of "Good Posture" advice. I regret it. I think if I'd have kept sucking in I would have had less stretch marks and my belly would have been firmer after.

One thing I didn't know until I was pregnant *DON'T CHANGE KITTY LITER BOXES* It can be very dangerous. It's a parasite issue that you can pass to your little bundle.

Most of all I would say enjoy every minute of it. Your skin will glow your hair will get thicker. But most of all it's a beautiful and wonderful experience that our bodies allow us so make the most of it!!!

I'm happy for you!

One last bit: for some reason people (especially women) seem to feel that it's okay to touch any women when they're pregnant. I had a perfect stranger come up to me in a store and try to touch my stomach. Decide ahead of time how you'll approach this. For me, I was shocked and she caught me on a bad day so I asked her why she thought she had a right to touch me in such an intimate manner. I got my point across but I didn't do it very tactfully.

stripedtiger - thanks.  I've read about the liter box and I dont have cats, so thats good.  The belly touching, I could never understand people doing that.  If a person wouldnt be pregnant, you wouldnt just come up and touch them.... I definately dont want people doing that, unless they're my friends.

Thanks :)

Don't eat soft serve ice-cream or any product i.e milkshakes, thicksakes etc because they basically are all made with soft serve. The soft serve can carry a bacteria which can cause defects. I get pregnant people coming to work all the time and about 70% won't have it but 30% still have it as they don't think it will harm their baby. Regular ice-cream is ok though

Congratulations

First off, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I work at a pharmacy and one of the male pharmacy techs was talking about how his baby was born with a condition called Jaundice. Come to find out, it was caused by his wife taking vitamins while being pregnant. I'm not exactly sure which vitamins cause the condition, but I would be careful and talk to your doctor if you are taking any.

Wow, I could probably write a novel on all the things I wish I knew before I became pregnant. Really, each pregnancy brings on new challenges...One main thing, especially in the first and third trimesters, it is VERY important that you get enough sleep. Nap during the day if you need to, but try to feel rested. And eat if you feel hungry, this will help with morning sickness, just try to make your calories count. Like instead of just chocolate, try to heath it up by eating strawberries dipped in it, or add shredded zucchini to chocolate cake. Emotional support is important too. Get your spouse, significant other or a good friend/relative to be there for you when you need it. So many things. I always loved pregnancy! I hope the journey to becoming a mother is an amazing experience. Enjoy it for all it's worth. You are doing something that is totally unique. No one will experience pregnancy like you do. Keep a journal, you can share it with your child as they get older.  Congratulations, and many good wishes to you!

Three of my 5 babies had jaundice, and from what my pediatrician told me, and what is commonly known, it is a condition caused fromthe liver being unable to break down the toxins in your body.  I must admit, I never took vitamins, because the iron in them makes me sick. However, if your doctor recommends them try them. I ended up taking a children's chewable, and still take it, because that is what my body can handle.

When my littles had jaundice, they each had to go under the "bili light" for a while, my first had to stay at the hospital longer because of it, but as long as your pediatrician is aware of any health issues in your family history,jaundiceis easily taken care of. Again, good luck with your journey!

I happened to think of one more thing I wish I'd know and thought would be good to share!!

A friend of mine took pictures of herself as her tummy grew, newborn pictures, various milestones throughout school years.

She put them in a scrap book along with a letter that she writes to her child each year on his birthday.

She's keeping it to give to him when he has a child of his own!!!

I thought this idea was FANTASTIC!!!

Just keep in mine there are some things a son won't want to know that a daughter would be fine with! LOL

Make sure you take a folic acid supplement, and avoid any supplement with vitamin a (a.k.a retinol) as the placenta turns it into a toxin that harms your baby. Good luck!!

Congrats!!!

Here's a list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.  Hope this helps! 

congrats!

I just had a baby 9 weeks ago.  Here are some things you should do:

1.  Pre-Natal vit from doc with Folic Acid.  I took mine at night, since the one eI was on made me sick to my stomach during the day.

2.  STOP smoking if you do

3.  You can go to the gym but keep your HR to a minimum of 140-150 from now on.  Watch the weights; I stayed on the safe side and kept to cardio.

4.  Keep your core and posture in check.  Helps to get your body back after you are pregnant.

5.  Keep hydrated

6.  Daydream, smile, glow and ENJOY your pregnancy!  I loved being pregnant!!!

Congrats! I loved being pregnant. That said...

For the first 3 months I had 24 hour sickness, forget morning sickness! As soon as my feet hit the floor, I was sick. I kept a ziplock next to my bed with some saltines and I always had some water. I would sit up in ben in the a.m. and have a few crackers before I got up. And while it did not stop my sickness it did seem to delay it and soothe my stomach. Keep yourself hydrated.

I also wish I took more pictures while I was pregnant.

I will tell you about something I WISH somebody would have told me about after you have the baby. I woke up 2 days later with a soaking wet shirt and totally drenched. My breast were so large, hard and swollen with milk. Sorry if this is TMI but nobody told me how bad it was! My baby would feed often but if he was asleep I would fill up and my breasts would be so painful and feel like they were full of hard rocks or something. It was the most uncomfortable feeling ever but breast feeding is definitely a relief and worth it.

Good luck! So exciting!

CONGRATS!

What a happy time, and I'm glad you're excited about the pregnancy. You've been given a lot of great advice already, so I'll just add a couple of quick things.

Every person and every pregnancy is different. What works for your cousin's sister may or may not work for you. This is true for life in general - it is even more true when you are pregnant. Follow your own good sense and remember that it is your baby and your pregnancy and that YOUR job is to be as healthy and happy as possible.

If you have ANY body issues at all, this is going to be the time that they raise their ugly heads. There are a handful of people who revel in pregnancy and how the body changes. For me, I had to get past the "oh my god, my body is out of control" and the "I'm not fat dammit, I'm pregnant" phase first. This typically happens around month 2-3 when you are not visibly pregnant but can no longer button your clothes very easily and your tummy is visibly bloated. It's normal.  And if you struggle with body issues please remember that your body is going to do whatever the heck it wants to . Try to focus on staying healthy for you and the baby. And know that you can and most likely will get your body back once the baby is born.

Last thought. Enjoy your pregnancy and congratulations again.

wow

thank you all sooooooo much :)

according to a nutrionist i once spoke to about pregnancy, you only need an extra 200 calories to feed the baby

best of luck and look forward to seeing pics of your healthy baby!

Congrats! None of my friends or family members had babies recently and I'm adopted, so I couldn't really ask my mom what it was like. Here are some tidbits that I wish I would have known.

One of the strangest things I learned was that breast milk doesn't come out in one stream like a bottle. There are lots of streams.

One of the best things a birthing nurse told me about labor was that when you're at 6-7 centimeters dialated, the contractions won't become any more intense as you progress from there usually. They just become more frequent.  It was true for me. The intensity stayed the same. I used the word intense for a reason... it's not much like pain. It's just a muscle squeezing. It's more like running a long way, and thinking you're done... then finding out you have to run another mile. You know you can run that mile, but it's intense because you worked so hard to get to the place you were. The labor process really wasn't as big of a deal as TV makes it out to be. No screaming. No kicking. No swearing. No pooping on the table. And absolutely no medication. Just relax and know that God made the process and people have done this for thousands of years before giant lights and epidurals were invented.

Bring your own pillow to the hospital. And if you want, bring your own pads to the hospital. The ones they give you are huge. Also, everything you use at the hospital is probably yours to keep. If they opened a bottle of tylenol for you, bring it home. You probably payed $15 for it.

One thing that I wish I would have realized (as obvious as it should have been), was that the pregnancy was so cool, that I focused on the pregnancy. After the baby was here, I realized I didn't read up on how to care for her. I didn't know how often to bathe her, change diapers, how often to feed her, etc. There is so little time after the baby arrives. The best time to read is before the baby comes.