As many of you know, I have four children yet I’ve been
pregnant five times. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage so I was
thrilled to finally be pregnant again. All I ever wanted in life was to be a
wife and mom. Since I hadn’t been too sick with my first pregnancy, I was happy
I was sick with my second one since I had heard that the sicker you are, the
healthier your baby is going to be. {I don’t think this is the case for all
women, but for me it seemed to be.}
I didn't go for a doctor's appointment until I was almost five months since I felt the less intervention, the better. I only had one sonogram and that was with my first live pregnancy since I had had a miscarriage prior to this one. Back then, doctors didn't do much or require much testing during pregnancy which I liked since I would have never had an abortion any way. We didn't know if it was a boy or girl until the moment the baby was born and was flipped over!
1) Make sure you get plenty of rest. Even when I was working,
during any break, I would rest my head on the table and then when I got home. A
lot is going on in your body while you are pregnant. You are creating another
human being! When I was home full-time with my last two pregnancies, I would
put the children down for a nap, and then I would take a nap or rest while
listening to praise music.
2) Make sure you are
eating as healthy as you can. When I was sick during the first few months, I
would live on raw almonds, baked potatoes with avocado and bananas. It was
about all I could stomach but at least it was all nourishing food. It’s important to nourish your body while you are pregnant since
a baby is being created in you! Eat healthy fats {olive oil, butter, coconut
oil, etc. since these will prevent stretch marks}, protein from healthy
sources, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. These should be your main source
of nutrition.
3) Stay away from junk food: sugar, caffeine, processed
foods, and white flour. These are not nourishing at all but actually health
destroying. I never had a problem with retention of water {edema} since I didn’t
eat any junk. I gained around 20 pounds with each of my children and they were
all around the seven pound mark. I remember reading this journal {highly recommended} of a woman
who had ten children. She noticed that each child was getting bigger and she got gestational diabetes which she didn't get with her earlier babies. She
concluded it was due to eating too much junk!
4) Drink a lot of water. Since the volume of blood and water is going to be much greater while housing a baby, you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of good, filtered water.
5) Always wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It is not
worth backaches and being uncomfortable to look in style and fancy. You don’t want
to do anything that risks the health of you or your baby by wearing something
that is too tight or uncomfortable.
6) Try natural remedies for sicknesses or pain. I have used
many different treatments for my illnesses and pain that didn’t include drugs
and were not harmful to my health. All drugs are toxic to the human body and
anything you ingest will also go to your baby. For example, zofran is sometimes used for morning sickness but did you know about all the side effects from using it? Therefore, if at all possible, use
essential oils, supplements, foods, etc. to deal with what ails you, but make sure they are safe for pregnant women before taking anything.
7) At the end of a long day, try putting your feet up at night. My feet never did get swollen since I never retained water but pregnancy is still hard on feet; carrying the extra weight. Find a comfortable place, get a lot of pillows and rest. Read a good book or watch an uplifting television show. Dwell on the lovely and the good. You don't need to know all about the bad things happening in the world!
8) Take one day at a time. Pregnancy for most women is not that
easy with morning sickness, back pain, contractions, etc. Try to not worry and
rest in the Lord for strength. I was very sick with my fourth baby and I had
three young children but the Lord brought me through. He is faithful to do this
for His children.
9) Try to keep your joy! I know pregnancy can be difficult;
after all, it is a result of sin that it is hard. However, there is joy when
you hold that precious baby in your arms! There is NO greater joy that to have
children walking in Truth. All four of our children are walking in truth and
they have been our greatest joy in life!
Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:21
***Remember, I'm NOT a doctor. I'm just a homemaker who loves to research
natural cures and have found many that have worked for my family and me. Information I have given is for educational and informational purposes only and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or course of treatment.
