my pregnancy recs (and my 21 weeks shot!)

I look gigantic huh...my peeps on Facebook say that I look waaay farther along than 21 weeks!  I wasn't going to post this picture this week - not my fave (but the only other picture we took was of me in my Underarmour shorts and sports bra... and I don't play that game on the internet!)  Maybe when my belly button pops - which I'm nervous about btw.

 I'm only at 21 weeks as I write this - and the further along I get in my pregnancy I'm sure I'll discover new tools to me to keep living comfy and healthy.  I just wanted to jot down some of the items that I've LOVED during these first 21 weeks.  (Feel free to add items that you love....I wanna know!!)

1. Zofran.  Praise God for anti-nausea anti-emetic medication.  If it wasn't for that teeny tiny pill, I wouldn't have been able to do my job - there would have been no patient care, no surgeries, no clinic work for me.  I would have spent more time ralphing in the public restroom, or hunched over in a chair somewhere being entirely miserable.  (For those of you who may trip out over the thought of medicating yourself while you are pregnant - just chill.  This drug has never been linked to any adverse effects on babies.)  Also note, I only really took this a couple times a week when I felt really really sick and I didn't think I go to work (obviously, there are no sick days)...and now I haven't had to take one in weeks.


2. Water.  Thankfully, upon my first visit to my Ob/Gyn, she instructed me to start drinking half my weight in water (well, in ounces obviously).  Holy cow.  That's a LOT of water.  Heck yes I had to pee alot - but building babies requires adequate hydration...so I drink waterfalls everyday.  This has been a real positive on my health too - as pre-pregnancy I was a caffeine drinker...now I reach for water...a much healthier choice and not one that I was previously use to. (I'm happy to say I never even drink caffeine anymore!)

3. Belly Bands.  These were recommended to me by a couple friends of mine...and I was VERY skeptical.   Picture a tight stretchy tube top looking band of material...it goes around the rim of your pants and doubles over so that you don't have to zip or button your pants.  This extends the life of your current wardrobe and  really saved the day - I haven't had to buy any maternity clothes yet!  The brand my friends recommended was BellaBand...a tad pricier than other brands, but I bought them from an online outlet for a slightly reduced price and they rock!

4.  Curel Life' Stages Pregnancy & Motherhood Cream.  When I first got pregnant I got an email from a friend who had just delivered her first little baby boy so she was fresh off of the pregnancy train.  She swore up and down that this cream was A.MAZ.ING.  That it left her with virtually no stretch marks, and more importantly, kept her belly skin incredibly moist and hydrated so it wasn't itchy and irritated.  The tough part is, it's REALLY hard to find.  She suggested I buy it online, which I did - and I'm glad I stocked up!  Any preggo belly creams you like that others might love too??

pic via here

5.  Buttermilk biscuits.  If it weren't for these bad boys, I doubt I would have eaten anything for the first 15 or so weeks of pregnancy.  Crackers were too dry for my palate, so I could only eat a couple.  These hit the spot and were great for me!  (I load them up with organic fruit spreads so I knew something somewhat nutritious was going in!)  I've never met another pregnant lady who preferred biscuits to anything else...so... take this for what it's worth.

6.  Reading material.  What to Expect When You Are Expecting and Eating Well When You are Expecting were two fantastic reads that I devoured during those first several weeks.  I still flip through and refer to the applicable sections of What to Expect every week - just to fill my head with fun lil tid-bits about what fruit is comparable to my baby's size, or how much she weighs, or the specific developments that are going on in her growing lil body.  An easy, enjoyable, eye opening read.

7.  Boppy Body Pillow. I'm pretty sure any body-type pillow will do...I really love mine!  It keeps my knees from jamming into one another as I have to sleep on my sides only (and really, according to some of the reading I've done, a pregnant woman should try to sleep on her left side the most.)

8.  My blog.  I know I've mentioned it before, but it can be kinda lonely to experience these exciting pregnancy "things" with no girlfriends around.  Believe me, Tommy dotes on me, and gets as excited about my growing belly as I do...but it's a little different not to have female companions around me as well.  So sharing my story, my experiences and my pictures with my bloggy friends has really been quite a blessing.  I swear I communicate more with my blog friends more than I do my "real life" friends 'n fam these days - and I'm so thankful for the positive feedback and sweet remarks many of you leave for me.  It makes all the difference.