The Best and Worst Advice I got during Pregnancy

When you get pregnant you soon realize that absolutely everyone becomes an expert on pregnancy, child birth, and parenting. It doesn’t matter if they’ve experienced any of it or not. Everyone is an expert and they’ll all give you their two cents the first chance they get. Here’s some of the best and worst advice I got during pregnancy.

Everyone has different opinions and half of the opinions drift one way while the other half runs in the complete opposite direction. It’s so hard to narrow down what’s worth listening to. Some of it will be easy to sort out (you’d be surprised at how “out there” people can be) but the rest could have potential to be useful.

So I started doing what I do best…making lists.

I made lists of the absurdities, lists of the possibly useful and lists of the definitely useful.

Let’s save the best for last and start with some of the WORST advice!

1. Sleep now while you still have the chance.

This has got to be the most annoying speck of “advice” that I couldn’t avoid being told enough. Honey, newborns sleep A LOT and there are plenty of ways to sleep train your newborn. Chances are you’re having enough trouble sleeping right now between the constant need to pee and the growing house guest getting comfortable inside your rib cage…so don’t let people get you all worked up about not being able to sleep ever again. It’s not worth the stress. You will sleep again, I promise!

2. Only sleep in your left side.

Going back to the whole growing house guest invading your rib cage thing… Sleep however you can possibly get comfortable. It’s true that sleeping on your left side is better for your circulation but not getting any rest at all for the better part of nine months because you think you absolutely have to sleep in one single position is just plain crazy. I highly suggest a pregnancy pillow, it helped me immensely. But if you can get comfortable despite the leg cramps, hot flashes, and the little bundle of joy in your ribs then mama, you sleep like you’ve never slept before! You’ve freaking earned it!

3. Eat whatever you want; You’re eating for two!

Okay so this one is a bit of a double… but they were both thrown at me so often it’s okay to put them together again. First off, no. Just no. No to all of it. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you should go crazy and eat anything and everything. You don’t actually need to eat all that much to begin with so the whole “eating for two” thing goes right out the window. Now, I’m not saying go on a diet or anything because your body IS growing a little human but you can grow that human just fine with normal eating habits. Besides, over eating and eating poorly during pregnancy can lead to more trouble than it’s worth. While the occasional craving is okay, just don’t go overboard.

Now for the BEST advice I got during my pregnancy!

1. Drink lots of water.

This is so important! You are growing another human. Their body will be primarily made up of water as is yours. The growth of this human is causing you to pee A LOT. You need water. You need much more than usual. It’s non-negotiable, you need it! Having blood pressure issues? Drink more water. Circulation issues? Water. Weight? Water. I can’t stress this enough. I was one of those people that never drank water. By the end of my pregnancy I was drinking over a gallon a day and I swear that’s how I managed to only gain 17lbs during pregnancy.

2. Get organized.

This was an easy one for my OCD-like tendencies to run wild with. I’ll keep this one short. Having the essentials organized and all set up before baby is wise because you WILL be tired. You’ll likely be sore and you will all be learning how to function together as a family with this new little addition. It’s just easier on all of you if the essentials are set before baby arrives.

3. Enjoy it as best you can.

I know some women HATE hearing this because pregnancy is hard and can be extremely unenjoyable but for me this one really hit me hard and stuck with me. I wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids. My doctors didn’t like the hormonal issues I had when it came to the topic of being able to get pregnant and once I found out I was, I still wasn’t all excited and happy… I was scared, stressed, and just unsure about a lot. But then about half way through, one day when I was watching my little bump wiggle and squirm, it hit me. This could be the only time I get to experience this. You never know what tomorrow brings. Cryptic, I know. But it’s true. Going further than that, this is the only time that your little peanut is all yours. You don’t yet have to share him with the world…you just get to feel his movements and get to know him in a way no one else can and to me that’s the best feeling. To me, even the leg cramps in the middle of the night and peeing when I sneezed couldn’t touch the happiness I felt knowing that for a little while my little peanut was all mine. That’s the beginning of a bond that I now know is the most amazing feeling in the world.

No matter the advice, no matter the circumstances, this journey is an incredible one. You are creating another human being! You can read articles until your eyes fall out but you will never get any tips that are as good as your own instincts so trust them, mama. You’ve got this!

Don’t forget to check out my secrets for newborn sleep training!

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