Pearls of Pregnancy Wisdom

Pearls of Pregnancy Wisdom is advice I wanted to pass on from my own experience. This does not replace professional help, your Midwife/GP is your best help in any circumstances (I called my midwife many times at strange times of the night and they were always helpful). It is better to get things look at rather than worry as it will not do you or baby any good.

Tiredness

And you will be tired, your body is creating a small person and needs all the energy it can get. I underestimated how worn out I would be in my 3rd trimester and planned to do all my cleaning/preparation then, in the end it was a panic to get everything set up for Bethany in time (even at 12 days late). I would have a lie in in the morning, nap mid afternoon for up to 2 hours and still climb into bed at about 11pm.

Rest

You will go crazy with everyone telling you to rest, it did for me, but you are going to need those reserves for when your newborn comes along. Get some books, magazines, DVD Box Sets and put your (swollen) feet up. You will miss you 'me time'.

'Maintence'

Go and get hair cut, eyebrows done, etc. Because when newborn is here you will not have time to even consider doing any of this done. Also get a simple haircut that looks good washed and needs little maintence afterwards so it can be styled quickly. 

Spending time with the Other Half

In hindsight I'd wish I had put my foot down about spending more time with husband before Beth came along, we are now ships that pass in the night, as one person finishes the night shift the other is starting. We are both currently very tired which does hinder any romance, so spending that large amount of time together before baby will only strengthen you when they are here.

You do not need to spend a fortune

You honesty do not, we had a extremely limited budget to get baby bits and we have survived on the basics. We made sure that baby had transport, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to be changed and changed into. We had a lot of gifts of toys and clothes, Beth's wardrobe looks far better than mine and she is roughly kitted out for the next year at least. If it is something you want but it doesn't fit in the budget, ask for it as a gift. I really wanted a Ewan the Sleepsheep after reading reviews but even second hand they were nearly full price, my mum brought me this in the end after hearing about it.

Become friends with EBay, Preloved and NCT Nearly New Sales

Put that free time to good use and stalk stuff on these sites, I got my Mama & Papa's bouncher for £4.50 from eBay, My Travel System for £30 from Preloved, and Baby Monitor for £7 from NCT sales. I also used the free time to sell items I didn't want with the understanding that it was for either maternity clothes for me or baby stuff for Beth. I spent a lot of rest time on my tablet!

Best Pregnancy Books

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Heidi E. Murkoff and Sharon Mazel

Breaks everything down month by month, is detailed but it was my most referred to book out of all the pregnancy ones I had. Also contains the pre-conception advice, as well as covers all different kinds of pregnancy like multiples and if things do not go to plan. A must have.

Hypnobirthing: The Breakthrough to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Childbirth

I have previously written about Hypnobirthing before and found it a huge help towards my anxiety about labour, they do recommend to start in pregnancy so when you do go into labout then its automatic. I was told by my midwives I was calm and I had very little pain relief until I was fully dilated. I'm even told now as a first time mum that I am very calm, and I do think this was a huge help. I still practice it exercises today.

Minus Nine to One: The Diary of an Honest Mumby Jools Oliver

A second hand book shop find and just what I needed, wonderfully written and honest. It charts from trying to their mass of children, offering insight and advice. It does includes some gorgeous shots of her and Jamie's children. Love this and don't want to part with it.

Best Pregnancy App (That are free!)

Baby Centre Pregnancy Tracker

Tracks your pregnancy day by day, offering tips, things to do, things to consider and funny insights. There is also check lists so you can make sure that things are being done, as well as being able to search the site for information. I constantly referred to this for everything, from baby growth to labour syntoms. I fully recommend registering on the forums, joining your birth club and chatting to other mums that are due the same time as you - it was a huge support. A Must have app.

If you can take one thing away from this is that if you are ever in doubt, call your Midwife and don't ever think it's something silly, sometimes your instinct is 100% right.

So Mums what would you add?