How to Survive Pregnancy: Tips To Make Your Life Easier

The life-changing news struck you like a bomb; you’re about to have a baby! The most glorious moment of your life will happen soon, and your family is going to expand.

After a while, the excitement starts to wear off and your pregnancy starts to impact your everyday life. The physical and mental changes are happening throughout the process, and you will have to change, adapt, and deal with surges of emotions, nausea, pain, discomfort, constipation, a lot of fatigue and sleepless nights, followed by pains. That’s a lot to deal with, especially if you’re a first-time mom.

Read on to learn more about common pregnancy ailments and how to relieve them so you can get through the next nine months with ease.

Nausea

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The first unpleasant sensation that you’re going to experience is nausea. It will likely begin several weeks in, and last for quite a while. This type of sickness is generalized to be present mostly in the mornings, but this is a misconception. The hormones and your sensitivity to outside factors like smells and moisture in the air can trigger nausea.

To prevent morning sickness from happening, or at least shorten the time you’re feeling sick, try altering your diet. Eat high-protein legumes and almonds to ease nausea, and drink herbal teas. Ginger is an excellent cure – make sure to consume it while feeling nauseated. You can either buy powder or capsules.

Try to have more small meals during the day to keep your tummy occupied. If you forget to eat after several hours, an empty stomach will remind you how bad you can feel during this period. Make an extra effort to stay hydrated. Eight glasses of water a day is a recommended amount for pregnant women. Increase your B-6 vitamin intake, as it is proven to help with nausea during pregnancy.

Exhaustion

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The next big thing that is going to hit hard is the wicked pair: fatigue and insomnia. The beginning of pregnancy brings the overdrive mode to your body; hormones spiking and dropping will make your head spin sometimes. Keep in mind that you have a growing human being inside your belly, and the child progressing means energy consumption from your body, both physically and mentally.

The exhaustion is something that all the moms suffer from in the first three months, and there is no way of stopping that, but you can at least ease yourself. Removing yourself from all demanding physical activity is imperative, alongside making yourself comfortable as much as you can. Use cushions, a comfortable bed, additional sheets and mattress covers, you name it. Everything is allowed. A good idea is to use a pregnancy pillow, which can provide incredible support and superb comfort.

Nutrition and hydration are significant factors here. Having a balanced diet with smaller yet more often meals, rich in protein and vitamins, will help you stay energized and able to survive the day.

Headaches

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Headaches are also very common during the first three months of pregnancy, as they come as a side effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow. A lot of things can cause headaches during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Unfortunately, medications like ibuprofen or aspirin are restricted for pregnant women, so you’re not allowed to use them.

If you’re having headaches, consult with your doctor for some replacements that are safe for you.There are common solutions for headaches during pregnancy, which can help you depending on the type of a headache you’re having.

The majority of headaches are triggered (or have some connection to) by stress. So by dealing with stress on the ground level, you’ll deal with your headache as well. Lying in a dark room for 15 minutes without thinking about anything will make your mind clear and loosen up the pain.

The neck and lower back of the head massage will do wonders for you as well, as you will relieve tension in the region, and stimulate the blood flow. The second common solution includes hot and cold treatment to the head – this technique is quite successful.

Also, good hydration and exposure to fresh air are recommended.

Constipation and Gas

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After the first trimester, hormonal imbalance is something you’re used to, and the following side effects have passed already. The increase of the progesterone in your body will happen eventually, and that will slow the digestion significantly.

The last quarter of pregnancy often brings constipation and gas because of the child inside the belly pushing the bowels to have more space and combined with all of that, energy and food processing. Pair that with bowels slowing down because of the hormones.

Again, these side effects aren’t reversible, but you can ease the process a bit by eatng a diet with increased fiber and drinking more water. (bonus: don’t start eating a lot of fiber at once, it will make things worse; add it slowly and progress)

Also, it would be smart to reduce the intake of gas-triggering foods, such as dairy products and carbonated drinks. To reduce gas, you need to care about the way you eat. Eating quickly and having big meals and big bites will make you swallow a lot of air alongside your food, enhancing gas production.

Finally, get moving; sitting still for prolonged periods of time will slow your bowels even more, and prolong the unpleasant state. Whatever you can do in this state – even if it’s a small walk – is better than sitting or lying down.

Pregnancy can be tough, but in the end, it’s well worth it. It brings us the biggest joy of life, and the biggest change. We wish you all the best!

The post How to Survive Pregnancy: Tips To Make Your Life Easier appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://www.lifehack.org/491559/how-to-survive-pregnancy-tips-to-make-your-life-easier
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