Avoiding Pregnancy Pitfalls

Photo by meaganjean.

Pregnancy is such a special time. Growing a human inside your body for 40 weeks (give or take a few) is an incredible feat. Some parts of it are fun or mind-blowing (seeing the first ultrasound, feeling the baby move!), other parts are less exciting (constipation, nausea, breast tenderness). Like I keep saying to myself and others: it’s not forever, it’s just for now. And it’s worth it. You’re only pregnant for a few months, and a lot of things that we may consider inconvenient have solutions.

Check out the ABCs of what I wish I’d known might happen to my body:

Abdominal Pain I read this in a few books, but it’s still not at all what I expected with my very first pregnancy. Diastasis recti, or abdominal separation, is common in women who have had multiple pregnancies, and none of the mothers I spoke with had experienced it with their first pregnancy. What happens (slowly), is that the muscles that comprise the “six-pack” of the abdomen slowly separate from the midline of the abdomen. This occurs because of the enlarging uterus pushing against the abdominal wall, and the many hormones secreted during pregnancy cause the connective tissue to relax.

To be fair, it’s not uncomfortable all of the time. It feels like there is a tiny tear in the abdomen, at first on the midline, and now, after 6-7 months, occasionally on the sides. My wonderful midwife, Sara, told me to get a belly support band if the pain continued. However, I’ve found if I just support the belly myself for a bit, it helps with those little pains.

There are some really great online resources about what we can do after the baby arrives:

• Be Fit Mom has some great information on the abdominal separation, and I just found this great class that I’m definitely signing up for after birth! It’s pilates for moms, and you bring the baby to class- check out the Mamalates!

• Self-massaging your expanding  belly with pregnancy massage oil (I was given Mother’s Special Blend) has also been helpful. Use long strokes from the outside of the ribs to the center of the body–it’s very comfortable and soothing for you and baby. Take your time when applying oil or lotion, and try to find an organic oil- because what’s being applied on the outside of your skin also goes to the baby inside.

Breasts. Wow. So much happening here! I was warned they would become larger, but doubling in size? Really? The breast tenderness many women experience in the first trimester does go away, but may come and go throughout the pregnancy.

Leaking small amounts of colostrum from the breasts is also very common in the weeks leading up to birth. However, some women experience it sooner (a friend of mine leaked from 16 weeks on!). You can use breast pads to help with the leaking- there are both reuseable and disposable breast pads. It’s also very important to make sure you are fitted properly for a bra. Things will change the further you are along in your pregnancy, but it’s definitely worth it to have at least one bra that actually fits!

Constipation. This shouldn’t be early practice for birthing, ladies. Unfortunately constipation can occur at any point in the pregnancy, especially the last trimester. The reason for this is that your digestion slows down as the uterus grows and expands in the pelvic cavity. Then hormones (mostly progesterone) relax the muscles, which slow down the digestive process.

To avoid constipation, eat dried, non-sulphured apricots or plums, and be sure to drink as much water as you can. I know that with some of us with newly-sensitive stomachs, even plain water can cause nausea and vomiting, so have a sports drink or electrolyte replenishing drink to get you started and keep you hydrate. If none of these solutions work, be sure to talk to your practitioner about something else that will work (such as magnesium supplements).

Discomfort in morning sickness and nausea that lasts for longer than 12 weeks. Sometimes it happens. Several mothers I’ve treated or interviewed experience either nausea or vomiting in the first several weeks, but a few have both for the first 20 weeks and beyond. I’m one of those who have had it from week six on, but strictly in the morning. I’ve found the best thing to do is to keep snacks on hand at all times, learn what may trigger the nausea (water, coffee….really?!), and be prepared in case vomiting does occur.