Everyones experiences while pregnant are so different. My own two pregnancies were practically like night and day! When I was pregnant with Bowen my first twenty or so weeks were so much better than the last twenty (two). This past time though, I had a really rough go at the start, but my third trimester was been SO MUCH better in comparison.

One would think that when chasing after a busy three year old, It would be the opposite! I really feel like a large part of why It was better this last time around was because of a few discoveries I’ve made along the way.

1. Just say NO. Okay this is HUGE. And sorry to all my friends who tried to make plans with me. Please don’t give up on me- I will be social again one day. But unless I was seeing someone at the gym or for a play date during the day, I was OUT! Part of this was having had such a low immune system and with a child in preschool, there was pretty much constant sickness in my house. That aside,  I’ve made a really concerted effort this time around to decline invitations and say no to social obligations in favor of R& R and family time in the evenings. Last pregnancy, I pushed myself to attend so many events and commitments and truly I just burnt myself out. Yes, some people get annoyed and make comments, and as a blogger it is hard to say no when you are invited to so many wonderful things. BUT all things considered, you really have to prioritize your health over everything else. Those in your life that will make you feel bad for this, clearly haven’t been pregnant (or at least not recently)!

2. Magnesium Spray. Oh my lord. Let me tell you. This stuff is a complete GAME CHANGER! Our friend Jill who is the genius behind Essentials By Nature gifted this Pregnancy Safe version to me and I don’t think I could have lived with out it. One of the many delightful things that happens to your body later in pregnancy are debilitating leg cramps at night. When I say debilitating I mean it. There were times when I woke my whole house up screaming from the pain. These leg cramps are legit on the level of labor cramps! BUT, when you spray your legs with this amazing product before bed, a MIRACLE happens. NO LEG CRAMPS. Magnesium spray is also fantastic for helping you to get a restful sleep. When I was due to give birth people were constantly asking me if I was tired. The truth is, that was the most sleep I’d had in just about four years! This really says a lot considering I would often need to take several melatonin or sleeping aids to get a decent rest prior to becoming pregnant.

3. Pregnancy Pillow. This is the one thing I repeated from my previous pregnancy, and what an incredible investment this bad boy is. There are so many brands and options to choose from, but they basically all perform the same function- provide support to growing stomach and relieve strain from lower back! I’m ordinarily a back sleeper and don’t love sleeping on my side but these pillows make it so very comfortable! There are numerous baby stores that carry these pillows- I found mine at Yo Mama Maternity

4.Calming Tea. Ordinarily, I am a HUGE tea drinker. But unfortunately, there are MANY ingredients in Tea that are not recommended for consumption while pregnant. The list of “do-not haves” continues to keep growing for preggos, and it can be so frustrating. That’s why I was so excited to stumble across Lauren Mary Holistics on Instagram . She has a whole section of safe products in her Mama section of her website and was super helpful at answering all of my questions. I was able to enjoy a delicious cup of Calming Tea- worry free every night, and it was also helpful for sleeping! (Sleep seems to be a re- occurring theme here! haha).

5. Exercise. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I found moving my body daily to be so helpful to maintaining energy and feeling well through out pregnancy! My full blog post on Prenatal exercise can be found here.

Hopefully these tips are as beneficial to you as they were to me over the course of my last trimester of pregnancy! Feel free to email or send a note on Instagram with any questions!

Now… I better get back to my TWO busy kiddos! 🙂