To the pregnant momma thinking she'll put off buying maternity clothes: JUST DO IT NOW🧡
I wish this blog existed for me when I was early in my pregnancy. So here ya go - and you're welcome.
Nursing Bras
Size up if you’re comfortable enough doing that. If not, know you’ll likely have to size up later. You do not want a snug fit. Leave plenty of room for that milk to come in.
Once baby is here, you’ll want that extra space so you don’t end up with a clogged duct or a milk blister.
Both can be pretty inevitable, but it will at least be less likely or less frequent if you don’t have a snug-fit bra. You may want to get “out-and-about” type nursing bras that make you look and feel more secure and protected (this usually means a cup insert) as well as lounge nursing bras for around the house.
I love Senita Athletics Go With The Flow Nursing Bras for everyday wear. For lounging around, Kindred Bravely Lounge Bras are nice.
Leggings
I finally bought maternity leggings when I ended up having to unbutton my pants at work. Thank goodness they were high rise and my shirt covered it.
What I didn’t realize is I’d be wearing these for several months postpartum too!
It’s not like “oh, baby’s out, better go grab my pre-pregnancy pants”. Your body needs time and space to heal and transition. Just be comfy now instead of putting it off until you’re 7 months pregnant. You’ll feel more confident and more beautiful in clothes that fit your body well.
Shirts
I’m still wearing maternity shirts. They’re cute and comfy and look totally fine! It’s basically just some extra fabric in the tummy area to make room for the baby bump, so think of these as a long term investment in your wardrobe!
There’s no rulebook that says you can only wear maternity shirts when you’re pregnant.
PJs
Once baby is here you’ll be in pajamas a LOT (lounge clothes at least), AND regardless of whether you’re breastfeeding, you’ll likely be trying to get in as much skin-to-skin time as possible. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to invest in some front-button pajama shirts. This goes back to feeling beautiful again.
Having your own clothes that you like, you feel comfortable in, are pretty to look at, and are functional for your new life as a mother is a nice stepping stone to feeling like yourself again.
Compression socks
Not sure if you’ll ever actually need these outside your last month of pregnancy, but they really do wonders for swollen ankles.
Your body was not designed to become ill.
When we take care of our bodies, our bodies take care of us.
“Cold and Flu” is not a season.
High sugar intake is a season with buckets of Halloween candy, desserts on Thanksgiving, events surrounded by Christmas cookies, sweets at every holiday gathering, chocolates on Valentine’s Day & more desserts for Easter.
High stress is a season with family members who don’t get along, celebrations to coordinate among multiple households, perfect presents to find, money that shouldn’t be spent, food to prepare, shopping to do, places to be & schedules that are packed.
When we get busy, self care is the first thing to go. Morning lemon water, yoga stretches, regular sleep, nutritious breakfasts, veggies throughout the day, sufficient water intake.
70% of your immune system is in your gut. Nourishing your gut health is a top priority when it comes to maintaining a thriving immune system.
Probiotic before bed THEN 8oz lemon water right out of bed THEN protein for breakfast THEN morning coffee (organic, if you can). (This is my favorite probiotic and this is my favorite gut-loving coffee.)
Manage your stress with time carved out just for you. 10 minutes first thing in the morning before the day starts, 15 minutes before crawling into bed. However it works best in your schedule.
Quiet your mind. Read a chapter in a book for pleasure. Look up a video for some gentle yoga. Sit in stillness and pray or meditate. Go for a walk around the block. (This is my current favorite quick yoga video.)
Turn off your phone. Keep the screens off for a while. Don’t check your notifications first thing in the morning. Start your day slowly.
As tempting as it may be, limit sugary, processed foods as much as possible. These wreak havoc on your gut, which means they wreak havoc on your immune system.
Stay active during colder months. Make sure you’re getting at least 7 hours of sleep at night. Prioritize Vitamin D levels and water intake. (This is my favorite Vitamin D supplement and this is what I carry my water around in.)
And irony of ironies, worrying about getting sick makes you more susceptible to getting sick.
If you’re not convinced your mind and your gut are at all related, just think of any scenario where you've seen or smelled something that made you sick to your stomach.
My husband is a huge WWII buff, so there I was watching Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf plowing through Germany in a tank. Percy Jackson showed up as a newbie and had to clean the tank out as a sort of initiation. I'll spare you the gory details, but things he saw and smelled in there made him physically ill. It reminded me just how connected the mind is to the digestive system.
That’s just one example of how our minds and guts are constantly communicating with each other. So it makes sense that our mental state can affect our digestive system in other ways too.
Stress, anxiety and depression can all lead to gastrointestinal issues, wreaking havoc on the gut. And what happens when our gut is out of whack? Eczema flare ups. Then we get stressed or anxious about our eczema and it turns into a vicious cycle.
There’s a strong link between the mind and the gut, and it’s important to keep both in balance. Stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation and deep breathing can help maintain good gut health.
Even more, do you find yourself being negative or complaining a lot? Making the extra effort to see the good in things rather than focusing on the bad can do wonders for your mental health - and therefore, your physical health. You'll be happier, and by extension you'll be healthier!
I challenge you to do ONE thing today that will make you happier, and see how that feels in your body.
Then try it again tomorrow. And the next day. Soon I'll be willing to bet you feel a huge difference.
If you liked this article, please share it! And if you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I’d love to hear from you.
I used to drive home from work feeling like I had an elephant sitting on my chest. I had even convinced myself that I had asthma, and should probably see a doctor.
Then I realized I just wasn’t breathing properly.
It sounds so simple. Breathing is something each one of us is born knowing how to do. So why do I literally catch myself holding my breath?
Stress. Anxiety. Overthinking.
I’ve also learned that I’m not the only person who does this. This is an actual thing — we hold our breath because we’re stressed.
On these drives home from work, I would get in my head and replay scenarios that happened that day thinking of how I handled something. “I should have said this differently.” “I should have done that differently.” “What does so and so think of me now.” “Am I going to get in trouble for that?”
That last one is a side effect of being “the good girl” growing up. Following the rules. Being afraid of getting into trouble. This also falls into the category of people pleasing. Which is a whole other stress-inducing category!
I would stress over really silly tiny things. Still do sometimes (it's much better since using these tips), but I have to remind myself that I’m making things out to be a much bigger deal in my head than they are in real life.
I once heard that worrying is nothing but a waste of time. It’s stressing over hypothetical scenarios that have yet to happen. So you’re literally putting yourself through at least twice the amount of stress than you need to. More if you're replaying it in your head over and over.
If you know something is coming up that you’re worried about, not only are you putting yourself through the situation while you’re worrying — because your brain doesn’t really know the difference between something happening in real life and something you’re making up in your head — but you’ll be going through the stress of the situation all over again when it actually happens (IF it actually happens).
Your mindset is so powerful when it comes to your stress level. You can choose not to get upset over the little things. You can choose not to worry about what might happen. You can choose to see a situation through a different lens and not get worked up over it.
That’s what I invite you to do this week. Reframe your thoughts. Take control of your mind. If you can take control of your thoughts and your mind, you will have truly unlocked a new level of health.
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there soon because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training this month!
Want to get a head start? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here!
I will never understand how people make plans that START at 8pm on a Friday night..
First of all, aren’t you tired from the week?
Second of all, don’t you want to have a nice Saturday morning?
I truly love mornings, but mine, admittedly, are usually rushed. I don’t get in what I’d like to get in each morning. Saturdays are my days when I can have a nice, slow morning.
If I’m up until the wee hours on a Friday night, do you think I’m getting up early Saturday to have a nice morning? No way! I’ll be getting as much sleep as I can.
Maybe you’re reading this and you just think I’m 90 years old. Maybe you’re reading this and you actually relate to what I’m saying.
I imagine if you’ve gotten this far, it’s probably the latter. :)
You’ve probably guessed by now, that my answer to the question “When do you truly set the tone for your morning?” — The night before.
If I go to bed past 10, I am NOT going to have a nice morning.
Yes, I can wake up and “decide” to have a good day. I’ll drink my lemon water and hopefully get a few stretches in, but I’m not going to enjoy my morning as much as if I’ve woken up feeling refreshed.
And if it’s a Saturday morning, by the time I’m out of bed the morning is almost over. (Yes, I realize this won’t be the case once baby is here — I’ll just be downright EXHAUSTED. Another blog for another day. :) )
For me, it really is true that no matter how much sleep I get, I’m going to be tired the next day if I’m in bed past 10.
So — how to do ensure a good night’s rest?
#1: Go to bed at a decent hour.
For me, this is SLEEPING by 10. BUT I’ve noticed I get especially good rest if I …
#2: Read before going to sleep.
Not on your phone. Not on a kindle with a light up screen. A book. A magazine. Something that’s not electronic. Because not only does the blue light make your brain think it’s still daytime and therefore not time to wind down and go to sleep, but also the EMFs disturb your quality of sleep. Which leads me to…
#3: Keep electronics out of the bedroom.
Get yourself an actual alarm clock rather than setting it on your phone and putting it on your bedside table. Not only will you be tempted to scroll through your phone until you fall asleep, but any notifications will likely wake you up as you’re drifting off to sleep. If you have a TV in your room, turn it off at LEAST an hour before you shut your eyes. If the router is in your bedroom, unplug it.
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. In there, you'll even find Make Mornings Lovely: A 7 Day Challenge, so hop in there now and start loving your mornings.
