8 Pregnancy Lifesavers That Helped Me Survive All Three Trimesters With Two Toddlers

Nearing the end of my pregnancy, I am sooo thankful that, although this pregnancy has definitely been my most difficult of the three, I really had an overall positive experience.  I know there are so many women out there who have horrible pregnancies and I don’t know how they do it being sick every day for 9 months straight, or on bed rest.  They are my heroines.  Yes, I threw up a lot in the beginning and dealt with some aches and pains; however, there are certain things that definitely helped to make my pregnancy easier and more enjoyable.  Here are my 8 pregnancy lifesavers that helped me survive all three trimesters, even with two toddlers at home! (Yes, TRAVEL is on the list 😉)

Blanqi belly support for pregnancy can be purchased here
1.  Maternity Clothes: I’m soo thankful I was able to get some really comfortable and stylish maternity clothes this pregnancy and it made such a difference.  Getting dressed in “real people clothes” , as I call them, J and feeling good about my appearance always gave me more energy and confidence than if I had just bummed around in Matt’s sweats every day.  So I always made a point to get dressed and do my hair and make-up every day which made me feel so much better.  Some of my favorite maternity brands are:

  •        Shop Pink Blush: The most adorable shirts, dresses and pants are in this line.  You can literally find something for every occasion and they are all super stylish and fit the trends so your bump looks cute and you can feel confident to show that belly off.  J

Black Lace Trim Cold Shoulder
Heather Grey Cold Shoulder
Dark Blue Maternity Jeggings


  •          Southern Grace Maternity: I got a few pants and shirts from this line and I pretty much lived in their pants because they were so comfortable and fit me perfectly!  I always have a hard time finding pants that fit me, most xs maternity pants are too big on me because I literally have no hips, but I was so thankful that this line runs a little small in pants and they fit great- even before my bump was big.


2. Diclegis: For those of you who don’t know what diclegis is, it’s a category A prescription drug for nausea during pregnancy.  I never needed to take this with my two previous pregnancies (and I was maybe a little judgey about woman that did take it, I didn’t even have a sip of coffee when I was pregnant with my first).  But this time, I was so sick in my first trimester!  I literally would lay in bed all day throwing up if it wasn’t for diclegis to help ease my nausea.  I took it for the entire first half of my pregnancy and I honestly don’t know how I would have survived without it. 

3. Exercise: Fortunately teaching spin and barre classes at the YMCA held me accountable to getting up every morning and getting my butt to the gym.  I’m sure there were days I wouldn’t have wanted to work out if it wasn’t for my commitment to teaching my classes, but I definitely think it really helped throughout the pregnancy.  Exercise helped me gain a healthy amount of weight throughout the pregnancy and helped me keep my energy all 9 months.  I never kept track of my heart rate, but I always made sure my heart rate was never too high that I wouldn’t be able to talk.  I modified my resistance on the spin bike and my range of motion in barre so that I wouldn’t pull a muscle. 

4.  Travel: I’m soo happy we booked our three big trips: Banff, Japan and Chile during my pregnancy!  Many people told me they were so impressed I went to all these places while pregnant, but, I have to say, being away was so much easier than being home!  Even traveling to Banff being SUPER nauseous in my first trimester was better than being home because I think it helped keep my mind off of feeling sick and I loved ordering out whatever I was craving and not having to cook, (which always made me even more nauseous).  (Read more about traveling in your first trimester of pregnancy here).  Japan was so much fun in my second trimester, and Chile was great in my third too because I didn’t have to cook, do dishes, laundry, etc.  We did modify our Chile itinerary by renting a car and limiting how much walking I would need to do, because my back always hurts in that third trimester.

5.  Staying Healthy: Praise the Lord our whole family stayed really healthy this winter and I attribute it all to a change we made this fall: incorporating Maty’s OrganicProducts into our daily routine.  I remember being pregnant with Dylan and feeling like I caught a cold every other week that would turn into a sinus infection, and it was so frustrating!  I think when we are pregnant it’s super easy to get sick because our immunity is more easily compromised.  One of my favorite Maty’s products is their organic cough syrup, made with all natural whole food ingredients, so it’s safe to take every day, even when you aren’t sick because it’s just giving you a boost of immunity foods that help fight the common cold and sickness.  My whole family uses the cough syrup every day- I add it in our smoothies, on our cereal and oatmeal, in place of maple syrup on our pancakes and we even take it by the spoonful.  I love that I don’t even have to worry about “overdose” because everything is all natural so it’s okay to take a little extra if you are craving it- which I totally do sometimes! :)  I also love their Acid Indigestion Relief Capsules which have helped me soooo much when I get pregnancy acid indigestion!  

6.  Mommy Me Time: I feel like this is so crucial even when you aren’t pregnant.  So often we put ourselves on the side burner and just give, give, give to our kids until we are completely burnt out with nothing left to give.  This pregnancy, I started regularly going to Chez Ann Salon for haircut and color, nails, facial, and my favorite, eyelash extensions.  I’ve really loved having eyelash extensions because they make my eyes appear so much more awake all the time.  I get the “natural” look and it is perfect for mom life.  Matt comments all the time about how pretty my eyes look right when I wake up and it’s totally because of the extensions.  Since my natural eyelashes are so blonde, it looks like I hardly have any eyelashes if I’m not wearing makeup.  I also started coloring my hair to hide a few greys and give it a little shine.  I think, as we age, our hair kind of becomes dull looking, so it’s been nice to have a little life back in my hair again.  I really can’t say enough good things about Chez Ann Salon and I must admit, feeling good about my appearance and taking time out to pamper myself a little definitely has made me a better mom and wife.  *The first two photos below were taken by the talented Dana Marie from Adore Studio when I was getting my hair and make up done for my Adore Maternity Photo Shoot.

7. Date Nights: I’m so happy Matt and I have really prioritized date nights because it is sooo important.  I truly believe that we won’t be good parents if we aren’t strong as couple.  I also know that having nights away, just the two of us, helped me feel so refreshed and made my pregnancy easier because I was regularly getting away from the craziness of cooking and cleaning at home.  Our three favorite date overnights while pregnant were: the Reikart House, which you can read about our experience here; an overnight we took for my birthday at the Mansion on Delaware and our babymoon at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.  You can read more about our experience at the Mansion on Delaware (last year) here and our babymoon at the Ritz-Carlton here.
One of my favorite (obviously staged) pregnant insta pictures promoting Perry's Ice Cream Valentine Flavor: Berry Into You... Matt is such a good sport ;)
8. Sleep: I cannot emphasize enough how important sleep is, even when you aren’t pregnant!  Sleep helps prevent illness, repair your muscles, process food better, decrease aging, and gives you the extra energy you desperately need during pregnancy.  I have to say in my last month of pregnancy I’ve needed to sleep every afternoon.  Unfortunately, Dylan (my four year old) has completely given up naps, so I’ve had to compromise and let him watch TV while I sleep.  I felt guilty about it at first, but honestly, it is the only thing that will keep him occupied and I know that it is just a season and by summer, we will be outside all day every day and make up for all the TV I’ve let him watch this winter.  J  Taking that afternoon nap helps me get through dinner and the evening, and makes up for the nights I’ve had poor sleep from my uncomfortable bump and frequent bathroom trips throughout the night.


***Stay tuned everyone because the next time you hear from me, it will be to introduce you to our newest addition!!  We can’t wait to meet our perfect little surprise baby!!! 

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