Expecting

3rd trimester pregnancy symptoms can be some of the toughest to handle. As your body continues to grow and change things start to get pretty uncomfortable. This post has tips and tricks to help manage 10 of the most common third trimester pregnancy symptoms to help you stay comfortable. Pregnancy insomnia, swollen ankles, fatigue, constipation, braxton hicks contractions, and more!

A more recent trend, a babymoon is a play on “honeymoon”. It is a trip you take with your partner before baby arrives. A babymoon can be taken at any point while pregnant, and can come in variety of lengths and destinations.

Pregnancy is a time of growth and transformation (literally and figuratively). A time for excitement and anticipation. And, if you’re like most mamas, a time for preparation. And that urge to prepare, organize and clean? You’re nesting, mama!

Setting yourself up with a postpartum care kit before baby arrives is essential.  By creating a postpartum care kit that is outfitted with everything you need to be comfortable, you will heal faster and save your partner a trip to the store for supplies after baby arrives.

So you’ve made it to second trimester of pregnancy. Hopefully with a lot more energy and subsiding symptoms from the first trimester. Are you wondering what you should be doing in your second trimester to stay on track of the baby preparations? Do you feel like your to-do list is never ending and are wondering when to prioritize which baby-related tasks?

Waiting for your baby’s arrival is a special and exciting time in life. You are filled with anticipation, eagerness, and a desire to have everything ready before their arrival. From creating your registry, to assembling the crib and cradle, to washing and folding all of those adorable little clothes, you are off to a great start, but I’m here to make sure that you don’t forget about prepping in the kitchen. One of the best things that I did in my last month of pregnancy was channeling all of those inner ‘nesting’ desires towards preparing delicious and healthy meals for my freezer. In the first weeks to months after baby is home, the last thing you will want to be doing (or your partner!) is cooking meals, grocery shopping, and doing endless dishes. Keep reading to learn about why this is important, what you can stock up on in the pantry, how to fill your freezer, reaching out to your support network about meals and recipe inspiration.

If you are currently expecting, you are probably spending a considerable amount of time preparing. Outside of buying cute onesies, prepping a nursery and having a shower, you might want to put aside some time for a birth class. This is especially true if you want to increase your chances of having a particular type of birth, or if this is your first birth.

N was born on a Monday evening in late summer. Like many mothers, getting to the amazing moment of holding her in my arms for the first time was a long process, and quite different than I had envisioned. Let’s start at the beginning...

Are you working on your baby registry? Or maybe at the point where you’re trying to fill in the gaps after your shower and setting up the nursery? What baby clothes did you receive? Do you have enough? My guess is, you’re probably wondering how many baby clothes do I need?

Learning about your postpartum recovery before labor and delivery is smart. I focused so much on the actual birth, that I really didn’t know what to expect in the weeks after birth. I knew I needed to get some pads and witch hazel wipes, but that was about it. I wish I’d read about how I would feel, common discomforts and learned healing tips while I was preparing for birth.

You just took a positive pregnancy test. Congratulations! But now what? This post is a complete guide to get you started. When should you make an appointment? Foods to avoid while pregnant, how and when you should tell people you're pregnant, and early pregnancy symptoms you're likely to experience.

All throughout your third trimester of pregnancy, the thought of your baby’s arrival is constantly in your mind. Getting to hold your newborn for the first time will be one of the best days of your life. But with the excitement of that new baby, you undoubtedly think about the labor that will get you to that point. What do contractions feel like? How long will labor be for my first birth?

Isn’t it just wonderful that finding out you’re expecting, which should be such a joyous occasion, can make you sick, literally? Morning sickness afflicts a vast majority of pregnant women in the first trimester. While morning sickness can't really be cured, there are ways to relieve the symptoms to reduce your nausea.

This article covers dealing with postpartum depression, processing your birth, coping with your new identity of being a mom, and strategies that you can enact before and after delivery to prepare yourself physically and emotionally for a new baby.

Introducing a baby into your family is a very exciting and big change. I remember being so excited that last month that all I wanted to do was find ways to prepare. I did accomplish some useful things, but looking back I see now how I could have really spent that time more wisely.