There are things I regret not doing during my first pregnancy that I want to help other new moms avoid. Here are 10 things I’m going to do differently the second time around!
Welp.
I’m pregnant once again with my second baby. I literally took the pregnancy test last night.
Was it planned? Nope 😂 But we are rolling with it anyway, hah!
Even though this pregnancy is a surprise, we are still extremely excited. It does change some plans I had, but I will simply have to adjust. Our little boy is almost 14 months now, and I think it will be great (but also crazy) timing to have another little addition at the beginning of next year!
Soon after I found out about being pregnant, I started making a list of all the things I regret NOT doing during my first pregnancy, with the hopes of doing them this time around. It can be difficult to know what you wish you did or didn’t do during your first pregnancy until after it’s over, because you just don’t know. No matter how many people tell you, how much advice you get, how much research you do, it is highly likely that you will still look back and think, “Dang. I should have done this.”
And that’s okay. That’s honestly like most things in life. You learn and you grow and you learn some more.
Make the changes with your next pregnancy or write a blog post about it for other moms to read 🙂
In the meantime, I thought I could share my thoughts with you in case you wanted to consider them as well for any of your pregnancies.
This post is all about things I regret not doing during my first pregnancy.
10 THINGS I REGRET NOT DOING DURING MY FIRST PREGNANCY
I didn’t enjoy it:
Okay, out of all the things I regret not doing during my first pregnancy, this is at the very very top.
I hate admitting this… But even though we planned our first pregnancy, I had an extremely difficult time adjusting to what was happening to my body. EXTREMELY.
I have always had more of a runner’s body type and I’ve always been active, so when my body started developing a little bump that continued to get bigger, I didn’t know how to cope with it. My body had never gone through so many changes so quickly in my life. Puberty does not even begin to compare. I felt awkward, embarrassed, unattractive, not like myself. This is just the start of the long list of negative emotions I felt throughout the entire 9 months.
Sadly, there were only a handful of moments where I enjoyed being pregnant.
I want that to change. Drastically.
This time around, I want to be more appreciative of my body as a woman, of the capabilities it has to grow life. When I see my little baby bump, I want to feel excited instead of ashamed. I want to give my belly bump more love and affection and more care. I want to be the mom that shows off her baby bump instead of hiding it, feeling like a confident and sexy milf 😉 We all have a deep desire to be one of those, don’t deny it.
I’m going to enjoy being pregnant this time!
I didn’t moisturize daily:
I moisturized my belly a lot, but not every day, and certainly not multiple times a day. The truth is, I got lazy. I also didn’t get any stretch marks, and so I thought I didn’t need as much moisturizer… Until I hit my third trimester. Literally, the last month or two of my pregnancy was when I got stretch marks. They weren’t horrible, but they were enough to bother me.
I know they aren’t always preventable, as genetics play a role, but I believe that you can reduce the look of them or reduce how extreme they get by moisturizing.
Don’t be like me. My lazy butt and prideful brain thought, “I guess I don’t need as much moisturizer as other people because I haven’t gotten any stretch marks and I’m almost in my third trimester, blah blah blah.” 😂 Hah! I was so ignorant.
This time, I will be moisturizing. Single. Day. And I’ll be starting yesterday so I can develop the habit and stick with it.
Not only will I be moisturizing my belly, but I will be sure to moisturize my breasts. This was another huge mistake I made, only focusing on my growing belly when breasts increase during pregnancy and postpartum, too. Some people even moisturize their bums, so keep that in mind. And honestly, if you plan to breastfeed, you should continue to moisturize your breasts throughout your breastfeeding journey. I developed many stretch marks on my boobs thanks to breastfeeding.
You also don’t need a fancy stretch mark cream. Of course you can invest in one, but many of these are really expensive and work equally as well as things like coconut oil, vitamin e oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or a mix of a few oils. The trick is to just keep it moisturized. Period. And drink water.
I didn’t eat enough protein or drink enough water:
During my ultrasound, I was told to do my best to eat 80 grams of protein each day and to drink at least 100 ounces of water daily.
I failed pretty miserably at this.
And honestly, I wish I would have been better at just watching my diet in general. I wish I would have been more mindful and chose healthier options. For the most part I felt like I did an okay job- I definitely wasn’t eating Cheetos for breakfast every day (if this is you, please stop hahaha). But I also wasn’t monitoring things like how much salt I was eating or how much butter I put on my bread or maybe I’d eat three cookies instead of one.
So, my hopes for this pregnancy are to be more mindful about the food I’m eating, making an emphasis on a higher intake of protein and staying very hydrated.
I didn’t exercise daily:
I love exercise. If you know a little about me, I am getting certified as a personal trainer! But, it can be really difficult for me to move my body daily during pregnancy.
For me, during the first trimester, I have previously felt extremely tired, nauseous, I experience hot flashes, etc. I kicked butt during my second trimester. And then during the third trimester I didn’t sleep as well, I felt as big as a house, and I was way more out of breath.
I tried to get in a workout as often as possible. And I tried to keep up with the workouts I was used to: using weights, HIIT workouts, my dance classes, etc. Although I did really well during my second trimester, my first and third were difficult to be consistent with due to how I was feeling. I found myself feeling frustrated about my “lack of discipline”, frustrated that I wasn’t feeling well enough to take care of my body, and honestly feeling a little bitter about getting behind on my self-improvement goals surrounding exercise.
So this time, instead of trying to get in an intense 45 minute workout every single day, I want to focus on any type of intentional movement, like daily walks or prenatal yoga. Things that I can easily do even if I’m not feeling my best that won’t push my body more than it needs that day.
I didn’t take enough pictures:
Out of the things I regret not doing during my first pregnancy, this is another that is at the top.
I regret SOOO badly, not taking more photos of my pregnancy.
Because I felt the way I did throughout my first pregnancy, I didn’t want many pictures taken of me. I never felt cute and the pictures that were taken always made me look 3x as big as I actually was. Plus, investing in an actual pregnancy photo shoot can be pricey. So it never happened.
I wish I took more photos of my pregnancy progress, I wish I had more photos of my husband loving on my belly, I wish I had beautiful posed photos of me in a beautiful dress with my beautiful baby bump… Sigh.
Whether it’s professional or a friend takes them, or your mom uses your disposable camera to capture candid moments…
Just take photos.
I didn’t invest in maternity clothes:
Okay. Listen up. Especially if you are a frugal human being, you’d better listen twice as hard.
You need to buy at least one maternity outfit that you feel absolutely incredible in. AT LEAST.
Please please please do this for yourself.
I made the mistake of not investing in any cute clothes to wear during my pregnancy, and it ended up being the time of my life where I felt the most unattractive. So having nothing to wear did not help my cause. My go-tos were baggy sweats and a t-shirt and it made me feel worse about myself.
During this pregnancy, you can bet your ass I’m buying myself some lovely pieces that I feel confident in.
This includes bras, especially if your cup size changes.
Hint: The clothes don’t actually have to be maternity specific. Find something stretchy or flowy. I love the idea of finding outfits that will fit with and without a pregnant belly. This is easier for all you frugal people to justify buying outfits 😉
I didn’t always take my vitamins:
I know, I know. This was horrible. But it’s the truth.
I was absolutely garbage at taking my vitamins, including my prenatals, every day. It was difficult to remember to take them, especially as the vitamins started to pile up throughout my pregnancy. I was taking (well, supposed to be taking) like, 15 vitamins a day. It was a lot for my pregnant brain to keep track of!
(I highly recommend a weekly pill organizer.)
Related Post: Things To Buy When Pregnant: 3 Items I Wish I Had
I ordered my own pill organizer this morning, and will be using it religiously. I needed one that not only had daily compartments, but also morning, afternoon, and evening. There are some pills that I will need to take three times a day as my pregnancy progresses.
No excuses this time, Mica! And no excuses for you either, Mama 😉
I didn’t invest in a pregnancy pillow:
By the time I hit my third trimester, sleeping was becoming very uncomfortable and my hips were so terribly sore. Apparently, this is what a pregnancy pillow is for.
I didn’t want to spend the money on a pregnancy pillow, especially because they were so large and we live in a 752 square foot condo. I didn’t want to store it after only using it for three months. So I was stubborn and said forget it.
Now, I’ve never used a pregnancy pillow, so I’m not actually sure if this is the answer. But I do know that it’s a good place to start if you are uncomfortable while sleeping. However, if you can find another solution to be comfortable during your last trimester, then I recommend you try it so you can sleep better. There is a way to set up regular pillows around your body to mimic a pregnancy pillow, but I’m not exactly sure what that way is.
I do know that I am caving in. Come the end of my second trimester, I will be purchasing a pregnancy pillow.
I didn’t get more prenatal massages:
I was pregnant on my birthday during my first pregnancy, which was when I was about 7 months pregnant. My husband set up a prenatal massage for me.
Oh. My. Lordy lordy. I should have been getting a prenatal massage every month! 😂
It was seriously amazing.
They are pricey, so once a month is very unrealistic for me, but I think that scheduling two or three massages during the last trimester of my pregnancy would be doable. Massages during the first and second trimester would be nice, but I didn’t feel as sore then as I did during my third trimester.
If you can invest in just one massage during those last couple months, I highly recommend that you treat yourself! I didn’t realize how much I needed one until I was gettin’ rubbed down 😉
I didn’t get an ultrasound printout:
In case you didn’t know, I had my baby at home. That’s right. I’m one of those women who chose not to go to a hospital at any point throughout my pregnancy or my delivery. Which also means I never got a printout of my first pregnancy ultrasound 😭
We had one ultrasound throughout my entire pregnancy, which was at 20 weeks. We received a USB drive with the footage, but never a physical copy. This might be kinda a weird things to add to my things I regret not doing during my first pregnancy list, but I do regret it. I wanted one so badly.
So this time, I will be getting my hands on a physical copy. Somehow. Maybe I will go to the hospital for an ultrasound, or I’ll go to an ultrasound studio, or I’ll print one out myself. Either way, I want a physical copy of my little fetus that I can put on the fridge and look at all the time.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Hopefully this list helps you have less regrets during your amazing and unique pregnancy journey! Best of luck, Mama. Your baby will be your greatest adventure.
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