Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Leg cramps are caused by two things – tired, over-extended calf muscles or a mineral imbalance.  Whatever the cause, everyone who has experienced these nighttime awakenings understands the pain you feel!

There are two main ways to avoid leg cramps.  The first is to make sure that you are resting your legs during the day, especially when you reach the third trimester.  Make sure you’re sitting down with your feet propped up for at least ten minutes out of every hour.  If you do have to stand for long periods at a time, try to rest one foot on a box or stool four to eight inches from the ground, alternating feet regularly.

My mother in law told me the most horrifying story back when I was pregnant with my first baby. Her sister had gotten married and was pregnant with her first child. When my mother in law, who had no children at the time, went to visit her she discovered that her sister had been forbidden from taking a bath while she was pregnant.

Her new family believed that if she bathed the baby would be harmed or even washed out with the bathwater. Thinking their superstitions to be a bunch of hogwash my mother in law snuck her sister out to the bath facilities and promptly set her up for a lovely bath. The baby of course was fine.

You have heard the words that every pregnant woman dreads – you need to go on bed rest – and so, with much reluctance, you climb into your queen-sized bed and wait for the day when your baby will arrive. Bed rest offers some benefits to you and your baby but it may also lead to other issues that you did not know about.

More than the Baby Blues
Your friends will probably tell you how lucky you are to be lying around all day as if you are enjoying an in-house vacation, but nothing could be further from the truth. Staying cooped up in bed or on your couch will be fun for the first day but after that, you might dread the thought of spending another hour lying down.

There is nothing as unpleasant as coping with morning sickness. Of course it isn’t just morning sickness either; you could be sick pretty much any time of day or even the whole day through. They say that morning sickness ends with the first trimester, but that isn’t always the case.

With my first child I never got severe morning sickness. Instead I was nauseous 24 hours a day. I only was actively sick once or twice, but I had a terrible time eating much of anything and was so picky about what I ate. By the time a few months had passed I didn’t really feel as sick as before, but I still didn’t feel great.