I can’t believe that there are only about five more weeks left in my pregnancy! How quickly time flies! I am so anxious to welcome this little girl into our home full of boys. So far this pregnancy has been quite easy and very enjoyable, which has been a lifesaver having two busy little boys already. I know it will most likely be my last so I’ve been trying to enjoy it best I can. Even with these last trimester aches and pains and low energy. I’ll be back to my old self before I know it.

Although I’m far from an expert, I thought I’d share with you what I’ve been doing during this pregnancy to ensure that it is a little more natural. I know some of you know many more tips than I do and I’d love for you to share them in the comments, but here is what I’ve been doing so far.

1. Prenatal Vitamin – I heard once that you get your money’s worth when you buy cheap vitamins. I don’t know how true it is, but I heard that the cheap one-a-day vitamins just pass right through you whole. So for this pregnancy I decided to splurge a little on vitamins and bought these Super Nutrition vitamins. They are green-food based tablets which help for quick digestion (about 15 minutes). I take them after dinner, because taking them any other time of day made me completely nasceous during the first and second trimester. This vitamin combined with Prenatal DHA sample tablets that a kind Whole Foods worker handed to me (a huge stack of them – so sweet of her) have been keeping me feeling good.
2. Easing Morning Sickness with Milk Thistle – For my two previous pregnancies I had awful morning sickness. Luckily it really was just limited to the morning, but it was full of throwing up and just awful none the less. So when I first found out I was pregnant for the third time I did some research on how to lessen morning sickness and found this post on mothering.com. The basis of the info says that the liver is what takes it the hardest during the early parts of pregnancy and what helps out the liver is milk thistle. Ideally you want to start taking this before you become pregnant. Since this pregnancy was a surprise, I didn’t have time to do that, but I started taking it as soon as I could and although it didn’t get rid of my morning sickness, this was the easiest first trimester I have had, which was a blessing. Was it due to the milk thistle? I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to take it, so give it a try.
3. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea – Since my last pregnancy I had read up on how good drinking red raspberry leaf tea was for you during pregnancy. It supposedly, when drank regularly, can aid in shorter, less complicated labors. Red raspberry leaf tea is said to strengthen and tone the uterus too. I, unfortunately in the name of natural living, have to have a planned c-section with this pregnancy due to a very thin uterian wall. But I have been drinking red raspberry leaf both hot and iced anyway to at least strengthen my uterus. It is also high in iron, which is good for my pregnancy induced anemia. More reading can be found here.
4. Nettle Tea – Stinging nettle is also another good pregnancy herb to have on hand. Luckily about a year ago I won a contest where I was sent a huge bag full of dried nettle leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs and have enjoyed drinking regular infusions. Nowadays I mix it with the raspberry leaf tea I have to make my own pregnancy tea. Nettles are chalk full of nutrition, especially folic acid which is important during pregnancy. It also, along with red raspberry leaf tea increases breast milk which will be helpful next month!
5. Preventing Stretch Marks – I already have my fill of stretch marks from my first two pregnancies, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to take preventative measures to avoid any more. So through some research I found that coconut oil is great for skin and for preventing stretch marks. I rub coconut oil directly onto my stomach in the evenings and I use my homemade hand lotion on my belly every morning, but instead use half olive oil and half coconut oil when I make it. So far, even though I’m as big as I’ve ever been there haven’t been any new stretch marks! Yahoo!
6. Easing my Mind – As you know, I have energetic 6 year old and soon to be 4 year old boys which can be exhausting to follow through the day even when not pregnant! I know how important keeping your stress levels low are during pregnancy, but between the boys and my business, staying calm constantly seemed impossible. Luckily as the good world turns, I met the founder of the Hearth Foundation and encouraged her to teach a non denominational meditation class to myself and a few other moms here in town. Learning this practice, which I try to do daily has been an incredible live saver both in parenting my two growing children and for keeping my stress levels low while growing a new little bean.

What have you found helpful during your pregnancies?