This post is sponsored by Vitafol®, however all opinions are my own.
Whoa! Lets talk about babies. Almost immediately after Brooke was born, we knew wanted a second baby and that we wanted our babies to be close in age. Becoming a parent was and is one the most amazing in life, so we decided to start expanding our family again back in May. From being pregnant so close back to back, I knew a lot more about preparing for this pregnancy ahead of time. With Brooke, she was a complete surprise, so I didn’t really have a chance to prepare for pregnancy at all. But, with this pregnancy, I started taking prenatal vitamins and doing other things a little bit before we started trying to make sure my body was Baby Body Ready. You’ve heard of “beach body ready” right? Well, here are 5 Ways to Get Baby Body Ready:
Eat Healthy
Once we knew we were going to try to expand our family again, I decided to add healthy snacks to my diet. I am a sucker for a candy bar and other snack foods, so I had to switch our house from sweets to fruits. Really, we do this for Brooke already anyways, it was just time for the adults to partake in the healthy eating.
Drink Plenty of WaterI am an avid water drinker. Seriously, I drink so much water in a day, so I didn’t really have to adjust this category very much at all. I carry water with my constantly and fill up my bottle about 9-10 a day. I can’t stress enough how much water helps me feel great throughout the day.
Watch Your Diet
Oh… the list of pregnancy do’s and don’ts. I knew the list pretty well from my first pregnancy, so I immediately cut out diet beverages and started limiting my caffeine intake. Also, my mom, who is my go-to for advice, is constantly making sure I am eating healthy and taking my vitamins. When she was pregnant with me, there weren’t as many known “cans and cants” on the list of things for baby boomers, but eating healthy and taking vitamins was big. She doesn’t remember having to watch caffeine intake, or not eat food sitting out or not eat cold lunch meat, etc…but she as always talked about fruits and veggies.
Take Prenatal VitaminsThere are a lot of unknowns in pregnancy, but one thing I do know is that you control what goes in your body and how you care for it while your pregnant. Prenatal vitamins are huge for me and I avidly take them everyday. I did a lot research on vitamins before I got pregnant and make sure I am keeping all of levels where they need to be. I love the Vitafol vitamin line up and everything they have to offer. They have 3 types of prescription prenatal vitamins that are amazing. Vitafol Ultra is loaded with 16 essential nutrients that your body needs to support a healthy pregnancy in one the smallest capsules available. It has 200mg of plat based DHA and no fish oil. It is also the #1 doctor recommended prescription prenatal vitamin. They also have Vitafol Gummies that have almost twice as much folic acid as over the counter gummies. And, unlike over the counter gummies, they also contain iron. They are yummy, gluten free and lactose free. Finally, they have Vitafol Fe in their lineup that is enriched with 90MG of elemental iron. This is a highly tolerable, easy to swallow soft gel to enhance iron absorption. This is great for women that need an extra boost of iron.
Most people believe you only need prescription prenatal vitamins if you have a high risk pregnancy, but in reality, prescription vitamins are for every pregnancy. Visit the Vitafol website for more information on Vitafol Ultra, Vitafol Fe+ with more iron and Vitafol Gummies. Plus, be sure to ask your doctor about Vitafol and download their money saving coupon!
Get Prenatal Care
My mom is a big source of information for me while pregnant, as well as, my doctor of course, and other pregnant friends. One thing I have learned is that there has been a lot more data and research surrounding pregnancy since the baby boomer generation. Throughout this pregnancy and my first pregnancy, my mom noticed quite a few advances in technology. The main difference to prenatal care is the amount of care which you and your baby are given and the clarity of ultrasounds. Ultrasound technology has come so far in terms of clarity. She remembers having one, maybe two ultrasounds throughout her pregnancy and I have already had 3 and i’m just half way. They also monitor your levels at each appointment and really keep track of you and the baby. It is so amazing how much they can do and see before your baby is ever born.
While a lot of prenatal care was different when comparing my moms pregnancy to mine, our actual first pregnancies weren’t that different. We both had fairly simple pregnancies until 34 weeks, when our babies decided they wanted to meet us early. My mom delivered me 6 weeks early, and I delivered Brooke 6 weeks early. The difference in this situation came down to prenatal care, my mom didn’t have that much time for it to sink in that I was coming early. She had a rushed, natural delivery, while, I had time to prepare. We knew about two-three weeks before Brooke was born that she was coming early. Advances in technology allowed us to see that Brooke was fully developed and over 5 pounds already. This really eased our minds and took away anxiousness. Thanks to technology, we knew our baby was good to go.
I know I feel confident that I am doing everything possible to be baby body ready for our little guy. I am very thankful to have my moms experience to compare mine to as well as friends. It is just comforting to have others beside your doctor in your corner. How did or has your millennial pregnancy compared to your baby boomer moms?
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vitafol®.
Heather Hammel
I came 3 days early with my mom via emergency c-section but the nurses at the hospital thought I was late because of how developed I was and b/c I had swallowed some meconium. I’m having a c-section as well (scheduled) and the date just so happens to be 3 days before my due date. However, I have a feeling Rory is going to come early. I had my ultrasound with the high risk specialist on Monday (32 weeks and 2 days) and she is already weighing 6 lbs 1 oz. So I’m starting to get a little freaked out and feeling like I really need to get serious and finish getting the last minute things for her and have the diaper bag and hospital bag packed within the next 2 weeks.
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