Pregnancy is weird. Plain and simple. The weirdest part is that each pregnancy is different, and you never know what symptoms you will have. Even from day to day it can be a mystery. Will I waddle like a penguin today or walk like a ballerina? Will I get heartburn from looking at the tomatoes in the fridge? Will I have the energy to wash, dry and fold the laundry today? You never know.

There are a few things I’ve found help ease some pregnancy symptoms or make it a little bit easier! It’s a time you want to remember with some fond memories, not just discomfort and heartburn.

1. Keep Moving

If you want to be able to bend over in the third trimester, you are going to have to start in the first trimester. Exercise throughout the pregnancy is important. There is a lot of strain put on a woman’s body during the 9 months plus delivery and maintaining a healthy body will help manage that.

I know, it’s not easy. You’re exhausted (like you can’t imagine being more tired than this…until baby arrives). You’re sore. There are muscles that hurt and you didn’t even know they existed. But daily yoga, stretching, walking, weight training, whatever your preference, will help you feel better in the long run. Not to mention help combat heartburn or other nagging issues that can arise in pregnancy. So get moving!

2. Eat Healthy

“You’re pregnant, you’re eating for two!” You often hear this, and it’s not necessarily wrong except the second person you’re eating for isn’t a sumo wrestler needing thousands of calories. What you are eating for is a tiny person who is sucking the nutrients from everything you eat. So it’s important to refuel your body with foods that have these nutrients to keep you going.

It can be challenging to eat healthy while pregnant (believe me, I know). There are food cravings, food aversions, nausea, gas, heartburn…just about every issue you can imagine. There are days when I want to sit on the couch and eat ice cream sandwiches all day (one of my favourite desserts). And should you indulge in these foods? Yes, of course! But you also need to balance it out with other healthy foods. Eat those fruits and veggies! And don’t overeat, if you can help it. Packing on additional pounds (besides what is normal) only will make things harder.

3. Chamomile Tea

I didn’t struggle with heartburn in my first pregnancy. I think I had 2 instances where I had it. I struggled with it postpartum though. I never could figure out what caused it and now in my second pregnancy I struggle with it. If I get too hungry, I get heartburn. If I look at tomatoes, I get heartburn. If I’m stressed about something, I get heartburn. And I’m on a strict diet so it’s not like I’m overdoing it anywhere.

So I turn to chamomile tea. For me this works better than taking a Tums. Obviously I don’t have heartburn that requires prescription meds, it’s just moderate but I find the tea really makes a difference! The only downside is heartburn tends to make an appearance around 9pm, right before bed. Drinking tea that late can mean I’m up peeing in the night. Sometimes you gotta pick your battles though!

4. Lemon Ginger Tea

While I’m on the tea train…ginger tea, ginger mint tea etc they all worked for nausea in the first trimester! I would make some tea, put it in my travel mug and it would stay hot all day. I carried it around with me everywhere and sipped it throughout the day. I have a hard time drinking it now (I developed a food aversion to it) but it sure worked in those first few weeks!

5. Sour Foods

Need more ways to kick the nausea? Sour candies are a good option too! I hate sour candies. C used to laugh at the faces I made but they helped in the early days so I ate them, even though I couldn’t stand them. Alternatively, you also can add lemon juice (plain, no sugar added) to your water and this helps as well.

6. Keep a Calendar

I know not everyone is crazy like me and has multiple calendars but I do find they help! When I was pregnant with E I was teaching so I had calendars all over the place and was always on track with everything. This time around I’m at home. So I made sure I got a pocket calendar that I kept in my purse. Then I also wrote things down on our calendar in the kitchen.

There are a lot of appointments during pregnancy, especially near the end. It’s good to have it written down to remind yourself. Writing things down also will help you commit it to memory so you don’t forget (because pregnancy brain is a real thing). And it’s helpful if you have your weeks written in so when you are making appointments you have it right in front of you. I tend to forget how many weeks I am…at this point it just feels like forever!

7. Pregnancy Pillow

Yes, those giant pillows that take up half your bed…they are worth the price! My husband HATES mine. It’s big and bulky but it helps me sleep, so he puts up with it. E on the other hand LOVES it. He lays in it and pretends to go to sleep. I don’t blame him, it’s pretty comfy! And you want to sleep as much as you can during pregnancy so get a pillow to ease the discomfort!

8. Lay Down

This seems so ridiculous but if you have the opportunity, lay down. Sitting is good but actually laying down (on the couch, on the floor, in a bed) is better. I’m not a napper, even during pregnancy, but I did find laying down made a big difference on the days when I was tired.

Obviously if you’re working you can’t just lay down on the floor so sitting is the best option. But when you have the chance and you feel like you need a break, take it! Your body will thank you and it might give you that boost you need to finish the day.

9. Be Your Own Advocate

I struggle with this one because I hate conflict but it’s really important. Pregnancy is overwhelming and you want to trust your doctor(s) but you also need to know your own medical chart as well as personal expectations. I’m a special case because of my rare form of diabetes but I learned early on that you have to be clear in what you want when talking with doctors. Not everyone was familiar with my form of diabetes and I had to be on top of it. I had to know my history as well as information on the disease and be ready to ask questions when something didn’t seem right.

Same in the delivery room/hospital, sometimes you have to be firm about what you want. Don’t expect them to come and check in on you to see if you need help. Be ready to ask for help when you need it and be clear about what you want/need.

10. Don’t Feel Guilty

If you have to say “no” to doing something, don’t feel guilty. If your family is eating frozen lasagna for supper, again, don’t feel guilty. If you’re laying on the couch instead of mopping the floors, don’t feel guilty. Pregnancy is a full time job, it’s just happening “behind the scenes.” It’s okay to take a break when you feel like you need it. Today just might be one of those exhausting days and tomorrow you might have enough energy to run a marathon. Don’t feel guilty, you are doing more than you know, even from the comfort of the couch!

11. Everything is Normal in Pregnancy

Okay not everything but a lot of weird symptoms and issues are normal. Nose bleed? Normal. Yeast infection? Normal. Pelvic pain? Normal. Bleeding gums? Normal. Headaches? Normal. Be sure to mention these things to your doctor and obviously if you are in serious pain or the symptom is getting worse, go to urgent care or the hospital but typically most things are (annoying) but normal.

12. Plan Events Before Baby Arrives

Maybe this is a no brainer but try to plan events before baby shows up. Weddings, parties, family gatherings, big moves etc. People will want to meet baby once they arrive but trying to lug a newborn to a wedding or big event is much harder than just finding a maternity dress. So take that into consideration when making arrangements for things. You know what you can handle during pregnancy but in all honesty you have no idea what your baby will be like or what your postpartum care will be like!

13. Do Things Ahead of Time

Get your hair cut. Go to the dentist. Get your eyes checked. Go shopping for postpartum care products. Get the oil changed in your car. Prepare your maternity leave documents. Do these things before baby comes. Sitting on hold with the government because your paperwork hasn’t been filed is not fun (because a service agent will become available just as your baby is peeing on the wall during the diaper change and you will be on speaker phone trying to clean everything up).

I also chipped a tooth when E was 10 days old and had to go to the dentist. Thankfully my mom was still with us and I was able to get it fixed really fast. Obviously I didn’t plan for this to happen but trying to work around a newborn’s schedule was tough. So if there are things that can be done ahead of time, do them!

14. Enjoy What You Can

It’s not all wonderful. It’s not all magical. There will be a lot of frustrations and irritations. But there will be some good things. The fact that your body is building a human, while keeping you alive and then you in turn are keeping a family alive or working full time or whatever else you do during the day, is amazing!

So try to enjoy the little things in pregnancy. The kicks and rumbles from your belly, watching it grow, picking baby clothes and preparing for the bundle joy. You may not look back at these days and miss them but they will be special for you so try to remember the closeness you have to baby.

And don’t forget, you got this mama! It’s not easy and you might miss the extra cup of caffeine or lunchtime sushi but it is worth it. Babies are miracles and so is the body that is building them. Do not forget that!

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