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Pregnancy

What to Do After a Positive Pregnancy Test

June 23, 2020 by Jenni Madsen Leave a Comment

What to Do When You Find Out You’re Pregnant for the First Time

You ran through a list of super early pregnancy signs.You got that faint (or glaring) second line on a pregnancy test and now you KNOW- you’re pregnant! Congratulations 🙂

Now what?

First off, take some time to process and celebrate. Order your favorite meal in, watch a fun movie (have you seen Saved?) and just let your brain try to process what is happening. And make sure you check out this list of no fluff pregnancy essentials 🙂

Next, it’s time to think about practical things to do when you know you’re pregnant:

  • Schedule a doctor’s appointment.
  • Decide who you are willing to share the news with (early).
  • Start a prenatal vitamin.
  • Quit smoking/drinking alcohol.
  • Exercise.
  • Stop cleaning out your cats litter box.
  • Avoid raw fish and deli meats.
  • Start a baby registry.
  • Start gaining knowledge about pregnancy, labor and birth.
  • Begin a pregnancy journal.

RELATED: Pregnancy Must Haves (to make pregnancy enjoyable!)

When Should You Go to the Doctor After a Positive Pregnancy Test?

Make an appoint with your doctor so that they can confirm and give you medical advice on your next steps.

It’s important to make the appointment for as soon as possible, especially if it’s your first pregnancy.

Bring any questions you might have- write them down or start a note in your phone so you don’t forget!

When is it Safe to Announce Your Pregnancy?

There is a 10-15% chance of having a miscarriage in any pregnancy. Most of these occur before 12 weeks.

The people who I trusted and wanted to share in my pain if I had a miscarriage- those are the people I told early.

This was my mom and two close friends. 

Everyone else I told after 12 weeks.

A miscarriage is devastating. We all pray it won’t happen to us but the truth is that is does happen sometimes. It’s good to be realistic about it.

If you can’t imagine telling someone about a miscarriage, don’t tell them you’re pregnant before 12 weeks.

Start Taking a Prenatal Vitamin

It really is important to start taking a prenatal vitamin right away- they contain important nutrients for your tiny babe and for YOU!

The 3 most important parts of a prenatal vitamin are:

  • Folic acid– this reduces the chance of birth defects like spina bifida. It also helps your baby’s spinal cord and brain to develop properly.
  • Calcium– did you know that your baby will actually take calcium from your bones and teeth? It’s important to make sure you’re getting enough to keep your bones and teeth strong.
  • Iron– this helps your blood bring oxygen to your baby.

RELATED: Remedies for Morning Sickness That WORK

Quit Smoking and Drinking Alcohol

If you are smoking, please consult your doctor about what to do and how to quit safely. I happened to quit smoking before I found out I was pregnant and I did it without any pharmaceutical help- try reading this book. (I’ve actually bought 8 copies of this book and given them to people who are trying to quit smoking- it’s insane how it works!)

Definitely stop consuming alcohol immediately.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause stillbirth, FASDs and miscarriage.

Exercise

Exercising during pregnancy has a lot of benefits:

  • Better sleep.
  • Increases energy.
  • Improves your mood.
  • Reduces back aches.
  • Will help you to be able to cope with labor and birth!

If you haven’t been exercising, don’t worry about starting some crazy routine right away. Calm down, process this life change and then slowly start adding in walks or yoga- whatever you WANT to do. 

Find something you enjoy!

It IS important though- being active throughout your pregnancy will help you during labor and birth. 

It’s almost like training for one the hardest things you’ll ever do- physically and emotionally. 

Stop Cleaning Out the Litter Box

There is a parasite that lives in cat poop and the litter box that can cause toxoplasmosis.

It’s rare but if you happen to get it, it can pass to your unborn baby and cause stillbirth or miscarriage.

So if your partner is putting up a fuss, show them the facts.

Avoid Raw Fish and Deli Meats

Both raw fish and deli meats have a higher chance of being contaminated and are very much best to avoid while pregnant.

Deli meats can contain listeria which can cause miscarriage. 

Raw fish/meat have the risk of being contaminated with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella.

Start a Baby Registry

A baby registry is nice because you can add all the things you need and when you let friends and family shop from your registry, there is less chance of people getting doubles or too many of something.

When you sign up for Amazon’s Baby Registry you actually get a free 35$ welcome box of free stuff 🙂

RELATED: How to Get Pregnant with Twins (naturally)

Start Gaining Knowledge

There is something I deeply regret after becoming pregnant with my first child and that is not researching or taking any classes.

I thought that being pregnant and having a baby was natural and therefore I would be fine.

It was okay, but there were moments during labor/birth that I really wish I had known certain things so I could advocate for myself better or known what to do and trust myself.

Knowledge is power. Take a really good prenatal class, read a some books you trust and ask your doctor lots of questions. 

Hilary has been an OB nurse since 2001 and offers a free prenatal course you can take online from the comfort of your home- very worth it. She knows her stuff and is very down to Earth- grab her prenatal course here.

Some pregnancy books that will help you:

  • What to Expect When You’re Expecting
  • Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
  • Nurture– a modern guide to pregnancy and birth.

You can start a free audible trial and get all the above books for free (just cancel your trial before it’s over- I think it’s 30 days.)

Start a Pregnancy Journal

This is a huge, life changing event. It’s fun to look back and see how you were feeling during your first pregnancy.

This pregnancy journal has it all laid out week by week and offers a place for ultrasound and bump photos.

RELATED: Third Trimester Checklist (with a free printable list)

Celebrate

Seriously, if you are pregnant,  CONGRATS!!! It’s scary, life changing and amazing! You are going to rock this. And if you find yourself not rocking it, you find yourself some people that GET you and understand that not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows all the time.

There will be highs and lows- just like anything in life. Embrace the highs. Embrace the lows. You got this.

what to do after a positive pregnancy test
what to do after a positive pregnancy test

Filed Under: Pregnancy

How To Get Twins

June 20, 2020 by Jenni Madsen Leave a Comment

Odds and How To Improve Your Chances of Having Twins

If you’re wondering if it’s possible to increase your chances of having twins, you’re in the right place. Even though some factors come down to genetics, there are a few that are in your control- and they don’t involve fertility treatments!

Here’s the deal:

You CAN up your chances of conceiving fraternal twins. Let’s dive in to HOW!

How To Conceive Twins Or Triplets Naturally

  • Try when you’re over the age of 30– women who are over the age of 30 start naturally producing more FSH (folic stimulating hormone). If FSH levels stay too high for too long, more than one egg will be released at a time resulting in fraternal twins.
  • Gain weight– this may seem counter intuitive but studies show that women who have a higher BMI also have a higher chance of conceiving fraternal (not identical) twins.
  • Conceive while breastfeeding– Dr. Steinman ran a study where he found that women who became pregnant while breastfeeding were 9 times more likely to conceive twins than women who weren’t.
  • Take a folic acid supplement– research on taking folic acid to increase your chances of having twins is limited. There was a study that did find the chance of twins increased but it was only one study and a slight increase.

RELATED: Pregnancy Must Haves (for every trimester)

What Is A Monogyzotic Twin?

This means twins derived of a single ovum, so identical. Identical twins are the result of a single egg that splits in two which means that they will share the same DNA and always be the same sex.

What Is A Dizygotic Twin?

These are twins derived of separate ovum so not identical or fraternal. Fraternal twins happen when 2 separate eggs are fertilized in the same pregnancy. This means that the twins can be different genders and won’t necessarily look the same.

What Are My Odds of Having Twins With No Family History?

Having twins naturally occurs in about 1 of every 250 pregnancies.

Triplets happen in about 1 in every 10,000 pregnancies and quadruplets occur in 1 of every 700,000 pregnancies.

The chance of identical twins is about 3-4 out of 1000.

Calculating the chance of fraternal twins is a bit more complicated because there are factors that need to be taken into account:

  • Genetics– women with a mother or sister who have had non-identical twins are twice as likely to have them as well.
  • Age– being over the age of 30 increase the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which can cause a woman’s body to produce more than one egg during ovulation resulting in the increased chance of fraternal twins.
  • Height/Weight– twin mothers tend to be taller and heavier than non-twin moms.
  • Diet– a small study conducted in 2007 did find that women who were vegetarian or omnivore compared to vegan women had a higher chance of having twins.
  • Ancestry– Nigerian’s have the highest chance of conceiving twins, followed by European’s with Asian’s being the least likely.
  • Previous birth– your chance of twins goes up with each subsequent pregnancy. This may be due to the fact that you are getting older with each new pregnancy.

The number one way you can increase your chance of having twins is by using a fertility treatment.

Conceiving fraternal twins can be affected by your age, race and hereditary background but those factors have no affect on identical twins.

RELATED: Super Weird Pregnancy Signs

What Foods Can I Eat To Increase My Chances Of Having Twins?

Yams!

There is a town in Nigeria called Igbo-Ora where there are 40-50 sets of twins born for every 1000 live births whereas the rest of the world follows a 3-4 per 1000 statistic.

According to this source, this is because the women here eat an incredible amount of cassava, a plant with a tuber root.

Cassava and tuber root vegetables contain a chemical that can cause more than one egg to release during ovulation so it’s speculated that the women who are eating a lot of these vegetables (especially the peel) have a much higher chance of conceiving twins.

There isn’t much research to document this claim and not enough studies have been done to say if it’s true or not.

You can get a cassava supplement from here and start taking it before TTC. This can increase your chance of having twins but also increases your overall fertility.

The positive reviews mention twins and conceiving after battling infertility but please read the negative reviews as well- some women mentioned headaches and a later period.

There was a study conducted that found that vegetarians and omnivores were more likely to conceive twins than vegan women from eating more dairy products. This also was dependent on areas where cows were given more growth hormone.

RELATED: How To Beat Morning Sickness (tried and true remedies)

Do Twins Skip a Generation?

It’s often repeated that twins will skip a generation but that is actually a myth. The birth of twins in consecutive generations is possible.

What To Do When Having Twins

Do you think you’re pregnant with twins? Take a deep breath momma. You’re going to be okay! Click here to read some positive birth stories.

RELATED: The First 10 Things to Do After a Positive Pregnancy Test

RELATED: The Ultimate Third Trimester To Do List

How rare are twins?

Twins occur in 1 of every 250 pregnancies.

How rare are triplets?

Triplets occur in 1 of every 10,000 pregnancies.

how to naturally conceive twins/what to eat to have twins/twins folic acid

Filed Under: Pregnancy

Early Pregnancy Symptoms (within the first 2 weeks)

March 8, 2020 by Jenni Madsen 2 Comments

EARLY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS BEFORE MISSED PERIOD

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Lucky for you, I’ve been in both camps when it comes to early pregnancy symptoms. With my son, we were trying for 4 months so that’s 4 times I went absolutely crazy trying to figure out every little twinge.

So here’s my strange early pregnancy story:

After my third conception, I KNEW I was pregnant right after we had done it. Don’t ask me how. My husband said I was nuts. I started getting crampy and gassy the next day. My sense of smell heightened. I started craving chocolate and had more vaginal discharge than normal. I had a faint positive pregnancy test at 8 DPO which is highly unlikely. Just saying, sometimes you KNOW.

Have you taken a pregnancy test yet? These pregnancy tests are 10$ for 25 tests. They’re dip strips and they’re the same strip that’s encased in the drug store tests but cost twenty times less than those! You can see a positive line WAY earlier than regular tests. They also sell ovulation strips which is how my son was conceived.

RELATED: What to do After a Positive Pregnancy Test

Very Early Pregnancy Symptoms Before Missed Period

  • Tender or swollen breasts
  • Fatigue
  • Slight bleeding or cramping
  • Nausea
  • Food aversions or cravings
  • Headaches
  • Constipation
  • Mood swings
  • Faintness or dizziness
  • Feeling pregnant
  • Gas and bloating
  • Low back ache
  • Change in vaginal discharge

RELATED: Pregnancy Must Haves (for a thriving pregnancy!)

Symptoms of Pregnancy in the First Month

Tender or Swollen Breasts

how soon can you get symptoms of pregnancy?

This is a symptom I never experienced but so many women do. If your breasts are tender or swollen at all, the chances of being pregnant are high.

Or you might just be getting your period. Check out this article to distinguish the two different possible meanings.

Fatigue

early pregnancy symptom/fatigue

Are you tired as hell? And not just like a ‘one bad sleep’ tired-

like a ‘got hit by the exhausted truck and cannot. get. back. up.’

I noticed this a lot more with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies. It’s a heavy feeling, one you just can’t shake. Fatigue is a telltale sign of early pregnancy!

RELATED: How To Conceive Twins (without fertility drugs!)

Slight Bleeding or Cramping

symptoms of pregnancy/ mild cramping/bleeding

In very early pregnancy this can be more than one sign:

  • Implantation Bleeding
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Miscarriage

Implantation bleeding occurs when the egg embeds into the wall of the uterus. It’s very slight and you may not notice it. But if you are trying for a baby or suspect you are pregnant early enough, it usually happens 10-14 days after conception. I noticed with 2 out of 3 babies like clock work on the 12th day after conception! A slight brownish red streak, that’s all it was for me.

Ectopic pregnancy signs include sharp or stabbing pain, vaginal bleeding, gastrointestinal symptoms, weakness, dizziness or fainting.

Miscarriage symptoms include mild to severe back pain, weight loss, white-pink mucus, true painful contractions, brown or bright red bleeding and decreased signs of pregnancy.

Nausea with or without Vomiting

Nausea can start as early as 4 weeks gestation which is two weeks after a missed period. It’s different for every woman, some don’t feel nauseous at all! If you are experiencing this, try taking multivitamins or prenatals later in the day instead of on an empty stomach.

Have you ever heard of Ginger Chimes? They are SO great for morning sickness.

RELATED: How To Reduce Morning Sickness (proven methods!)

Food Aversions or Cravings

According to Healthline, food aversions and nausea are usually the first signs of pregnancy. This is because the hormone Hcg (the pregnancy hormone) is wreaking havoc on your system. It peaks around week 11 but you will still probably experience aversions/cravings throughout your pregnancy.

Headaches

Headaches in early pregnancy are a result of the surge of hormones in your body and an increase in blood flow. I didn’t seem to experience this symptom but again, everyone is completely different!

Did you know eating a handful of almonds can get rid of a headache?

This video is INSANE, I can almost guarantee that it will get rid of your headache, no pills required! I used this a lot during pregnancy.

RELATED: No Fluff Pregnancy Must Haves For Every Trimester

Constipation

Constipation means having difficulty having a bowel movement. When you get pregnant, you will get a surge of progesterone which is thought to slow the movement of the gut.

Try drinking more water, avoiding large meals and going for walks after eating!

If that doesn’t help, check out these remedies.

Mood Swings

Mood swings were something that affected me greatly. I was shocked at the level of intensity starting right from beginning. In fact, this is one symptom that I KNEW I was pregnant with my third baby starting from a few days after conception… Call me crazy but it’s true!

Some things that can help cope with mood swings:

  • Go for a walk
  • Eat some healthy, vibrant fruits/veggies
  • Turn on some feel good music
  • Try to get a good night’s sleep

Faintness or Dizziness

This can be attributed to dilating blood vessels and dropping blood pressure. Move carefully and sit down if you need to!

Missed Period

This is a very obvious sign and the most famous. However if you have had more than one baby or done a lot of reading up on pregnancy, you might know that this is not always the first sign you notice! I noticed this with my first baby but with subsequent pregnancies I seemed to know my body a lot better and noticed other signs long before my period was due.

You can definitely experience other symptoms as early as days after conception!

Just Feeling Pregnant

In case you skimmed and didn’t read the first part of this post (like I love to do), I’ll repeat the story!

Never ignore your intuition. It’s there for a reason and it’s usually correct. With my third baby, I hadn’t had a period for three years. We weren’t having sex all that much cause two kids under 4, amiright?

 We had sex one time when we were on a trip in Mexico which was probably the only time that whole month. I’m dead serious when I say I KNEW within 10 minutes after. I just knew. My husband said I was crazy but we had a positive pregnancy test 8 DPO. That’s insane.

Trust your instincts!

Gas and Bloating

Again, we can chalk this one up to all the extra progesterone. TMI ya’ll, but I had such horrible gas with my third baby, starting from like day 2. It lasted almost 3 weeks, it was awful.

Make sure you check with your doctor first but feel free to try this-

Charcoal pills! They work wonders. Charcoal naturally sucks up smells and impurities, some people use charcoal sticks to purify water.

Frequent Urination

It’s surprising that that this can start as early as the time you’d be missing your period. This is caused by the hCG hormone in your body which increases blood flow to the pelvic area and kidneys.

Don’t skimp on the water to try to pee less often, it’s still important to keep hydrated!

RELATED: Pregnancy Gifts For First Time Moms

Low Back Aches

symptoms of pregnancy in first month

Ah, these pesky hormones. They really make a mess of things! Low back pain can certainly be an early pregnancy symptom. I always experienced this myself, it’s more of a dull, crampy ache that throbs in your low back.

Darkened Areola

This can happen as early as a week or two after conception. This is a sign that I always noticed because it’s kind of shocking to look in the mirror and realize that your areolas are much darker than usual! The reason this happens in because of- you guessed it! Hormones.

You may also get some small bumps that are called Montgomery tubercles which will lubricate your nipples when your baby starts breastfeeding.

 

Vaginal Discharge

You may experience a harmless, milky white discharge after conception. This is a sign I noticed with my 3rd baby for sure, mostly because I was on extremely high alert and was noticing EVERYTHING. There are other types of discharge that can be signs of other things, such as:

  • Yeast infection
  • STI
  • Bacterial infection
  • Miscarriage

RELATED: VAGINAL DISCHARGE IN PREGNANCY

Raised Basal Temperature

early pregnancy symptoms before missed period

Some women track their ovulation by keeping track of their basal body temperature every morning. You may be able to tell if you’re pregnant if you experience a raised BBT about a week after conception but this isn’t completely accurate and you need to be tracking your temperature every single morning.

If you’re anything like me, you will be googling every possible early pregnancy symptom. You will be on forums, Pinterest articles, anything you can get your hands on trying to figure out “how soon can you get symptoms of pregnancy??”

I GET IT!

Whatever your situation is, if you are trying for a baby or if this was kind of an ‘oops,’ I’m sending so much love to you on this journey no matter what❤

If you’re interested in taking a prenatal class but can’t physically go to one right now because of all the shit that’s happening in the world-

Hilary is offering a free online prenatal class. She’s been an OB nurse since 2001 and really knows her stuff about pregnancy, labor and birth. Not to mention, she’s just really funny and down to Earth. You can check out her free prenatal class here!

I hope this list of early pregnancy symptoms before your missed period has helped you! Are there any other weird pregnancy symptoms you’ve experienced that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments!

More Helpful Pregnancy Articles:

  • Best Pregnancy Tests (that won’t break the bank!)
  • Morning Sickness Remedies (for pregnancy)
  • No B.S. Pregnancy Must Haves For Every Trimester

SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY IN THE FIRST MONTH

 

 

early pregnancy signs/early pregnancy symptoms

Filed Under: Pregnancy

Morning Sickness Remedies (for pregnancy)

January 11, 2020 by Jenni Madsen 2 Comments

HOW TO STOP THROWING UP IN THE FIRST TRIMESTER

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Have you experienced leaning over the toilet, praying you won’t barf only to realize it’s inevitable? Finally barfing and then having to either go to work, look after other kids or just go about your day?

Yeah, morning sickness isn’t that fun.

Morning sickness, or nausea in pregnancy, can occur at any time of day at any stage of pregnancy. However, it typically lasts during the first trimester. Morning sickness symptoms are:

  • nausea but not always vomiting
  • if you are vomiting, it doesn’t cause dehydration
  • usually dissipates by 12-14 weeks

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a whole different ball game than morning sickness. HG doesn’t allow you to keep food or liquids down and can cause dehydration. Hyperemesis gravidarum symptoms are:

  • constant nausea
  • loss of appetite
  • vomiting 3 or more times per day
  • feeling dizzy
  • losing more than 10 pounds

RELATED: Pregnancy Essentials for Every Trimester

RELATED: Positive Pregnancy Test (here are the first 10 things you should do.)

Remedies for easing morning sickness:

GINGER

Ginger is first on the list because although they aren’t exactly sure how gingerols effect our digestive symptoms, they think it has something to do with the obstruction of the serotonin receptors in your gut which cause the nauseated feeling.

I loved using ginger in all three of my pregnancies. It’s tasty, easily accessible and totally safe for pregnancy! Here are my favorite ways to use ginger to treat morning sickness:

  • Ginger Chimes candies are amazing for on the go.
  • Homemade ginger tea- sliced fresh ginger, squeeze of fresh lemon and teaspoon of sweetener, steeped for 5-10 minutes in boiling water.
  • Ginger Ale- check out the recipe here. All I did was half the recipe, store in the fridge and add a tbsp or so to a glass with club soda when I needed it.
  • Ginger Tea Bags
  • Ginger Gravol– this is safe for pregnant women but always consult your physician.

ACUPRESSURE

Acupressure is an Eastern medicine practice used to open blocked energy pathways in the body. The P6 point (which can reduce nausea) is in line with your middle finger on the inner side of your arm. According to HealthLink, there is no harm in trying this during pregnancy so try it as much as you like!

If you get sick of constantly pushing on you arm, check out these Sea-Bands! They were originally made for combating sea sickness but people quickly figured out that they are a great morning sickness remedy.

LET IT OUT

Sometimes, it doesn’t help to prolong the inevitable. If your body needs to throw up, let it. Something that has really helped me when doing this is to actually think alright, I’m ready, I surrender.

 And breathe in to the nausea until I throw up. Accepting that it will happen makes it so much easier than fighting against it.

CRACKERS

This is something I did every pregnancy- kept a big old box of plain saltines on the nightstand. Even before getting out of bed, slowly eating a cracker or two did WONDERS for the nausea. It helps to soothe your empty stomach before you are bombarded with thoughts, smells and looking at food.

SUPPLEMENT WITH VITAMIN B6

Studies have shown that only moms who are already low in B6 will notice an improvement with supplementing. But it doesn’t hurt to check if you fall into that category!

If you are worried about B6, try eating some B6 rich foods before supplementing:

  • bread
  • wholegrain cereal
  • brown rice
  • vegetables
  • soy beans 
  • peanuts
  • potatoes

If you’d like to supplement, please make sure you are taking the correct dosage because overdosing can result in headaches, tingling,sleepiness and other side effects!

PREGGIE POPS

Preggie Pop Drops are helpful getting the morning sickness under control because of the citrus and sour components. Tons of awesome reviews on Amazon here!

RELATED: No Fluff Pregnancy Must Haves (for every trimester)

SIT DOWN AND PUT YOUR FEET UP

Slow down! It’s so easy to just brush things off in the first trimester because it doesn’t feel ‘real’ yet. Well, it IS real and you need to honor what your body is going through right now.

Sometimes the best thing is to just sit down and rest while your body experiences morning sickness. That new life inside you turns your world upside down from the moment it’s a tiny ball of cells till… well, until you die  ? But seriously, slow down and enjoy what you can.

CHANGE THE TIME YOU TAKE YOUR PRENATAL

Maybe this was just me, but I always thought that you get up and pop your vitamins for the day. And while that may be okay when you’re not pregnant, Lord help you if you are.

Your stomach is just a little bit more tender when you are growing a baby so taking your prenatal in the afternoon or evening is a GAME CHANGER.

I was throwing up my prenatal every morning with my first baby for almost 2 weeks before someone dropped that wisdom bomb on me (THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU WERE!)

ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MORNING SICKNESS

Essential oils can be diffused using a diffuser, by steam inhalation or applied on your skin with a carrier oil. A diffuser seems to be the easiest because you throw a few drops in with water, press a button and you’re good to go! Steam inhalation isn’t too bad either, you just boil some water, add a couple drops and lean your head over and inhale.

Here are the best essential oils for morning sickness:

(please always consult your physician before use)

  • Ginger  -ginger relieves digestive issues, nausea being one of those!
  • Peppermint – peppermint has been used for centuries as a digestive and a higher concentration may help reduce nausea.
  • Lavender – reduces nausea if anxiety or pain is the cause.
  • Fennel – eases digestion and settles your stomach.
  • Lemon -reduces nausea if it is a digestive problem causing it.

PROTEIN

Eating a high protein diet during pregnancy can reduce nausea. Some high protein snacks you can eat throughout the day are:

  • Hemp hearts sprinkled on coconut yoghurt
  • Chia seed pudding or added to a smoothie
  • Handful of nuts
  • Peanut butter and banana sandwich
  • Vegan protein powder in a smoothie
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Plant based protein bar
  • Trail mix
  • Edamame beans

EAT WHATEVER YOU CAN

Are you only able to eat completely plain noodles? Fruit? Potatoes and ketchup? If it’s salad like the lady above, I envy you. I was addicted to carrots when pregnant with my son, to the point my husband almost had an intervention because my fingertips had an orangey hue.

EAT IT!

Whatever you can keep down, eat it and don’t feel guilty about it. Your baby will take whatever they need and they will be fine. So take care of yourself and eat what you can.

This is why a prenatal vitamin is important though so do try to get that down!

Here are some tips for getting your prenatal vitamin down (and keeping it down) if you are having trouble.

EAT SMALL MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Small meals or constantly snack. The nausea tends to be amplified on a completely empty stomach so keep something in there!

FLUIDS

Drinking fluids is super important if you have morning sickness because of dehydration! Make sure you are drinking water as soon as you’re up and throughout the day.

If you don’t love drinking water and want to add something to it, try making a big batch of herbal tea that’s safe for pregnancy, let it cool and drink it throughout the day.

These bottles are super cool because you can add whatever you want, fruits or herbs for a fresh and healthy alternative to juice or pop! Try sticking the insert with the fruit into the freezer for fruit ice cubes!

LEMONS

This study that was done in 2014 used lemon essential oil and had the pregnant women inhaling the scent. It significantly reduced their nausea!

Drop a few drops on a tissue and inhale or pour boiling water into a bowl, drop a few drops and inhale the steam.

If you are pregnant, chances are you will experience some degree of nausea, at some point in your pregnancy. It’s not fun but at the same time, you are growing a brand new human and a bit of nausea isn’t too bad ❤

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER MORNING SICKNESS REMEDIES THAT WORKED FOR YOU? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

More Pregnancy Related Articles:

  • Super Early Pregnancy Signs
  • How to Conceive Twins (naturally)
  • No B.S. Pregnancy Essentials

 

 

 

Filed Under: Pregnancy

Best Pregnancy Tests (that won’t break the bank!)

June 19, 2019 by Jenni Madsen Leave a Comment

Did you know that the expensive drugstore pregnancy tests are not the only reliable ones out there? It was a HUGE revelation to me when I found out that you can buy packs of 20-30 tests for 8-10 dollars! Amazing!

Sometimes you only need one test so it’s not a big deal to shell out twenty bucks for one or two tests. Other times, you are actively trying and are needing to take multiple tests once a month for however many months before you conceive!

This is what happened when we were trying for our second baby and I very quickly realized that I couldn’t afford those drug store tests because I’m kind of impatient and test multiple times, way too early.

Not gonna apologize for that, I’m just gonna show you the best, cheapest pregnancy tests that won’t break your bank account!

So, you’re welcome for my level of crazy ?

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure at the bottom of the page.

A note on MIU:

All home pregnancy tests pick up hCG in your urine and the hCG is measured by MIU (international units.) So the more sensitive a test, the lower number of hCG/MIU is picked up. Most pregnancy tests measure about 20-25.

THESE ARE THE HIGHEST RATED, CHEAPEST PREGNANCY TESTS YOU CAN BUY. THEY ARE ALL HCG PREGNANCY TEST STRIPS WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT ARE INSIDE THE DIGITAL OR HIGHER END DRUG STORE TESTS:

1. WONDFO PREGNANCY TESTS

Wondfo are the first strips I ever tried and I loved them. They are clear, work quickly and they even offer an early results test that can pick up hCG at 10MIU where as most tests are 25MIU.

  • MIU: 25
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 3.5/5 on Amazon

2. ACCUMED PREGNANCY TEST STRIPS

Two reviews I read mentioned getting a BFP (big fat positive) at 9 DPO (days past ovulation.) This is SUPER early and tons of fun to get to know if you’re pregnant that early! One woman even tried the tests before conceiving so she knew there was no chance of a false positive. These pregnancy tests come highly rated!

  • MIU: 25
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4.2/5 on Amazon

3. MomMed PREGNANCY TESTS

These ones actually come with 20 free urine cups for your convenience! A few reviews mentioned that there were no false negatives, it just seemed to take longer than other tests to pick up the hCG. That being said, everyone is different and produces different amounts of hCG at different times so those who said that could just be on the lower end of the spectrum.

  • MIU: 25miu/ml
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 3.5/5 on Amazon

4. PREGMATE PREGNANCY TEST STRIPS

Super positive reviews for Pregmate test strips! One woman did comment that her tests came with a faint line already on it- although, this did seem to be the only negative review out of a ton of positives!

  • MIU: 25miu/ml
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 30 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4.3/5 on Amazon

5. CLINICALGUARD

Someone asked how long it took to get a result and an answer directly from ClinicalGuard is 30 SECONDS! Whoo hoo! I’d take that. Five minutes can feel like an eternity when waiting for a pregnancy result.

  • MIU: 25 miu/ml
  • TIME: 30 seconds
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4.3/5 on Amazon

RELATED: EARLY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS 

6. EASY @ HOME

Easy @ Home has a fertility app that tracks your ovulation and period cycles to get pregnant quickly! You can check that out here.  This is one brand I did use personally and I had no problems and loved them! Got early results with my son, definitely before my missed period. Some people seemed to have some trouble with the tests picking up hCG at the amount advertised.

  • MIU: 25miu/ml
  • TIME: 3-5 minutes
  • COUNT: 20 tests
  • REVIEWS: 3.7/5 on Amazon

7. iPROVEN PREGNANCY TEST STRIPS

These baby’s (no pun intended) can pick up hCG amounts significantly lower than the other tests at 10 miu instead of 25miu! iProven tests seem to be loved or hated, check out the reviews and see what you think!

  • MIU: 10miu/ml
  • TIME: 3-5 minutes
  • COUNT: 30 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4.3/5 on Amazon 

RELATED: MORNING SICKNESS REMEDIES

8. VERATRUE EARLY RESULT PREGNANCY TEST

These tests come with 25 disposable urine cups to dip the tests in! They’re super handy but not really necessary if you don’t care about that.

The reviews aren’t quite as glowing as some of the other tests on this list but Veratrue is a solid brand and the positive reviews are, well, positive!

  • MIU: 25MIU/ML
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 3.3/5 on Amazon

9. EZ LEVEL

One mom got a result at 9 days before her missed period, another one was 7! One person did mention indent lines, but only one.

  • MIU: 25MIU/ML
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 40 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4.1/5 on Amazon

10. MEDca EARLY RESULT PREGNANCY TESTS

These have great reviews! They are a cassette style test so they do generate more plastic waste (if you care about that)! Each test comes with a dropper to place the urine on the test, they are not midstream- I repeat! They are not midstream!

  • MIU: 25MIU/ML
  • TIME: 1-3 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4/5 on Amazon

11. ACCURATE ALLURE

  • MIU: 25MIU/ML
  • TIME: 5 minutes
  • COUNT: 20 tests
  • REVIEWS: 4/5 on Amazon 

12. PREVIEW DIAGNOSTIC

Honestly, I’m not completely sold on these tests. I’m putting them here anyway just in case you want to try them out or the price is just right for you! Leave a comment if you end up trying these for other people to see!

  • MIU: N/A
  • TIME: 3-5 minutes
  • COUNT: 25 tests 
  • REVIEWS: 5/5 (only 1 review)

RELATED: REASONS TO HAVE THAT 3RD BABY

If you are interested in tracking your ovulation, most of the linked pregnancy tests have an option for ovulation and pregnancy test strips together.

My husband and I tried this method with our second baby. For 3 months we just kind of tried when we thought we should, then I got impatient and bought some ovulation test strips. These were AMAZING and we got pregnant the first try with using them.

They tell you exactly when you are ovulating and take all the guesswork out of trying to conceive! The only kind I tried were the Wondfo brand and they worked very well for us, my son is living proof ?

Honestly, I know how crazy it can be to find out you’re pregnant. Even if you were trying and it shouldn’t be a huge surprise, it’s always so intense to see that second line creep onto the test.

So I’m sending lotsf love your way and letting you know that no matter if it’s your first, second, third or beyond child- you have absolutely got this ❤

Filed Under: Pregnancy

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