One important thing to get right is taking a prenatal vitamin in conjunction with a real food diet. You should be able to get a free prescription from your healthcare provider. However, many women experience nausea and do not absorb the nutrients from these brands of vitamins. They also can contain some artificial additives. Even if they are free or less expensive, the overall value may be less if your baby cannot get the nutrients they need or if they are getting harmful ingredients along with the vitamins and minerals.

Now, let’s now  talk about those negative aspects of pregnancy like constipation, nausea, swelling, morning sickness, cramping, and stretchmarks! I’m sure these aren’t topics you really want to talk about, but there are easy ways that they can potentially be avoided.

Cravings are a signal to your body that it needs something. The right foods and the right quality help you avoid cravings and excessive weight gain. It is a signal that your body needs something specific, and it is not saying it just needs more calories necessarily. This is important to keep in mind because you really do not need to eat for two. You only need to increase your caloric intake by 300 calories starting in the second trimester and 500 calories in the third trimester.

My dad came to my house to watch my kids this morning.  They’re 2 ½ and 11 months.  When I walked out the door at 7:00 AM, I felt free.  It was an easy morning and a stress-free start to my day.  Usually leaving the house goes something like this:

Despite my attempts to start getting ready to leave at 6:45, suddenly…“It’s 7:00!!  We got to go!  Mommy still needs to dry her hair!”