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Jewish Attachment Parenting > Pregnancy and Birth > Basic self-care?


Title: Basic self-care?


npl - February 19, 2012 06:05 PM (GMT)
Can anyone suggest some basic things I can do to help me cope better with the physical demands of pregnancy?
I'm not quite half-way there, BE"H, and I'm totally exhausted and finding the pregnancy to be harder on me physically. The little things are harder to cope with. I think it's a combination of age and the demands of having 4 kids, one of whom is an active toddler who is home full time.
So, remind me of the little things I can do to support my body while it works so hard (besides more sleep, which I'm getting as much of as I can).


jul511riv - February 19, 2012 07:44 PM (GMT)
Herbs, herbs, herbs...

dandylion, nettles, alfalfa...blackstrap molasses...floradix iron+herbs

That should get you started on your search. Please DO make certain that these are appropriate for YOU, before you take them.

emunahbutterfly - February 19, 2012 08:35 PM (GMT)
are you experiencing any specific symptoms?

npl - February 19, 2012 09:50 PM (GMT)
Exhaustion, digestive slowness, sore muscles where my belly is expanding, and the perenial varicose veins that I need to find a decent pair of support stockings for.
B"H the nausea seems to be basically over. I am not getting it every day any more!
Mostly, though, it's feeling tired and achy and old! I can't keep up with what I need to get done. Not just not finishing the dishes, but not getting more than a couple done before I'm tired and start bumping the dishes on the faucet. I can't do a big grocery shop and other errands in the same day without feeling like I overdid it. Mommy brain is making it hard for me to make important phone calls.
I wondered about my iron levels, but they were good when tested. My midwife wasn't concerned that my symptoms are out of the range of normal, but with a family to keep up with, I would like to function better!

Julriv - molasses is interesting - I've been craving black licorice.

emunahbutterfly - February 19, 2012 10:06 PM (GMT)
i rec. liver once a week and magnesium supps. magnesium should at least get rid of achy and clumsy. i can only vouch for the effectiveness of natural calm.

elisheva - February 20, 2012 01:22 AM (GMT)
I agree with JulRiv. With each subsequent pregnancy I have felt my body needing more and more supplementation. Never in my life have I been low iron or even close until my last pregnancy when I found myself craving sand of all things. I think with each pregnancy we have to work harder to replenish our body's stores of vitamins and minerals.

npl - February 20, 2012 07:42 PM (GMT)
Interesting.
I guess I need to be more careful about getting the best nutrition I can, and daven that the toddler starts sleeping better. I think the two combined should go a long way to helping me feel better.

npl - February 26, 2012 03:54 PM (GMT)
Update:

I'm starting to feel somewhat human again! And I can't say that I've had a chance to do much about the suggestions you've given, besides trying to eat more decent protein and iron and dealing with the constipation more aggressively.

I guess part of it was just a stage of pregnancy. Looking forward to the other ideas helping, too, because I'm getting that pre-Pesach urge to tidy, and I'd like to take advantage of it!




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