I announced it on facebook, but you readers here may not have seen it, so I’ll announce here as well: I am currently 14 weeks pregnant with child #6 which means that he/she should make an appearance sometime on or around December 4th! My youngest son, Samuel, will be 3 years old in a couple of weeks which means that he and this current baby will be about 3 1/2 years apart, which is my largest spacing between children ever.
The morning all day sickness has been worse than what I usually experience, although, in the past 2 weeks or so it has really started to noticeably subside and I am starting to get some of my normal energy back. I’m usually not one to suffer much during the first trimester, out of all my children this has definitely been the worst..with the second worst occurring during my pregnancy with my only daughter, Charity, who will 4 years old in a couple of weeks. Which makes me think that 1.) it is another baby girl OR 2.) I’m getting too old for this shit! lol I turned 31 almost a month ago, all of my other pregnancies occurred between the ages of 19 and 28..this is the first pregnancy of my 30’s and it has not been a pleasant one thus far.
Seriously, if you are young married woman reading this, my first bit of advice to you is to have your babies as early as possible when your body is young and strong and able to handle it with enthusiasm! Biologically speaking, your optimal years of fertility are between the ages of 18 and 25. I had practically ZERO morning sickness with my first three children and my third child was born when I was 24 years old, but, since then, it seems like it has gotten progressively worse with each new pregnancy…pregnancy number four being slightly worse than pregnancy number five and this pregnancy, thus far, being the absolute worst.
I cannot stomach a large meal, have not been able to since about week six of this pregnancy. I eat many small protein rich “snack-size” meals throughout the day, the moment I feel hungry, and that seems to help immensely. Things are getting better though, last night I actually managed to eat the whole burger for dinner along with an O’Doul’s Amber non-alcoholic beer (which, surprisingly, wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be) Usually, with a food like that, I would have to cut it in half and eat the other half 2-3 hours later…if I ate the whole thing I would usually feel nauseated for at least an hour afterward, sometimes longer. But then, if I allow myself to get too hungry I also feel nauseated, even after I eventually do eat. Altoids, with their copious amounts of natural peppermint oil usually help in taking the edge off the nausea though…so does candied ginger. Also fresh pineapple and baked sweet potatoes swimming in butter seem to really agree with me.. However, plain whole milk yogurt, hardboiled eggs, or bits of whole milk mozzarella cheese have been my main “go-to” snacks as they are pretty bland and very easy to just grab and munch without much fuss (and with 5 kiddos to care for I require easy snacks!) but like I said, things are starting to get gradually better thank you God!
I am, of course, religiously drinking my red raspberry leaf infusions (1 oz. dried herb with 4 cups boiling water poured over it and allowed to steep for at least 4 hours, strain then drink.) I found a really good deal on Amazon Prime for organic red raspberry leaf by the pound and also taking my cod liver oil but I have to divide the dose into thirds and take 1 tsp. after my first feeding of the day and then another teaspoon after a mid-day feeding and then another teaspoon right before bed, all totaling up to the required 1 tbsp. a day. Sometimes I take a bit of raw apple cider vinegar mixed in a little bit of water before taking my cod liver oil, the vinegar increases the acidity of my stomach thereby helping in the digestion of the cod liver oil, or at least that is the theory. I notice that when I do take the vinegar though I have less “after burps” containing essence of fishiness. (yuck)
Naturally, I have been more tired than normal, I have NEVER been one to take naps but lately I find myself taking a little rest around 3 or 4pm. Mostly I just lay on the couch and play a video game or watch a movie with the kids (with the two toddlers climbing all over me, of course lol) for an hour or so..sometimes I fall asleep, mostly I don’t, but when I get up I feel refreshed and hungry. Then we grab a snack and go outside and play in the garden. The fresh air combined with the feel of soft dirt and cool plants always works wonders on my spirit, I’ve even been getting up close to 7am on most days now (usually awakened by hunger, which I would, under normal circumstances, usually ignore and go back to sleep…buuuut, like I said, with this pregnancy, doing that just makes me feel worse so now I force myself to get up and eat something..). I usually go outside and putter about in the garden until the rest of the household wakes up around 8:30am. I just love being out there in the quiet stillness with the pale light of dawn and the slight bit of fog still clinging low to the hollow in which we live, everything sparkling with dew as the sun rises over the ridge and light pours down through the trees setting all the garden to a brilliant diamond-like blaze (sorta like the hide of a twilight vampire lol 🙄 )..it is at that precise moment that I feel most at peace 🙂
I have cut back on a lot of things though, after nearly 3 years of milking I have finally dried off my goats in preparation for breeding them this Fall..which is one less thing I need to do and has freed up at least ninety minutes in my schedule…plus the two older boys, who are 11 and 9, have really started to pitch in and do more around the house, partly to help me as they always see how tired I am and partly because a lot of the new chores are just plain fun! They especially like making their own eggs and toast for breakfast, or popping popcorn for a snack or for after dinner (in a popcorn popper, on the stove, we don’t own a microwave..) and they like to compete with each other on who can carry and stack the most firewood, they even enjoy watering the garden believe it or not! lol
So, all in all, my advice for pregnancy would be this:
1.) Try to have most of your babies between the ages of 18 and 25…of course, get married FIRST!
2.) If you are nauseated, eat small protein rich snacks often and don’t let yourself get too hungry. Stay away from white sugar and white flour products which will cause abnormal spikes in your blood sugar and just make you feel worse and more tired.
3.) If you’re tired, rest. (PERIOD)
4.) Do things that help you to feel peaceful and calm, and ask for help if you need it. Seriously, NO ONE expects you to be Wonder Woman!
5.) Don’t forget about nutrition! Good nutrition is the most important aspect of a healthy pregnancy! The higher quality your nutrition the more likely that your pregnancy will progress normally!
Check out my blog post: My Diet For Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Musings Of A Mountain Mama 