What to expect when you're expecting

Warning: This is not about the book. This is not about the movie either. These are what to expect when you're expecting. Embracing your first chapter as a mother-to-be and how to manage the positive to negative vibes around you while you were growing the bump inside your womb. This is about certain things you might or may not (lucky you!) experience while preparing yourself to be the "mom" of your unborn child.

I am close to my delivery. So close that I encounter every old wives tale and every unsolicited advices from everyone, my family, my relatives, friends and my readers as well. From the gender issue to preparing my firstborn's clothes, from healthy precautions to risky labor, from normal delivery to cesarean, the do's and dont's of a pregnant women and what I SHOULD eat. Mind you, it is stressful enough to hear all of them rather than reading it from a book or from others experience.

Every pregnancy is unique. No two pregnant women are alike. So whatever they have in the past will be likely not 100% happen to you. If they do have a risky labor just because they do this and that, doesn't mean you will too. You still have your own decision and you're the one who is capable of what you're having forward.

1. The Old Wives Tale

A pointed belly means you're having a boy, while a wider one means you're probably having a girl. Same goes with a beautiful pregnant women who is expected to have a girl. 

Fact: No one can really guess what's inside you. Even the ultrasound doesn't have the 100% assurance of what gender your baby will turn out to be. Although 80-90% are correct, still, there's no such thing as old wives tale with regards to gender of your baby. Some might also believe on the chinese calendar. Imagine the excitement of a mommy who's ultrasound says that she's having a baby girl but right before she delivers, the ultrasound becomes a boy!

2. Weight gain + Weight build = your baby's gain too!

Stop eating too much because you might have a hard labor when the baby is fully grown inside. Nah! That's probably one of the terror a pregnant would hear while she's having the hard time of what to eat and what should not and when not to. 

Fact: If you are getting heavy after weeks of being pregnant, it is not likely that your baby does get heavy too! Having a large bump or a small one doesn't mean it's your baby's size either. It is the roomy space only for your baby. If you are a petite one, normally people will tell you that you have a small baby inside. Cross that out because a small built will not have a large belly after all! It is the only space she can have so do not entirely base the baby's size on what you see outside. Besides, your baby will always adjust on the inside and will expand after  giving birth.

3. Eating sweets, salty and cold ones are not allowed!

This is really alarming for me! Because this are my favorites. But as we always know, what's too much should be avoided, not really "not allowed". Stop eating too much sweets but you can always have one or two sweets in each week or take the doctor's advice to eat dark chocolates instead if you still can't resist the urge to have a bite of chocolate. Salty = UTI, which is true. Again, do not intake too much salty foods or if in your case you can't resist to take some salty snacks, then just limit yourself to add to much preservatives on your food and eat lots of water to avoid having infections afterwards. The cold ones, the beverages and the softdrinks even the latte's are also a NO NO to pregnant women. After asking my OB about this, she told me that having a drink or two every week is not really bad. Besides, you are most likely to intake cold drinks because of the hot weather and the hot body temperature your experiencing. Again, just limit the intake of this drinks.

4. Get out of bed early in the morning and walk around

A lazy routine for me and I didn't bother to take chances on it. Stubborn me! Expect me to be lying at my bed around 10AM until 1PM because I can't sleep at night and chances are I am more sleepy in the morning. I don't even walk around to practice my pre-labor because it's too hot! The only walking exercise I have is when I am going to the bathroom or doing my grocery, ran errands and oftentimes visiting my niece. I hardly get up early, or if so, I will still take a nap after eating a little in the morning. Lucky me, I didn't have edema or even varicose but I know for sure that I will have stretchmarks because I can't help myself from scratching my belly from time to time. So itchyyyyyyyy!

Pregnant women are advised to have an exercise to help them their easy way out of delivering their baby and the chances to have a normal delivery. But walking doesn't mean that it's the only way to have one. You can have kegels and time to time practice of breathing while lying in bed. There are also small exercise for each trimester so you can cope up and avoid edema as well.

5. Sleep early because it affects your baby

As much as I wanted to do follow this, I really can't. I am used to sleeping late because of my work before and now I can't adjust my system or sleeping pattern anymore. One time I sleep early, I was fully awake at wee hours and can't sleep until I see the sunlight beaming at my window.

Fact: You and your baby doesn't have the same sleeping pattern. If you are awake, the baby is sometimes asleep or vice versa. Having a sleep early will not fully affect the growth of your baby. As long you have an 8 hours of sleep everyday will make yourself be ready in the delivery, healthy and not stressed. If you can't attain to have a full straight 8 hours, atleast take a 15-20 minutes nap whenever you feel like sleepy. Just make sure you do have enough energy for a day. Once the baby is out, you will have sleepless nights and it will be hard for you to have a cozy sleep because you'll be busy for your baby. So take a rest while you can!

This are just the some of the concerned unsolicited advices that bugs me throughout my pregnancy. But just because they told me so, doesn't mean I would likely obey them 100%. Still, I weigh out my doctor's advice, my own decision, what I heard and what I read. Again, remember, "no two pregnancies are alike".