Making Pregnancy Discomforts Tolerable

I am 8.5 months pregnant ... and have been ready to get this child of mine "out" since the fourth month.  The first 3 months were only tolerable because I knew it was not uncommon to be nauseated or exhausted (especially when you have a 1 year old toddler running around).

When the nausea and vomitting didn't stop after my first trimester, I became less tolerant of the symptoms.  The sciatica, which was my only complaint during my first pregnancy, returned by the time I was 9 weeks pregnant.  Accompanying it was lower back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, "charlie horses", major headaches, stabbing chest pains, and extreme shortness of breath - when sitting down, standing still, or moving about - and a slew of other symptoms that although fairly normal pregnancy symptoms are not supposed to be major issues during your second trimester.

All the symptoms still persist.  I feel nauseated daily, still vomit (although at least not daily anymore), have massive headaches on a regular basis, get so short of breath (when doing anything or nothing at all) that I get dizzy spells.  I still have aches and pains (although again, at this point in my pregnancy many of the aches and pains are expected).  Had my first pregnancy been anything at all like this, my son would be an only child - I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would do this again if they felt like this the first time - essentially I have felt extremely unwell for almost 9 months.

Why am I telling you all this?  Because as awful as I feel most days, I have found a couple of solutions that have made my pregnancy a little easier, more comfortable and tolerable.  Because they have made me feel better throughout my pregnancy I have chosen to offer them at Storks & Berries - my online store - so as to help alleviate some of the discomforts of pregnancy felt by other women.  I want to share with you my two favourite pregnancy "coping strategies".

Belly Blossom Belly Balm by Mother Earth Natural Products is one of those products I tried on a whim and then felt compelled to share with other pregnant women ... thus, I added it to Storks & Berries.  It doesn't completely alleviate my nausea when it is at its worst, but it does make it bearable and allow me to get some rest; if, however, the nausea is mild to moderate it does take it away for a while - offering a much needed reprieve from the awful feeling.  It smells great and feels so good on my itchy, stretching tummy.  Belly Blossom Belly Balm is made without preservatives, perfumes, dyes, or any synthetic ingredients; it contains only organically grown and wild herbs from Vancouver Island.  I recommend this product to anyone who is pregnant and strongly encourage you to try it if you are at all nauseated during your pregnancy.  As an added bonus, this product is currently on sale at Storks & Berries as part of our 1-year celebration!

Another great product that I couldn't survive without is the DreamWeaver Full Body Pillow.  This pillow is so incredibly comfortable, it supports me in all the needed places - my back, legs, neck, and even my overextended tummy!  I haven't yet used it as a "nursing pillow" and it's not designed to be one; however, I can definitely see how it can be used as one.  A great feature of this pillow is that it is machine washable - so you can stop worrying about all the stuff that is growing in your pillow and just throw it in the wash!  Whether or not you are pregnant, this pillow is definitely worth checking out and considering ... it's definitely worth the cost ten times over!

I hope you will check out these super-terrific products if you are pregnant and suffering discomfort ... or if you know someone else who is (both of these products make a great gift!).

Thanks for reading!