Pregnancy Favorites

As I write this, I am one month from my due date. Also as I write this, infertility struggles that very close friends of mine have gone through or are going through now are heavy on my mind, and it’s so bittersweet to feel this little one wiggling away while I so badly want my friends to have all that they want.

Anyway, there are a few things that I’ve been relying on through this pregnancy that I wanted to share. Yes, some of them are pregnancy-specific, but one of them is just a straight-up delicious snack that anyone can enjoy. Let’s start with that one.

Medjool dates stuffed with almond butter and sprinkled with salt have become my afternoon tradition. I started seeing lots of articles about how eating dates during pregnancy can help with labor and recovery, and I’m also always up for a nice snack, so I figured I would give it a chance. Sometimes I blend the dates up and have them in a smoothie instead, but this delivery method is my current favorite.

Along with my dates, I have a mug or two of this Traditional Medicinals pregnancy tea. This is laden with raspberry leaf, which is thought to also be very healthy for pregnant women (actually, for all women- raspberry leaf is commonly referred to as a “women’s herb.”) If nothing else, it’s hydrating, so I’m here for it.

Speaking of hydration, I found passionfruit LiquidIV at Costco and am obsessed. I drink it every day, although I don’t follow the recommendation of putting it into 16 ounces of water. I mix it with 32 ounces, so the flavor is a bit less strong. And while this might be purely mental, or it might be due to the fact that I down no less than 120 ounces of water everyday, I do feel super hydrated.

I heard about Seedlyfe and ordered the pregnancy smoothie blend, a powder that I’ve been tossing into my beloved Daily Harvest smoothies along with a bit of collagen. I also have my eye on the postpartum blend, which will hopefully help with breast milk production, mood, and energy as it claims. Can’t hurt, right? If you want to try it I have a code that will save you 15% on fertility, pregnancy, new mom, PMS, or menopause smoothie blends- http://seedlyfe.refr.cc/gabriellel

I have also relied heavily on continuing to exercise, incorporating more yoga into my day, regular visits to the OMM (what a lifesaver), and prenatal massages to keep myself feeling good and moving relatively well.

It’s never lost on me how lucky I am to have become pregnant easily and have had two (so far) uneventful pregnancies. I am thankful for it everyday.