6 Things I’m So Glad I Did During My Pregnancy
There are so many things to get done during your pregnancy and there are even more things that people tell you that you have to do based on their experience — it can be so overwhelming! From my personal experience, these are the top 6 things I’m SO glad I did thus far and would recommend to all of my fellow pregnant ladies out there!
1. Completed the nursery
Not everyone is on board to do this right away or before the baby is born, but personally, I’m so glad I did. Not knowing how much time I’ll have to do it after our baby is here (it’s safe to say not much), I wanted to get it done beforehand as a way to prep for our little one. Nesting set in REALLY early for me and having the nursery to focus my energy on helped me in many ways, from occupying my time to relieving stress, helping me feel more prepared, etc. If you have the means and energy to do so, I highly recommend it!
2. Took maternity photos (and took lots of pictures/videos in general)
Everyone says to take LOTS of pictures during your pregnancy and I’ve heard so many people say they wish they’d taken more, so this has been a big focus area of mine. Sometimes when I’m feeling lazy and not wanting to do it, I remind myself that it’s impossible to know if I’ll ever be pregnant again, so I want to celebrate these moments and document them as best as I can. I also think it will be so special to have lots of photos and videos to show our daughter one day. As for maternity pictures, I almost didn’t do them because they seemed like such an easy thing to skip and I figured I had plenty of other photos anyway. However, I’m SOOOO glad I did them! It was so empowering to celebrate my body and the changes it’s gone through in that way and these have become some of my favorite pictures ever knowing my sweet husband took them and our little baby is inside me. Trust me, it’s worth it! It would be a great thing to ask for as a baby shower gift as well.
3. Had a 3D ultrasound done
Wow, was this cool! This is another thing that I went back and forth on, and once we realized we weren’t going to be getting many ultrasounds at my doctor’s office, I felt a strong pull to do the 3D one at a third party location because I just really felt like I needed to see my baby. In addition to that, COVID restrictions have prevented Justin from being able to go to the doctor with me since around 6 weeks or so into my pregnancy, but the third party place doesn’t — so we really wanted to have this experience together. Seeing our baby’s face for the first time wasn’t as emotional for me as I thought it would be, I was just so happy and honestly in a bit of shock to see what exactly is growing inside of me. It’s WILD! I find myself staring at those pictures of her often and it made it all so much more real.
4. Threw a baby shower
COVID made me hesitate to have one because the risk just didn’t seem worth it to me, but after brainstorming with Justin and my mom about some alternative options for how we could make it work and be safe for everyone, we decided to move forward with it… and I’m so happy we did because it was the most special day. We went with an outdoor 2-hour open house at our house with social distancing and it ended up being great. People were able to stop by if they were comfortable and as a very cautious pregnant person during a global pandemic, this gave me peace of mind for the safety of those in attendance.
5. Went on a hospital tour
I like to feel prepared (this is no surprise to those of you who read here often 😉) and something I had been feeling unprepared about was the hospital. Though I’ve been inside our hospital for other doctor’s appointments, I’d never seen the labor and delivery unit, nor was I even sure where it was located. When the time comes, I wanted to know which door we needed to go to, what the process was, what the hospital provides, etc. before jumping in headfirst in such an intense situation. Going on the hospital tour answered all of these unknowns for me and I now feel so much more prepared! The lady who gave our tour was incredibly informative and answered all of the questions I had written down before I even got a chance to ask them. It was amazing.
6. Journaled
I don’t ever want to look back on my pregnancy and have it be a blur. This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever gone through and I never want to forget a single thing, and for me, writing about my experience has been the perfect way to further document it. I have a baby book in addition to my blog where I’ve gotten to write about so many moments, milestones and more. It’s so fun for me to go back and read my old posts to see how I was feeling and what I was going through at the time, and yet again, this is something I can share with our daughter one day. Whether it’s in a notebook by your bed or your own personal blog like mine, I encourage you to write down everything!
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Those are 6 things I’m so glad I did during my pregnancy. With it coming to an end soon, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection and these are some of the things that have warmed my heart, made me feel better and I’ve felt the most grateful for during this life-changing time. If you enjoyed this post, catch up on my other pregnancy-related ones here & follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on when our little one decides to join us!