Tips Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday! Yesterday, we ran off some new year's resolutions that we thought perhaps you could abide by this year but we realize we left off an important one- to get more SLEEP! When you are pregnant, catching some good zzz's always seems nearly impossible. We understand that these tips might not alleviate all of your problems, but hopefully they will offer a few remedies for you:

* You have probably been informed that sleeping on your side is best- particularly your left side because it might improve the blood flow to your baby. Sleeping on your back can add pressure to your back, intestines and major blood vessels because the weight of your uterus will be on your spine and these particular parts of your body. This can lead to you to waking up achey and perhaps dizzy due to a drop in blood pressure. Therefore, if you are uncomfortable when sleeping on your side, try to use a thin pillow and place it between your legs and under your belly so that you do not feel like you are directly sleeping on your side. Other options are to use a big pregnancy or body pillow (if there is enough space in the bed of course) and place it under under your knees and lie on the side, or try propping yourself up so that your back is elevated but you allowing you to still somewhat sleep on your back.

* If you are prone to having the urge to pee throughout the night, hydrate plenty during the day but try to cut down later in the evening so that you can avoid the middle of the night "pee pang".

*Some women get nauseous when in bed or have horrible heartburn when they lie down especially during their second trimester. The horrible heartburn occurs because the diaphragm is restricted at this time due to the growth of the uterus. In order to help combat this issue, try to avoid spicy, fatty or fried foods and keep saltines by the bed to consume when nausea strikes.

* So, you finally are starting to get some good sleep when all of sudden your leg cramps? Try straightening your leg and flex your foot upwards. Do this several times. Additionally, in order to prohibit this from continuously occurring, try to stretch your legs before you get into bed, and avoid sodas and other carbonated drinks as they can cause cramping.

*Try to get into bed earlier than you want to go to sleep so that you can get in a comfortable sleeping position and relax. If you find that you can't fall asleep despite desperately trying, get up and do something else like watch a mellow t.v. show or read a soothing story- sometimes you just need to "quiet your brain" in order to feel sleepy.

Have a great day and get a good night's sleep tonight!!

xoxo,

The Moody Mamas