Advice

Do you feel overwhelmed with all of the advice and information you are getting online?  It makes me wonder what pregnant women did before the internet!  There are a million things to do and not to do, and frankly it's tough to keep it all straight.  This doesn't stop once you have your child either.  So what do you do with all of this advice?  Listen to your doctor!  He/she is the one who studied for a zillion years in med school and therefore will be able to give you the best advice.  Sometimes your doctor will advise you to follow a piece of counsel strictly and other times he/she will tell you to do what feels right to you.  So when your sister, mom, or pregnant friend is appalled that you are eating deli meat, don't sweat it as long as you're following your doctor's advice!

Journal

As my first bit of advice, I echo my dear friend Whit, "Keep a journal."

If you're trying to conceive, keep a journal.  You will want to look back on it to remind you why you wanted a child in the first place!

If you are pregnant, keep a journal.  You will wonder why you complained about the little sleep you got those last few months!

If you are a mommy, keep a journal.  Each day flies by, as I’m sure you’ve heard a million times, and you will want to cherish each one!

I kept my journal as a blog.  It was easy to log on every couple of days and jot down my thoughts.  Whether you write or type it, do it!  You will be glad.  For fun, I’ve included below a few quotes from my first pregnancy journal entry:

“I went to the bathroom and peed on a stick. It was no more than 30 seconds later that "Pregnant" showed up on the digital screen!”

“I don't even know how to explain this feeling...the feeling that there is a little alien growing inside me. It's amazing and totally weird at the same time.”