What To Wear During Pregnancy - Stay Fashionable

Pregnancy brings about a lot of changes in a woman's body. I've heard that women become concsious of how they look but trust me, if this is your planned pregnancy, the joy of having a life grow inside you is beyond all looks and appearances.

Looking fabulous during this time only adds to your happiness and gives you confidence that this is the best phase of your life so far. So, here are some tips based on my own personal experience.

1. Be proud of your bump. The bump in most cases doesn't really start to show until the third month. Once it does, flaunt it, it's something to be proud of and not hide (unless for some reason you need to keep the news under wraps!)

2. Always wear comfortable clothes. I stopped wearing fitted clothes like jeans etc from day 1, the reason being I wanted no physical discomfort or stress on the womb. You can decide for youself what feels comfortable. Do not purchase maternity clothes in the first trimester unless you are really growing in size rapidly. As time progresses so will the size of your bump.

3. 2nd month onwards visit maternity stores to find out clothes that are specially made for maternity specially if you like to wear pants or leggings. I got 2 very comfortable pairs of maternity leggings from MAX stores, 1 pair of jeggings from H&M (gifted by my sis), 1 pair of jeans and a pair of leggings from H&M. I also bought 4 cotton full length dresses/kurtis. Since it was summers and hormonal changes were making me feel awfully hot, these came in very handy. Some of my old clothes like western tops and kurtis actually fit me fine right uptil the beginning of the third trimester. If you are working you definitely need more clothes because who likes to wear the same things again and again.

Maternity pants and leggings are a must have. They are amazingly comfortable and give a little bit of support to your growing belly.

3. Buy bra extenders - they will help you save a lot on lingerie. I bought 3 new pairs of bras and the rest I managed with extenders. Remember for nursing you will need separate bras and that too you need to purchase in the last month when your breasts are the right size. They will grow once you start feeding as well so invest wisely.

4. Underwear - I grew one size during the second trimester and another size up in the 8th month. There are special maternity underwear as well but I didn't need them personally. I prefer bikini style underwear but hipsters felt more comfortable during and after pregnancy.

5. Shrugs - all my shrugs came in very handy. While I flaunted my bump throughout my pregnancy, I did use a shrug to make my outfits look more polished for work. A shrug also works well if you are wearing an older garment that looks just a wee bit tighter than you would want it to be, yet feels comfortable to wear.

6. Shoes/slippers - in the second trimester when my feet swelled up (almost in the 6th month) I outgrew my old ballerinas and slippers overnight. One fine day I woke up and nothing seemed to fit. I had my mom send over her shoes (a pair of basic ballerinas from Sketchers) that I wore throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I had my sister pick up a pair of household slippers for me one size bigger than my existing pair and thankfully I didn't outgrow these. (The reason I wasn't shopping myself was due to limited exertion allowed as my pregnancy was high risk)

7. New socks - if you wear socks and your feet are swell up you'll need a bigger size for sure.

Depending on the season you will have to tweak the above to suit your needs.

This is about it. Go stylish as you flaunt your bump, take regular photos that will later remind you of this incredible journey, and enjoy yourself in whatever makes you feel happy! I took one pic every single day mostly in the office restroom since I wanted to capture each day in some form. They are basic mirror selfies nothing grand. If you have the time you could get professional pictures taken each week as well!

This is your time, don't listen to people telling you you're wasting too much money on clothes that would later not fit, do as your heart desires and stay fashionable, always!!

Pregnancy Second Trimester

Second trimester of pregnancy can be considered the honeymoon period of sorts. This is the time when you should start to gain back your appetite. You will be somewhat used  to the initial hormonal changes that were driving you nuts in the first trimester.

Second trimester is also the time when your next major ultrasound scan will be conducted.When I went in for my scan I was ecstatic and could barely control my tears as I saw my little one - head, body,  legs, arms and those cute tiny hands and feet. The feeling is out of this world.

Ethnic Wear During Pregnancy

The only downside for me were two cysts on my baby's head which suggested that I should get extra checks to determine likelihood of down syndrome and other such diseases. The doctor said my age also played a role here and hence the tests were important to get done. I kept my heart in the hands of God and let my fears vanish.

As time progressed I started experiencing baby movements, tiny little flutters which changed to noticeable kicks as time progressed. I was back in office and my spirits were in a much better shape.

One important thing I learnt was how important it was to keep a gap in between medicines specially calcium and iron otherwise they are not absorbed properly. Some doctors forget to mention this but it's better to have a minimum gap of 2 hours between these two medicines. Take calcium with milk while iron is best absorbed once you have had some citrus food or best on an empty stomach.

Second trimester is the time when your bump will start showing, you might need new clothes, I did. I decided to invest in 4 full length dresses/kurtis which I could grow in. They were all anarkali style where the middle stitching ends just beneath the breasts giving the garment enough room on the belly area. Those still fit me well into my third trimester.

If your bras have started feeling tight, measure yourself. In my case the cup size remained the same while the band size increased. This meant I really didn't need a new bra, I needed bra extenders. I got a set of 5 from amazon and it turned out to be a cost effective saviour.

A few things that you must be careful about:

1. No stretching of hands above your head level as it puts undue strain on your belly; no bending with legs straight, if you have to bend, squat a little and then pick up whatever you need to. I used to lift things with my foot to avoid bending completely. If in doubt consult your doctor.

2. Vaginal hygiene - ask your doctor for a good vaginal wash and cream to ensure no infection is there. A vaginal infection can spread into the womb making it dangerous for your little one.

3. Waxing: is completely fine as long as you are used to it. If you've never done it before now is not the time to experiment since the skin can be very sensitive.

4. Keep your makeup and skin care simple and chemical free as  much as possible. I  invested in a virgin  coconut oil bottle (bought from amazon) which served as a moisturiser and makeup remover. The only makeup I wore everyday to work was my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation which is safe to use during pregnancy. Retin-A products and those with salicylic acid are to be avoided completely. Trust me at first it's difficult to let go of everything (you'll realize how many chemicals your skin ingests everyday!) But for that little life inside of you, you'll go all the way to avoid chemicals in your skin care.

5. Stick to flat shoes to prevent  any fall, don't buy new ones unless you really have to since your shoe size will change as you enter the third trimester.

6. As your belly grows it will be difficult to cut your own nails, go in for a pedicure or take someone's help. Unfortunately I had to do mine on my own and it became a challenge each time specially since toe nail growth increased considerably due to the hormones.

7. Listen to your body, stop and relax no matter what the situation. Depending on how the baby is positioned inside you, there will be times when each step would be difficult to take. Don't worry and don't try to match pace with others.

Second trimester seemed to fly by the fastest. 

This a good time to start reading the Garbha Sanskaar or listening to it's music. The child can start hearing your voice and these chants and rhythmic sounds will help develop the child's brain as well. This is what I read and was told by friends so I tried to do it as much as possible. It is important that not only you but your husband also reads this. It is said that the child will learn from it's father's voice too. A screaming foul mouthed parent will pass on the same traits to the child while a loving parent with a soft gentle voice will lead to a calm baby. You can make this part of your couple time or just have it play in the background while you go about your individual tasks.

Eat right, stay happy and connect with your baby, these should be your only focus activities at this time. Oh and yes, do make sure all your queries are answered by your doctor, each woman goes through something unique since we all have different bodies, no question is trivial!

Stay blessed!

Pregnancy First Trimester - Everything You Wanted To know

The first trimester of pregnancy is the most difficult and overwhelming.

The first time you find out that you are pregnant can be jittery, scary, full of excitement, happiness all rolled into one. If you've been trying to get pregnant for sometime, the first sign of pregnancy on that little pregnancy test strip would make you doubt yourself and head over to test again (and maybe again just to make sure!)

I tested 3 times just to be sure that I wasn't under an illusion of some sort. I was thrilled beyond explanation and the moment I shared this news with Mr Husband was something we'll remember forever.

Then came the first visit to the doctor, and since we'd read-up a lot about pregnancy, we got the hCG  blood test before we went to see the doctor. She did a basic checkup and told me my first scan would happen at week 6. She told me to relax and think positive (owing to my past history) and sent us home. I went to work while Mr H went home to give the news to his family.

When I came home in the evening I was tired and decided to rest. By night I found I was bleeding. It was a ghastly experience since I had seen this before and knew what it could mean. But I tried to remain calm through my tears, and went to the nearest hospital in emergency. The doctor there did an IVS* and told me it was too soon to tell what is going on, gave me a few injections to stop the bleeding and told me all I could do was pray and take the medicines. She told me to keep my thoughts positive. And so I tried my best.

A few days went by before I again saw blood. Mr H was at work at the time and I couldn't stop worrying. After about an hour in emergency I was told the baby was fine and again given a few injections to stop the bleeding. I was put on daily injections. Even though I heard the baby was fine I couldn't control my tears because I was tired, tired of worrying about what all could go wrong. Not this time I prayed.

Another week went by before I again ended up in emergency. With God's grace the baby was still doing fine, we could hear his heart beat which was reassuring. The cause of my bleeding was that the placenta had slightly detached from the uterus. My pregnancy was declared a high risk pregnancy and I was on complete bed rest for the entire first trimester.

I slowly got used to fearing more blood but being grateful when there was none. All the scans so far were IVS which for me were traumatic for they are invasive and extremely embarrassing.

It was the normal ultrasound with 3D imaging that I got done at 2 months time which brought back a sense of relief. This was the first time I was seeing my baby with a faint silhouette. The radiologist tried to move the baby around to get a good look and do all the measurements. I was finally getting a sense that all this was real. I was going to get through this. The baby was doing fine, the cause of my bleeding was clear and a low lying placenta was declared. This meant no exertion at all.

I was left to keep lying down in my room with  the TV, my laptop and phone as company. There were days when I felt lonely as sharing your innermost fear only makes people laugh at you or spite you in the name of being overly concerned. I couldn't swallow basic things like chapati, hated the smell of anything cooking, and could not bear the slightest amount of chili in my food.

But I made it through this immensely difficult time all thanks to the continuous support I got from my family. I started working from home and gradually became prepared to head back to office. At this time I had a fall. Due to dizziness after a bath, I fell badly on my back taking the shower curtain down with me. I hurt my shoulder and hip but what I was worried about was having hurt my baby. It was a very difficult day, but God was kind enough and my baby appeared fine in the ultrasound. I couldn't thank my stars enough. I knew now that God was going to make this miracle come true.

In a few days time I rejoined work which is my catharsis. Friends and co workers were extremely supportive and just being out there helped me recover mentally and physically. I was not exerting myself, had my work area set up to keep my feet up for the long hours and life slowly retuned to a more sane and happy state.

Now after this long story about my first trimester here are a few learnings I had which I hope can come in handy when you get pregnant.

1. Be prepared to visit the doctor and follow her instructions. Do not ignore any sign of danger. Any odd vaginal discharge mandates a visit to your gynaecologist. Remember early treatment can save your baby in case of an emergency situation. So don't ignore anything that doesn't feel right.

2. If nausea is a problem speak to your doctor. Mine gave me medicines that ensured I would not vomit. I was already losing a lot of weight.

3. Eat whatever you can keep inside, don't worry too much about nutrition at this point. Starving yourself is not the solution. Since I was not able to eat anything healthy like daal and chapati, I ate whole wheat bread with cheese or plain butter. Thankfully I was able to drink milk. Occasionally I would have a pizza, strange cravings come during this time and all I craved was the exotica pizza from Pizza Hut. Eating outside food is not advisable so keep it to the bare minimum. Avoid all processed foods as they contain preservatives. Coffee and alcohol are taboo and you will find a lot of information on the internet about what you should and should not eat.

4. Do not consume pineapples or papaya. These are the only things normally asked by doctors to avoid. I was asked to avoid all sour things as well as these two. This meant no nimbu paani or fresh juices as well. This made things more difficult for me but I survived.

5. Make sure your bathroom is non slippery. Invest in a good bath-mat as well as a non slip shower mat. You do not want to take any chances here. I ordered the mat seen below online and it was well worth the money.

Non-slip Shower Mat

6. Your old clothes should fit you for the first month but you will notice your bras getting tighter as you enter the second month. If your cup size is the same don't buy a new bra just yet. Instead buy a few bra extenders. They are very cheap and help you save big bucks on those expensive bras.

Bra Extenders

7. Try to keep your feet up as much as possible. Buy a foot stool for work and get yourself a few cushions to raise your feet while you are sitting in bed.

8. Stay positive! Easier said than done. Your husband and family might be pampering you from their side but you will be more sensitive to any remarks they make at this time. The hormones in your body are not just working on setting up your womb but are silently playing havoc on you emotionally. I had times when the slightest joke made by Mr H would bring me to tears and I would hate him for not understanding my plight. As they say, a man and a woman have a baby but it's the woman who is pregnant!!

Listen to soothing songs, read books, watch TV, spend time with friends; whatever keeps you happy.

9. Don't worry if you lose weight. When you get pregnant you prepare yourself for weight gain but if you have nausea and difficulty eating, you might end up losing a few kilos instead. This is all normal and nothing to worry about so long as your doctor knows.

10. The belly - don't expect to see a bump just yet. If you are skinny you might notice a small bump by the second month but mostly it is noticeable only to you. My bump started showing early because I was always bloated. But again it wasn't something others would notice.

11. Sign up to a few good online resources for pregnancy. I downloaded 2 apps on my phone which provide a plethora of information and help you connect with pregnant women from across the globe. These are BabyCenter and WhatToExpect

Remember each pregnancy is unique so listen to your body. Whenever in doubt and you feel something is not right, talk  to your doctor. A lot of people will have a lot of advice to give you. Take it with a pinch of salt, do your own research and discuss things with your doctor.

If you have any questions please do comment below and I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Wishing all moms-to-be a pleasant first trimester!

*IVS - intra vaginal scan