My (hopefully) helpful tips for dealing with the stresses of pregnancy!

I may only be 22 weeks pregnant but I've learnt A LOT about how stressful this journey can be! There are so many "facts" and pieces of "advice" out there that I have found to be absolute bull crap and not helpful at all. So in light of all these unhelpful, outdated opinions, I've put together my own words of advice from my own personal experiences during my pregnancy. Enjoy :)

• Sometimes your partner and/ or those close to you will be complete and utter dicks. Yes, they are also adapting and learning. No, that isn't valid enough reason to be a dick. Your feelings aren't stemming from the fact that you're hormonal (despite what everybody seems to think) they're there because you're hurt and you need support. Don't beat yourself up thinking that it must be you and always speak your mind with those around you, it makes a huge difference.
• Don't overwhelm yourself, get help from others. For the first 15 weeks of my pregnancy I took everything upon myself. I'd stay up all night researching stuff about or for the baby and it was exhausting. Eventually when I'd begin stressing myself out thinking that I didn't know enough about _____, I would ask Kody to research it and get back to me. It's an excellent way to get dad more involved and allows you to find out necessary information without having to go through all of the stress.
• Don't be afraid to tell people butt out. When we told Kody's family that we were having a baby, they instantly started trying to make our decisions for us. They would tell us what we had to look into, what we could and couldn't afford, what we had to do, etc. And when they weren't telling us what to do with our child, they were either being critical, judgemental or rude about their opinions. It got to the point where they were ruining our experience as first time parents and we had to tell them to stay out of it and to let us be the parents. They still seem to struggle with the idea that they don't get to make all of the decisions, but things have improved. 
• Research, research, research. Just because your sister, mum and grandma made a certain decision in regards to their child does not mean it's the right decision for your child. If there's an alternative option for anything regarding your child, research it! Keep your mind open and be willing to compromise.
• Buy a couple pregnancy magazines here and there if you can. They're packed full of helpful information and I find that it's a lot easier to pick up a pregnancy magazine than a 500 word pregnancy book!
• If you're like me and have a low tolerance for pain and often resort to taking pain killers to ease the pain, start limiting yourself. I rarely take panadol anymore and instead opt for a heated rice bag or a warm bath. That way I can learn what works for me in terms of dealing with pain which will be super helpful when it comes to labour.
• Feeling overwhelmed about anything in particular? Preparation is key. Research, ask for other people's opinions, ask your GP, do anything to make you feel more at ease with whatever's bothering you.
• Always know that just because one thing helped for someone else, does not mean that it will for you! Your experience is completely your own so don't live by what anybody else says! Follow your intuition and take everything with a grain of salt.

J, x.