Pregnancy Advice Swap – Part 5 (regrets & raspberry tea)
I’m sharing the results of a pregnancy survey I created when I was expecting Grace. 34 women shared their thoughts and now I want to hear yours! The most popular answers are listed first and include the number of people who responded with that answer.
You can catch up on the entire series here: Part 1 (books & maternity clothes), Part 2 (where to register & buy furniture), Part 3 (diapers), Part 4 (bottles & formula), Part 5 (regrets & raspberry tea), Part 6 (hospital bag & visitors).
If you could redo your first pregnancy, what would you do differently?
- Exercised More – 7
- Nothing – 5
- Eat Healthier – 4
- Take Pregnancy Photo Once a Week /Month- 3
- Relax More – 3
- Keep Up with Pregnancy Journal
- Use Bio Oil (for stretch marks)
- Stock Up with Wipes & Diapers
- Spend more 1 on 1 time with Hubby. (Dates/Babymoon)
- “I hesitated moving into Maternity Pants & suffered in regular ones for too long!”
- “Give myself enough time to get to the hospital so I could still get an epidural.”
- “Not be so concerned on others’ advice once the munchkin comes out. Sometimes the best thing to do is follow your instincts. That’s not to say instincts swayed by research aren’t better… because they are.”
- “Not sort all of the hand-me-downs by size. Some things won’t fit them if you go by what the tags say. You’ll go to pull out the “6 month” clothes, and realize it’s too late. Keep any and all clothes nearby, and don’t hesitate to try a size bigger (or smaller).”
Rebekah’s Thoughts: I wish I had eaten better and exercised more. However, I always feel that way even when I’m not pregnant! I wish I had done better with those things even more during my second pregnancy.
Did your Dr/midwife recommend red raspberry leaf tea? How much did you drink and when did you start?
- Didn’t Mention/Recommend it – 17
- Drank 0-2 cups a day through out pregnancy – 2
- Recommended it for Last Month Only
- Drank 1 cup a Day for Last Month
- Drank it during last couple of weeks only.
- Drank 2-3 cups a Day for Last Month
- Drank last 2 Months
- Dr Recommended it, but I didn’t drink it.
- Didn’t Use it Because Induces Labor
Rebekah’s Thoughts: Red raspberry leaf tea is believed to strengthen the uterus and make contractions more effective. I heard about this from a girlfriend and then read more about it online. I asked my midwife about during one of my first appointments. She suggested that I drink it, but I didn’t get around to it until the last 2 months. I drank it when I thought about it, but it wasn’t every day.
How would you answer these questions?
I wish I would have learned more during my pregnancies. With my first, I didn’t bother to learn about breastfeeding since I figured it was natural so it should be easy. With all of them, I didn’t learn much about natural labor since I planned on getting an epidural. Well…. after #3 came so quickly, I wish I had learned!
I drank red raspberry leaf tea before becoming pregnant but I don’t remember why. Since I had preterm labor issues with each baby, I didn’t try it while pregnant. My OB never mentioned it.
I think I went to the other extreme in my first pregnancy. All I did was read and watch movies about pregnancy, birth, and babies! My husband got really tired of it. 🙂
I think my only regret is not having more pregnancy photos of either of my first two pregnancies… especially #2. The only pregnancy photos are some really awkward ones of me in the hospital.
As for Red Raspberry leaf tea. No one ever suggested it. But I think I’ll look into it this time around due to my labor difficulties with the previous two.
Dorothy, I used a very VERY affordable photographer for pregnancy photos with Noah. You should schedule a session with her the next time you are in the area!
I think I will… I need to call you about coming up, anyway.