font-family: ‘SF Pro Text’, sans-serif;
line-height: 28.8px;”>
You're currently a free subscriber. Upgrade your subscription to get access to the rest of this post and other paid-subscriber only content.
5 Facebook Groups New and Expectant Mothers Should Consider Joining
I’m fairly new to Facebook compared to the Millennials and Xennials of my generation, so before my daughter was born I had no idea that there are Facebook Groups for everything. There are millions of groups from neighborhood groups to global support groups. In my first few months as a new mom, I discovered how helpful these groups are. I found a network of like-minded women who offered support through breastfeeding, sleep training, and pregnancy loss. If you’re a new mom, expecting, or seasoned, you should check out these very helpful resources:
- The Local Mom Group. We all joke that most of the posts on these types of groups are of the “name that rash” or “guess my child’s illness” variety. However, this group of ladies can help save your sanity during those middle of the night feedings, plan playdate meetups, moms night out (MNO) events, and just offer support so you know you’re not alone on this journey. I’ve even seen spin-offs of the main local mom group specifically for parents of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers. The “Crunchy” mom group is also gaining popularity.
- The Specialized Support Group. These support groups can give you helpful information, guidance, local referrals, and a virtual shoulder to lean on during pregnancy and all stages of motherhood. If there is anything specific that you find yourself dealing with, chances are there is a community out there to offer support. Many times, you can even find a local group. Just a handful of examples include:
- Breastfeeding
- D-MER
- Tongue and Lip Tie
- Hyperemisis Gravidarum (HG)
- Diastasis Recti
- Postpartum Depression
- Moms of multiples
- Special needs
- The Buy/Sell/Trade Baby and Kid Items Group. Babies and small children outgrow clothing and gear in a blink of an eye. The buy/sell/trade groups just for baby and kid items are so helpful when looking for gently used and affordable clothing and baby gear. We’ve found maternity clothes, baby clothes, swings and bouncers, high end strollers, and furniture. There’s even a buy/sell/trade group on Facebook specifically for the amazing DockATot. And when you no longer need these things, pass them on to a new home and make some extra cash.
- Car Seats for the Littles. This is both a public page and a group that helps parents select the right car seat for their child and vehicle. They have certified car seat technicians as admins and can help with fit and installation issues as well as help locate a local car seat technician in your area. Other helpful information you can gain from this group/page are cleaning instructions and tips for your specific car seat, recall notices, and when to move from 5-point harness to a booster.
- Feeding Littles. We’re in that phase of not knowing if today our kids will like broccoli or not. Or if all orange food will suddenly be gross this week. And apparently Panera Bread makes the only mac and cheese my 4 year old will eat. So of course, a group like this is pretty helpful to me right now. Feeding Littles can offer guidance on all things that have to do with feeding your children (babies to teens) from introducing milk to sneaking veggies into meals and best starter cups to packed lunch ideas. They are on both Facebook and Instagram.
If you have any other groups that should be added to the list, I’d love to hear about them!
5 Most Helpful Things During My Pregnancy
Sure, I probably should have written this post while I was still pregnant. But I was really busy…eating and sleeping, and reading lots of pregnancy books and articles. And watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I didn’t have a particularly difficult pregnancy, but it did have its challenging moments. Here are the things that helped me most through my pregnancy.
The information below is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other professional health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen.
1. Chiropractor Visits. Early in my pregnancy I developed pretty severe pain in my lower back and hips that I mistakenly thought was sciatica. It was actually Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP). Frequent trips to a chiropractor that specializes in prenatal and infant care made a huge difference. After a few weeks, I was able to walk around again. I continued with my visits until the end of my pregnancy. I have heard that adjustments help women have an easier delivery. It seems that if the hips are not aligned, it would be more difficult for the baby to come out. My labor was quick and delivery went very smoothly, so that could have helped also.
2. Magnesium Supplement. Pregnancy wreaks havoc on your insides. Hormones combined with your growing baby pushing everything up can really slow digestion and, well, make the rest of the process more difficult. I used a magnesium citrate supplement called Natural Calm Magnesium
3. Pregnancy Pillows. Despite frequent chiropractor visits, my hips would really start to ache at night when I slept on my side. The only thing that helped was keeping a pillow between my knees. The Snoogle Total Body Pillow
4. Cool Mist Humidifier. Again, hormones do some strange things to your body that you wouldn’t expect. Mucus production increases and can cause lots of nose and throat problems, especially during the night and early morning. Using a cool mist humidifier really helped me. I used the Crane Drop Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
5. Breathe Right Nasal Strips. I’m not a snorer typically and I really hate hearing other people snore. I will make my husband change positions in his sleep when he starts snoring. In my third trimester, though, I had the worst snoring problem! All that pressure against the diaphragm and nasal congestion from that mucus can turn the quietest sleeper into a human chainsaw. I actually woke myself up a few times with my own snoring. After I started using Breathe Right Nasal Strips
Hope that helps you pregnant ladies! If there are any other helpful tips you’ve learned, please let me know.
