Tag: health

Real Talk: Pregnancy Nausea

On By morganjo33In First Trimester, Health & Lifestyle1 Comment

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Let’s talk pregnancy nausea. I don’t mean “morning sickness”, or the occasional upset tummy or gagging. I mean full blown, all-day/all-night PREGNANCY NAUSEA. With puking.

When I was pregnant with the twins, I had the all-day queasies the entire first trimester, a bit early in the second, and here and there in the third. But I expected that. I was pregnant with twins, my HCG levels were high, as were all of my other hormones. I was prepared for “double symptoms”. And after months and months of fertility drugs, I handled those symptoms like a boss.

But this second time around seems so much worse. The nausea is more intense, my super pregnancy smell is more intense (I can’t even open the fridge without gagging), the food aversions are more intense, and the barfing is more intense. Since week six I have thrown up almost every single day, usually multiple times. To the ladies out there with HG – God bless you, I don’t know how you do it. Chasing two toddlers around also doesn’t help. Nor does changing their poopy diapers. The nausea is with me, ALWAYS.

Also, husbands don’t really get it. It seriously is debilitating!! I try to explain it to Nick like this: Imagine having a hangover that lasts for weeks, but not getting to enjoy the fun part that gives you the hangover. I think that resonates a bit more. Thankfully he has really stepped up and been taking on a lot of the tasks that I just can’t bring myself to do – like making the girls’ meals. Thanks for being a trooper, babe.

Now that you know how great I have felt the past 9 weeks, let’s talk about the lovely PLACES I have gotten sick. This is a running joke with other ladies on my mom boards – might as well make light of it all.

**Warning** TMI ALERT

Since the nausea is my bestie, and does not discriminate, I have had some not-so-pleasant encounters with it. Here are some of the fun places I’ve puked this pregnancy:

  • My driveway
  • My kitchen sink (multiple times)
  • IN MY CAR. It got on the windshield and steering wheel. I had to clean it up with YOGA PANTS. Which I then threw directly into the trash at work.
  • Speaking of work….in a trash can at work. In my office and in a hallway. I like to think the college kids thought I was hungover….
  • ON MY CAR. Rolled the window down and let it out. Then it froze to the side of my door. Lovely.
  • Target bathroom
  • Every bathroom in my house

Nothing is off limits. I just count my blessings that on most occasions, no one saw me.

So, now you are probably thinking to yourself, “girl, take some meds!” Trust me when I say, I have tried it all (if I haven’t please send recommendations. SOS.). While nothing seems to be helping me that much, the least I can do is share some of the remedies I have tried. Below are some of the pregnancy nausea tips and tricks that might just help YOU kick that nausea to the curb.

  1. Ginger – Ginger teach, ginger drops, ginger ale. Ginger root is well known for its anti-nausea properties.                                                                 IMG_3897
  2. Tea with honey/lemon
  3. Saltine crackers – If you eat these first thing in the morning, before you even sit up, it does tend to take the edge up. I just can never remember!
  4. Sea Bands – These helped me a bit during my first pregnancy. I borrowed from a friend. I never tried them this time around…perhaps that is where I am striking out?                                                                     seabands
  5. Mint
  6. Vitamin B6
  7. Tums
  8. Preggy Pops Drops – These were a lifesaver for a few weeks. Then I got sick of the taste.                                                            preggypops
  9. Carbs on carbs on carbs – seems to be the only thing I can keep down lately! French fries, mashed potatoes, waffles, pretzels. At least I’m eating…right? Also, check out this new study on carbs + healthy baby!
  10. Keep hydrated – Even though water tastes funky these days, I still try to get upwards of 90 oz a day.
  11. Snacking throughout the day – I will say, if I let baby get hungry, the nausea comes at me full force. So I try to have a small snack every couple of hours.
  12. Prescription medication – My OB prescribed me both Diclegis and Phenergan for my nausea this pregnancy. Both make me SUPER sleepy, but did help out for a couple weeks. So never hesitate to ask your doctor for some help, I know some women who swear by these meds!

 

I seek comfort in the fact that so many say “morning sickness means a healthy baby”. So I am definitely holding on to that, and trying to take it one day at a time. With the twins I felt better around 13-15 weeks. So I have high hopes for the second trimester! Until then……

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Tough Love

On By morganjo33In fitness, Health & Lifestyle, PostpartumLeave a comment

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#MOMGOALS series with guest blogger Ashley Jones
Often times people assume that since I have a smile on my face in pictures and that I workout everyday, that I love it. That I crap rainbows and sunshine and ride around on a unicorn all dang day 🤣

Well NEWSFLASH I don’t. I never have and I never will. My ugly is just as ugly as yours mmmmk?

So, why is it then that I can drag my self out of bed everyday and make time for feeding myself and my family well and workout? It’s called discipline.

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I am not the most motivated woman alive. I don’t have an unnatural superpower. I have just done the things that make me uncomfortable, daily. Over and over again so that they don’t suck as much and I know what I have to do to get them done.

I don’t look to anyone or expect anyone to be responsible for motivating me. That has to come from with in. Some one can cheer you on and encourage you, but at the end of the day, you have to become disciplined enough to make the tough, uncomfortable choice of eating baked sweet potatoes instead of French fries and spending 30 minutes sweating instead of sitting on the couch.

You are responsible for you.
You are in charge of your success.
You are in charge of you failure.
You. Alone.

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Now, I know I am serving up some tough love, but that’s what it takes. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can get started on some serious work and make some amazing progress.

So no more excuses. Just action and sacrifice. You can do this, believe in yourself!

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Ashley Jones is a Wife, Mama, Physician Assistant, and Health & Lifestyle Coach. Follow her on Instagram & Facebook.Instagram: @the_good_doctors_wifeFacebook: Www.facebook.com/nursingtankfitness
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Baby Steps (pun intended)

On By morganjo33In fitness, Health & Lifestyle, Postpartum, Trying to ConceiveLeave a comment

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#MOMGOALS series with guest blogger Ashley Jones

Now, to the taking action part…

Getting healthy doesn’t have to be all or nothing, or a complete overhaul of your entire life at once. I often encourage my clients to take a “stepwise” approach, especially if they are just starting out on their journey.

Ways to take small steps that will get you big changes over time:

1. Eliminate one unhealthy meal/snack/beverage a day and replace it with something healthy. Do this for one week. Then in week 2, eliminate another unhealthy meal/snack/beverage etc. Continue doing this each week, until everything you are eating/drinking is healthy(ish).

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2. After you have built up some good healthy eating habits and are aware of how your body feels, start to move! If you are just starting out, you might want to chose 2 days to get 30 minutes of exercise in for the first week, then 3 days the next week and 4 days on week 3 and repeat until you are being active (sweating, can’t talk comfortably while exercising) for 30 minutes at least 5 days per week.

3. Now that you are eating healthy and being active, it’s time to step your game up. By now you have probably noticed some difference in how you feel and how your clothes fit you. Your friends and family might even be noticing a difference in how you look 😉 To make sure that you keep seeing change and getting healthier, you’ve got to push yourself. So up the weight you are lifting, push for an extra rep or improve your PR if you are a runner.

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4. Last, and most importantly DON’T stop!

Yes, it’s ok to rest and listen to your body, but don’t fall for your own old excuses anymore. You’ve come too far to back track.

Stay tuned for a little tough love next week 💜
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Ashley Jones is a Wife, Mama, Physician Assistant, and Health & Lifestyle Coach. Follow her on Instagram & Facebook.Instagram: @the_good_doctors_wifeFacebook: Www.facebook.com/nursingtankfitness
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#itsalifestylenotadiet

On By morganjo33In fitness, Health & Lifestyle, PostpartumLeave a comment
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#MOMGOALS series with guest blogger Ashley Jones
Want to know my secret…..

I don’t diet.

Now before you roll your eyes and curse me out 🤣 bare with me!

 

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See in the past whenever I wanted to lose weight, I would cut calories in an unhealthy way and I would exercise in an unhealthy way. By that I mean, I would literally eat scrambled egg whites, baked potatoes and broccoli in some way shape and form, for every meal. I would count every single calorie and then I would go to the gym and spend 2 hours burning everything off.

2 words: Not 👏Sustainable 👏

Then I would “yo-yo,” back up to the weight where I started or even a bit heavier because my body was starving.

It wasn’t until I had my little girl and wanted to shed the pregnancy weight that I learned how to do it the healthy way.

21 days of rewiring my brain. Learning what healthy portions from every food group looked like and how they made my body feel. Teaching my body that just 30-45 minutes of exercise could change the way I felt, the way I thought and the way I looked.

One thing that I want to be sure to focus on is that just because my program was 21 days doesn’t mean I stopped after one cycle. One of the issues I have with diets are that most of them have an end date. 3 day cleanse, 14 day detox etc. and that they make you cut out a food group to get results. This leads you to a false thinking of “Oh, I can just do this for X amount of days and be fit.” When in reality you are setting yourself up for failure. What I mean, more directly, is that if you want to be -HEALTHY- and lose weight you need to make a lifestyle change that is sustainable and you need to consistently and intentionally take action to reach your goals everyday.

Next week, we will talk about some baby steps we can make toward being healthy!
Ashley_Headshot
Ashley Jones is a Wife, Mama, Physician Assistant, and Health & Lifestyle Coach. Follow her on Instagram & Facebook.Instagram: @the_good_doctors_wifeFacebook: Www.facebook.com/nursingtankfitness
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#momgoals – Guest blogger series w/Ashley Jones

On By morganjo33In Health & Lifestyle, Mothering, Postpartum, Time ManagementLeave a comment

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It’s early January and we are all running rampant on our 2018 New Year’s resolutions, am I right? Like clockwork, every January 1 I make a couple of personal goals for myself (most include losing weight, eating healthy, cutting back on the wine….) but by March 1, they are usually out the window. Even earlier now that I am a mom.

As moms, we are super busy, like ALL OF THE TIME. In my experience, my personal goals are usually what take the backburner. Well not this year! Like I already emphasized, 2018 is the year of ME, and I am going to find the time to focus on ME and MY goals.

That’s where my good friend Ashley Jones comes in. She has been by my side with advice, motivation, jokes and, now that she is a physician’s assistant, the answers to all of my health anxiety qualms (lucky her!). She is the sister I never had, and then some.

Ash has an 18-month-old daughter, works part-time at a Pittsburgh Urgent Care Center, is a health and lifestyle coach and still finds the time to work out, cook a fabulous meal and unwind with a glass of wine (or tea) at the end of a long day.

How does she do it?! I ask myself this on a daily basis! Fear not my friends; she is here to share some of her secrets and tips to reaching some of those goals you have set for yourself this year in a three-part series I have dubbed “#MOMGOALS”.

For the next three Thursdays, Ashley will be taking over my blog and covering topics like:

  • #itsalifestylenotadiet (why diets can suck)
  • Baby Steps (small changes that make a BIG difference)
  • Tough Love (motivation vs. discipline)

To make sure you don’t miss out on any of her great advice, follow my blog now! I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us!

Side note: In between these guest posts I plan to share with you some of the most important things I have learned while TTC.

Ashley_HeadshotAshley Jones is a Wife, Mama, Physician Assistant, and Health & Lifestyle Coach. Follow her on Instagram & Facebook.

Instagram: @the_good_doctors_wife

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/nursingtankfitness

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