Your Top Pregnancy Questions

you're expecting. And if anyone knows what moms and the What to Expect community are asking about, it's my mom friend Sarah, who oversees what to Expect community. Hey Sarah, welcome, Thank you. I'm so excited to be here today. So you have been literally part of the to Expect family since day one. You live and breathe what to expect. I would say, like no other mother. You have your finger on the pregnant pulse and you have been behind

the social scenes on what to expect. And for anyone who ever caught us on our Instagram lives everybody out there, you know, Sarah and I like to get into all the juicy questions. Nothing is t m I, nothing can make us blush, but you are welcome to try for real. I mean, we get into it. I just got to say, for our listeners, it's been amazing seeing the connections that you make with moms, whether it's in person at USO

showers or during our live chats. The experience is always just amazing to witness, and you often become so close with moms and their partners, some for years and years. Your passion for empowering moms reaches across how many platforms and borders. It's just an incredible level of support and comfort that you bring. It gives me goose bumps and all the time like tears too. So I'll stop my mushy, my mushy moment now because we have a ton of

questions for you today. They came from our community and for our listeners that use the what to Expect app. You know, we have a very active group of parents in our community and we also do want our what to Expect Instagram page and that's where our questions came from. Today. We have a variety of your biggest pregnancy questions including symptoms and labor and delivery and so much more. And then we're going to do a speed round at the end, just to get a ton of information and really quick tips.

And Heidi, even though I've been doing this for a really long time, I'm always surprised by the variety of questions that we get. I like to say that nothing surprises me anymore, but then as soon as I say that, something surprises me. So therefore, there's always a twist and no one size fits all when it comes to pregnancy experiences or when it comes to pregnant moms or babies. And the same goes for questions or answers to your questions. So we're gonna have to get really really personal. Let's

do it. So speaking of personal, we're going to dive in with questions. But first we asked our community what they thought was one important thing every expecting mom should know. And I just wanted to share this quote with you. Not to worry. Everything falls into place, believe it or not, you even begin to miss the hard days. Yeah. Yeah, those those who are listening right now who are in the throes of I don't know, like mourning sickness or having that out of heartburn, might be saying I'm gonna

say nay to that. However, it might take some time. Actually, if you're having a really rough ride in pregnancy, for you to look back longingly on all of those symptoms that you had. Maybe you never will or maybe you will, but it is true. You're not going to save her every moment of pregnancy. You might even seriously hate some of the moments. But there is no matter what, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So it's really important to keep your eye on that sweet

baby Price. And I think that's exactly what that mom was saying. Yeah, so true. Um, so let's get into these questions. The first mom that sent in a question said, I'm nine weeks along, but when should I actually start to feel pregnant? So you might be one of the lucky ones. And those are the ones who might not feel heartburn or not or vomiting. You may never have a headache, You might not even feel all that tired.

If you peel a lot, you might be used to being a lot, so you might not even notice the difference with urinary frequency. So there isn't a single symptom of pregnancy that is I must have that every single mom has, even not getting your period. Some moms continue to get their period during pregnancy. Um, so some moms may seem to have every symptom in the book, and just when I think I've covered every symptom in the book, I hear of a new symptom somebody and I and

I have to add it to the book. But you might not have many or any to speak of, or you know, even any to complain about, or and this is just as likely you might have symptoms that are right around the corner. But the bottom line is without symptoms, without yet feeling your baby kicking, which I know we're going to cover later, without a bump, you know, besides the bloat always get early in pregnancy. It is so

hard to actually feel pregnant. And you are not alone in this because I actually worried moost because I didn't have symptoms. I didn't know at the time. I was just lucky, right, So no signs isn't necessarily a bad sign. You might be lucky exactly. But of course if you have any any concerns, you always check with your doctor or midwife. So another question that we had a lot of moms asking, and one in particular said, she's twenty two weeks along, why doesn't she have a bump yet?

And I know we hear this a lot all the time because here's the thing. You can't tell a baby by its cover, so you would assume the bigger the bump, the bigger the baby. Not so. And every mom carries differently because every mom is built differently. First time moms might not show as early as second and third and fourth time moms, and that's because they're abdominal and uterine muscles are tighter, so there's more resistance to the bump.

Popping genetics plays a role, skin tone, abdominal tone. Your bump will come on its own timeline, and maybe you'll be popping soon, maybe you'll be popping later, maybe you'll pop overnight. Maybe it'll be gradual. You might be high, low, wide, all in front, small art. Do not compare your bump to anybody else's bump, including your own bumping your last pregnancy.

It's what's inside that counts. So if your doctor midwife says, hey, what's inside is perfect, you know I'm measuring your funnel height. Everything is measuring right, then you're good no matter what you look like on the outside. Yeah, I feel like the second pregnancy I looked pregnant the second I knew I was pregnantly. It happens all the time, not inevitably, because again, everybody is different, but it might happen alright, Hetty, I love this question so much. I'm pregnant and baby

is constantly having hiccups? Is to safe. It's not only safe, it is like one of the cutest things on the planet to witness. Sarah, did your babies have hiccups? It's one of my favorite memories. It's just sitting there and like feeling that it's I don't know, it's just like such a fun connection totally, and it is one of my favorite baby tricks, hands down, you know, except maybe those little hands poking out everywhere is also super cute. But it's so entertaining to watch your belly is just

having these rhythmic, very very rhythmic spasms, you know. And though you might not see them as early as the baby is actually hiccupping, because you don't see or feel the movement as early as the baby starts moving either. Sometimes doctors can see it on ultrasound, which is pretty cool. The babies are hiccupping. Why do they hiccup? Nobody really knows for sure. Chances are it has something to do with getting those diaphragm muscles working. It's kind of like

practice breathing, that's what they speculate. Some babies have them often a few times a day. Others don't seem to have any. Either way, it's all good. I love it. I know. We got this question like a million times when we were doing lives. When does your baby start kicking? And is it different in your second pregnancy? Oh? Yeah, So there is such a wide range of normal when it comes to feeling babies first kicks. It might come as early as fourteen weeks. Most moms feel that first

kick between eighteen and twenty two weeks. Sometimes moms don't know it when they feel it. Maybe they think it's gas because you certainly got lots of that when you're pregnant. There's always that possibility. All those gas drigg movements can be mistaken for fetal movements and the other way around. First time moms tend not to feel it as early as second and subsequent moms for the same reason that they don't show as early. There's more resistance, so you

wouldn't necessarily feel the kicks though they are happening. You will see them on ultrasound if you get an ultrasound. Also, if you have a anterior placenta, which is a placenta that's facing the front instead of the back, that muffles a lot of the kicks. It has no clinical significance other than you're always going to be thinking, I don't feel the baby kicking. One thing you don't have to

worry about. For instance, you could feel your first kick at eighteen weeks, not feel another one until you're twenty weeks, or you might feel them every single day from the first time you feel them, but you don't have to worry about how many times a day your baby kicks or whether baby seems quiet on one day until you get to the twenty eight week. At the twenty eight week, fetal movement should be more regular and it should be something you should be able to count and rely on.

So every day from twenty eight weeks on you should do a kick count. Lie down, because babies always are more likely to kick up when you're lying down. Have a glass of orange juice or or a piece of fruit. Just stimul like the baby, and chances are you'll field ten movements within an hour. And if you don't you want to check again and then make sure you check with your doctor. But before that it can be all

over the place, all right, Heidi. Before we move on to labor and delivery, I have a really good question, which supplements other than prenatal d h A do you recommend? So for most moms, at least initially, no extra supplements are necessary beyond your prenatal that you know you can ask your doctor or midwife to prescribe it. There are plenty of good ones to pick off the shelf. D H is a good ingredient in a prenatal because there's a lot of baby brain and eye development going on.

There are prenatals that keep even more of your bases covered that contain iodine, which a lot of moms are short on because many of us don't get iodine from our salt anymore. Um Colleen is great for baby brain development, and you shouldn't take anything beyond your prenatal supplement unless it's been okay by your doctor midwife. And that also

goes for herbals. Now, in terms of other things that you might need eventually, iron stores tend to run low by week twenty, and at that point some practitioners actually start routinely prescribing an iron supplement, and preferably a slow release one because slow release is easier on your digestion. I don't know, but you, Sarah, but Watts and moms get constipated or get nauseous from the iron supplement. A

slow release one is often easier on your digestion. Vitamin D. Many women are low in vitamin D, and a lot of doctors are now doing vitamin D screenings early in pregnancy to see if a mom is low on vitamin D because it's a super important nutrient for baby making, especially if you have dark skin or if you wear sunscreen all the time, which walks the absorption of the sun.

Then you should talk to your doctor about your vitamin D levels and whether you need extra vitamin D v beeg nds might need extra B twelve because B twelve is only found in animal products. If you have morning sickness, if your skin is really broken out, you can ask your doctor about extra B six. Some prenatal supplements already

come with extra B six. And then if you're having constipation and leg cramps, both are very common in pregnancy, a magnesium supplement might help especially at night, and of course, a healthy diet covers the most of your nutritional basis. I wish I had known about the leg cramp help because that was like terrifying waking up in the middle of the night with the leg cramps. I didn't know what was happening. Oh yeah, it hurts. The important thing is to flex your toes up instead of pointing your

toes down. And you can even do that to ward them off. But if you have a leg cramp in the middle of the night, that's the best thing to do, not screaming at your husband. That was what I did. If it works, listen, I mean, whatever gets you through the night, all right, Hey ny, So the questions on basically every expecting mom's minds are about labor and deliberate. Starting off, how will you know you're going into labor

if you're pregnant for the first time? Okay, well, you guys probably know this story already because I tell it all the time. But I didn't know I was in labor when I was in labor for the first time. But that's only because I wasn't listening to my body and I was one of those people who was so afraid of getting to the hospital and being turned away because I was in false labor. Don't be me. Listen to your body. Chances are, if you listen, you will

know when you're in labor. Chances are you will know it when you feel it. Because it hurts. False labor, we worry about that, But for the most part, it should come on somewhat gradually and then increase as time goes on. Some times it starts and then it stops. That's super annoying, but for the most part, it should continue to get a little bit more intense, more regular. If your water breaks, that's definitely a reason to call your doctor and midwife at any time, even if you

haven't had any contractions, especially if you're pre term. Every woman feels it differently, but you'll probably feel some pressure lower back, upper side, aching, but aching sort of feels like your period, lots of crampy feelings. You might notice a change in your discharge if we're going to get real about it now. One thing that you can't take to the bank, though, is a mucus plug, because you could lose your mucus plug at any time, like three

weeks out, even longer. Heidi, I was the opposite of you. I went right to the hospital right away and then had twenty six hours of labor. And the thing is that they are suggesting that you don't rush to the hospital because and some hospitals won't even admit you unless you are five centimeters or sometimes in some hospital situations even more. And that's just to avoid you know, labor at the hospital being too long and possibly leading to a C section. Yeah, definitely. I I learned the hard

way the second time around. I took my time. Um, okay, So Heidi, we have another question that came up quite a bit. That's about round ligament pain. What is it and what do you need to do? And this is another first time on moment of mine. I went to the e er thinking round ligament pain was like a sign of extreme danger and I needed to hurry up and go to the ear. Yeah, and I always say,

went into check it out. So if you feel that pain is so intense that you need to be seen, an absolutely call your doctor or midwife and see what they say about it. What this essentially is is growing pains. And you know, as your belly grows, as your uterus and baby grow, the ligaments supporting your uterus stretch and that can be a pain. They're also loosening up in in preparation for childbirth. All of this can can definitely lead to those pains that you could feel on the

lower sides of your abdomen, often on both sides. It could be down near the groin too, It can be stabbing is usually brief. Sometimes you feel it more when you're changing positions or when you're getting out of bed, but it can happen at any time. I always suggest wearing a belly support because that can take some of the pressure off. And we're not using pelvic floor therapists enough,

I believe. So if you feel that you're having a lot of pain, check with your doctor and see if you can get or for to a pelvic floor therapist. Another question, how can I tell if it's Braxton Hicks or contractions. So everybody who's old enough or watches the old episodes of Friends, there's one where Rachel, you know, Rachel was pregnant, right, and she goes to the hospital

thinking she's in labor, but it's braxton Hicks. And you know, I had a lot of Braxton Hicks with Emma, which is strange because They're more common in second and subsequent pregnancies, and she was my first. They are practice contractions, like the dress rehearsal. So your uterus is contracting, not in an efficient way, not in a way that can birth your baby, but in a way that can still make

you plenty uncomfortable. And what you'll feel, which is different from labor contraction, is that your belly bunches together in feels super hard and kind of pressure. You feel a lot of ussure, and it's got this strange contorted look to it, your belly. And they can last just a few seconds, they can last a couple of minutes. If you're having a lot of them, like a lot a lot, or you're noticing that you're having more than usual, and

they are more common in the last trimester. You can have them anytime after twenty weeks, then definitely check with your doctor. Don't be shy, make that phone call. So for all the listeners that are, you know, approaching their due date and they're anxious and they're really wanting to bring on the big day, what are some safe ways for them to induce labor. Okay, so first we got to keep them baking for as long as we can,

as anxious as we are to hold them. That said, if you are getting really close to that due date, or maybe baby has gone for the late check out. In my case, it was a very late check out. There r d I Y tricks that you can try at home. Most of them are safe. Um, none of them are really backed up by clinical evidence, so it's like no harm in trying these. Raspberry leaf tea. I tried that. Seemingly it worked, but that said, I was nine days late, so who knows, maybe I was going

to go in the labor. Anyway, it worked within a couple of hours. Dates the dates that you eat, there's some evidence you do have to eat a lot of them. I think it's like ten at a sitting and if you have testacial diabetes or otherwise you know, can't handle the sweets. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but that might speed up the process a little. Um sex, We've all heard of this d I Y technique, and like I always say, if it works, great, If it doesn't work,

still great. The same with having an orgasm. For you, you're releasing oxytocin, which is actually can help start labor. Probably not in the amounts that you need, but why not? Why not go for the gust though sperm has prostaglandins um similar but not as effective as those they use in the hospital. Those might help ripen your cervix um, walking, bouncing on a ball, eating hot sauce, pineapple Italian food. People swear by these techniques. I mean, they all just

sound like really pleasant things for the most part. Anyway, Once if you don't want to try at home, is nipple stimulation that needs medical supervision. Nipple stimulation you'd have to actually go at it for hours, and it sounds like fun. Not so much fun. It could cause really really strong contractions. Again, the principle of releasing oxytocin um. Say no to castor oil, just say no, please, don't

do it. And I'm surprised that topic comes up a lot still, and it does because it's passed down from generation to generation. But it's got to stop being passed because it causes intense cramps. That are you know, on top of your contractions, you have intense cramps um diarrhea. Oh man, you don't need that. Yeah, that sounds awful. We have a whole list of other alternatives. Okay, Heidi. Another question, is it true with a second pregnancy that

labor is a lot faster. Yeah, so, by and large, in general, all other things being equal, it tends to be shorter. What tends to be most significantly shorter is the pushing. Again, you've got that lived in look, you're more relaxed down there. Baby faces less resistance leaving the buildings. So that's a good thing. But chances are you are in for an easier time. I pushed three and a half hours with Emma and just about twenty minutes with Wyatt.

Oh that sounds nice. I had the same number of hours pushing both times, but the labor was cut like exactly in half, So out that's a perk. I was a little mad about the pushing part, but at least the labor was quicker. So we are going to get into our speed round, which we're calling help me Heidi in a hurry. Yes, I'll try to hurry. I was sure we're going to kick off with some true or false questions, and then someone word or one sentence answer questions.

So true or false labor always starts with water breaking. Oh that is so false. It's true only in the movies and on TV that it happens every time. In real life, it only happens about fent and the time before labor starts. The rest of the time, the membranes stay intact until labor has already begun. Really only while they've really ran with that storyline, I know, because it's it's dramatic, right Yeah, um, sure fault. My baby will

arrive exactly on my due date. Okay, So that's true five percent of the time, and the rest of the time. Now it's called an e d D or an estimated due date for a reason. Yeah, five percent of the time if that's when your baby will arrive, and the rest of the time, who knows. I know. I feel I've never heard of anyone that actually delivered on their due date. It does seem so rare, okay, true or false? I have to give up blue cheese false, Thank goodness.

False if you choose pasteurized cheese. If you know the blue cheeses on your salad is pasteurized, go for it. Hair dye is safe true or false? So kind of truish. There hasn't been any evidence that hair dye is harmful during pregnancy. That said, a lot of doctors and midwives like to play it on the safe side and say if you can hold off until your can trimester, awesome. Many will also say that highlights are safer because the product doesn't touch your scalp. But check with your doctor

and then Heidi, what's the best sleep position? So after the fourth month. As of the fourth month, lying flat on your back is not comfortable. It's also not as safe because it compromises your circulation, puts way too much pressure from your growing uterus. The left side is preferred, but truthfully, any side will do whichever you can get most comfortable on. And that's why I say bring on the pillows, lots of pillows to keep you comfortably on

your side. And the other thing is if you have heartburn, sleeping propped up is also going to help a lot. Okay, best pregnancy exercise I mean truthfully, it's swimming. Swimming is zero impact. It's also you get to be witless, so who can argue with that. Um It even flushes out x or fluids in your body, so I might help with swelling. But any any workout that you enjoy that the doctor midwife has given you a green light on is fine, even if it's just walking. Walking is great exercise.

Why has my partner gained more weight than I have during pregnancy? So that's the estrogen talking, and you're saying, guys estrogen. Yes, guys actually experienced the surgeon estrogen and it drop in test sasin when their partners are pregnant. The net net is that they end up snacking more and putting on some extra wait, especially in their bellies. I guess that's called a dad bog. I wasn't mad at it. I felt like, hey, at least I'm not

the only one going through something here. Right there? You go. Weirdest pregnancy craving you've ever heard of? Okay, hand Sam, this is going to be Rocky Road ice cream blended with V juice to make a smoothie. I've heard this one only once, but it resonated. I'm not going to judge, because I don't judge, but who knows it's a good No, don't knock until you tried it. Um. The runner up would be pizza with chocolate pudding on top. I mean, I might have to try it now, just to see

how to curiosity exactly? All right? Another question, I can't eat Deli meats. Tell me what I can eat at the deli, Chicken salads, fine tuna salad, eggs salad. You know, a lot of moms get tripped up by the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is only a problem if it's homemade mayonnaise, not made with pasteurized eggs, and very few delis are gonna make the mayo from scratch. Ask if you're concerned. But even then, lots of restaurants use pasteurized eggs, which are

are safe. Chicken salad that's made with fresh cooked chickens so not processed chicken, aside of pickles, of course, is good in any event. Okay, we all want to know why am I six months pregnant and in the seventh months? If this gets them every single time. I can't tell you how many messages I've gotten about this. So when you finish that full six months, then you enter you open the door and enter into the seventh month. And the same thing with weeks. You finish up five weeks,

you're entering your sixth week. It's confusing enough that you are two weeks pregnant when you first conceive, right, definitely strange. And then of course if you go full term and you're going past your your due date. Then you're entering the tenth months, and that's a hard is one of all right, I was gonna say, I mean, I feel like, no matter how you measure it, you feel like you're pregnant for an eternity, Like it just feels like a

really long time. All right. So before we close, I have one last quote that a mom sent in that I'd like to share, and she said, don't push yourself, take breaks when you need to. It's okay to be exhausted. You're perfectly made for your baby. Every pregnancy is different, so be easy on yourself. You're doing great, mama. I love that. That's a really sweet way of putting it. I would also say, just listen to your body. You know your body better than anyone else. And if you're tired,

your body will tell you rest up. And if you're hungry, your body will say eat. And if healthy food suddenly tastes terrible, don't force yourself to eat them. Listen to your body. If something hurts or it's bothering you, listen up and speak up. Thanks Tidy so much for answering all these questions today. We actually had a lot more and we're going to do a follow up with some of our very t M I question So I'm really looking forward to that. Oh me too, my favorite kind

of question. See E then, Baby Love, my baby belof I need you, Oh how I need you. Thanks for listening. Remember I'm always here for you. What to Expect is always here for you. We're all in this together. For more on what you heard on today's episode, is it what to Expect dot com slash podcast. You can also check out What to Expect when You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, and the What to Expect app.

And we want to hear from you. Connect with us on our community message board or on our social media. You can find me at Heidi Murkoff and Emma at Emma Being w t E and of course at What to Expect. Baby Love is performed by Riley Beaterer. What to Expect is a production of I Heart Radio. From more shows from I Heart Radio, check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. In my arms right on, just stay Nija, Nija, Baby Baby