Pregnancy Confidential

Everyone loves to talk about the pregnancy glow, and it’s usually one of the questions you’ll get asked at parties: How are you feeling; are you glowing yet? At Week 19, you may still be feeling more chubby than blossoming, and you might be battling your share of pregnancy acne and the occasional stretch mark, so feeling like a sexy mama could seem far from achievable right now. But this can change or it may not apply at all—there are plenty of women who feel their sexiest during pregnancy.

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In this episode we’ll cover all you need to know about Week 20 of pregnancy. We’re calling it the “Registry Special,” or the “I Better Start Thinking Seriously About This Baby Stuff” period. This is the week when you have the big, extensive mid­-pregnancy ultrasound that will help determine your baby’s overall health. It can be totally nerve­wracking, but once it’s done, you may feel more ready to start thinking seriously about what this baby needs when she comes out.

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It’s Week 21 of your pregnancy and you’re finally getting the hang of this business of being with child. You might even have a good idea of what kind of parent you’ll be (a good one, duh). But just as you start to gain confidence as a mom-­to-­be, you’re knocked down by the lady in line at Subway who questions your choice of sandwich. Congrats! You have a bump and it’s officially open-­season for anyone and everyone to give you baseless, unsolicited advice. In this episode, we’ll discuss the worst we’ve heard and how to deflect criticism with panache.

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It’s Week 22 and you’ve been pregnant for a while—you’re over the hump, but you still have a trimester and a third to go. While pregnancy is a time for glowing, planning and getting excited for the baby-­to-­be, it can sometimes be a bummer: Sleepless nights trying to stay in the “right” position (Why is it that you always loved sleeping on your left side until now?), heartburn, a sense of anxiety you can’t shake, mood swings. Sometimes pregnancy blows—and it’s OK. Today we’ll talk about why you really don’t have to LOVE being pregnant all the time.

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By the time Week 23 rolls around, you’ve had a lot of time to think about parenthood, and what it means to have a real live baby on the way. You might have planned your nursery, and thought about parenting styles (which you may or may not stick to when reality hits), and you might have spent a moment or two considering your partner and what kind of parent he (or she) will be. Sure you love them—that’s why you’re in this pregnancy situation—but what will they be like when there’s the pitter patter to think about?

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Before things get even busier in your third trimester, Week 24 is a great moment to take stock of what you appreciate in your life and put together a list of quality things to do with your partner, or kids, before you bring a (rather disruptive) new life into your world—whether this means scheduling that camping trip your daughter’s been pining for, or getting a reservation at that hot new restaurant, having a pre­-baby list of to-­dos is a fun way to bond with your soon­-to-­be growing family.

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At Week 25 it’s easy to start feeling a teeny bit overwhelmed by this whole baby thing: After all, you’re a mere three months away from being a real, live parent. Sure we talked about what to put on your baby registry in an earlier episode, and yeah you’ll need all kinds of stuff, but today we get down to the bare essentials. What do you REALLY need when you have a baby? Turns out, not very much. But there are a few things (and people!) you’ll want by your side in those first weeks home with your newborn.

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If pregnancy felt like a dream in the early days, at 26 Weeks it definitely feels like reality: you’re sporting the belly to prove it and you’re probably well aware of there being a real, live baby inside with every somersault you feel. This real baby has gotta eat when he comes out, so now’s a good time to think seriously about how and what you’ll feed him. You’ve heard it a million times: breast is best. But is it always? In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the formula/breast milk debate. 

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For Week 27, we’ll tackle birth plans: what goes into them, how you make one, what NOT to put in one, and whether it’s even something you’ll use when, ahem, push comes to shove. 

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As you enter your third trimester at 28 weeks, your thoughts are likely drifting towards what’s happening in three months—um, pushing a baby out—and how you’re actually going to manage it. First, know that many billions of women have birthed babies and it can be done—of that we promise you—but how you decide to do it can vary, and depends a lot on your personality, pregnancy and, well, pain tolerance. Over the next few episodes, we’ll discuss different ways of giving birth, starting with this one, where we get real about what it’s like to have a natural unmedicated birth.

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