Your Orgasmic Pregnancy (20 page)

Pregnancy is a wonderful time to explore the effects of color.

Experiment with different colors and textures in your clothing and linens to effect a calming response in your body’s largest

organ—the skin. For Danielle, luxuriating in new sheets with a higher thread count and a rich, sensual hue provided a major mood boost during the dark winter days of her pregnancy. Many preggies love crisp, cool, white sheets; others prefer a deep, pas- sionate red. Whatever your preference, premium bed linens are an excellent way to splurge on your pregnant self.

• Healthy Eating
  Chances are good that you will wrestle with the weight-gain mon- ster at somepointduringyourpregnancy. Herearesomeeffective techniques for warding off cravings when hormonal fluctuations and a rapidly growing fetus mess with your hunger cues:
  
  • Eat your veggies and your protein.
    
  • Keep a stock of healthy, well-balanced snacks on hand at all times. Good options include hummus or peanut butter spread on soy crisps, baked tortilla chips, or whole-wheat pretzels. Also try dry-roasted nuts, yogurt, chicken, fresh fruit, or energy bars.
    
  • Eat whole, organic foods whenever possible, especially ones that come from the four basic food groups: protein, fruits and veggies, carbohydrates, and dairy products. Be sure to stay away from undercooked meats, unpasteurized cheeses, and deep-sea fish that may contain high mercury levels.
    
  • Drinklotsofwater—at least twolitersdaily. Ironically, stay- ing well hydrated helps prevent bloating.
    
  • Take your vitamins. Pay special attention to your intake of folic acid and calcium.
    
  • Stock up on quick-to-make meals to help ward off the temptations of fast food.
    
  • Stay away from fruit juice and candy. Opt for real fruit in- stead.
    
  • Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day, instead of three largemeals, to wardoffheartburn, indigestion, nau- sea, and “the bloats.” Also avoid foods that are acidic, salty, sodium-filled, deep fried, or spicy.
    
  • To promote good sleep, avoid chowing down just before bedtime.
    
  • Pay attention to your body. Eat when you’re hungry (not starving), and stop eating when you feel satisfied (not stuffed).
    

Remember, pregnancy is not an excuse to gorge yourself. A studyfrom 2007 foundthat pregnantwomenwhogainedeventhe recommended amount of weight ran four times the risk of having an overweight three-year-old than the preggies who gained less. Your habits always come back to your babe!

Just as important, food choices impacthowyoufeel, physically and emotionally. Regard this as a time to listen to your body and to eat intuitively; often your pregnant body wants the nutrients contained in certain foods, like bananas or spinach. When you

feel a craving coming on, practice using the
durga
breath or dis- tract yourself with some yoga poses. Here’s Danielle: “My craving monsters were kept at bay only through preparation and fore- thought. Staring at the Taco Bell website, drooling to the point of tears, and telling my friends via e-mail and text message how
deli- cious
thosepintos-n-cheese looked wasnotoneofmyproudermo- ments. Still, with all of my cravings for starchy foods, my weight gain stayed within the ‘healthy’ range of twenty-five to thirty pounds.”

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Sexy Preggie Style

Many preggies refuse to splurge on pregnancy attire that will

be worn for only a few months. Instead, they opt for oversized, frumpy clothing that’s anything but sexy. Don’t do this to your- self, Hot Mama! Do right by your bodacious body (and your psy- che) and walk into any maternity store, where positive attention and compliments will surely be showered on you, and where staff will help you select chic and stylish fashions that are perfect for your form.

Prefer to shop from home? Plenty of online boutiques offer form-fitting, sexy preggie andpostbirth styles, includingdresses, suits, and jackets; fitness/workout wear; swimsuits; camisoles and lingerie; nursing bras; and rock-n-roll T-shirts and tanks. Here are a few of the website that are worth taking a look at:

www.glamourmom.c
om www.lizlange.c
om (also at Target) www.apeainapod.com

www.bellybasics.c
om www.japaneseweekend.c
om www.unbuttonedmaternity.co
m www.noppies.c
om www.babiesnbellies.co
m www.figure8maternity.c
om www.topshop.com

• Invest in a Good Pair of Shoes
  

  Since we’re talking about basics, let’s cover your feet. Pregnant
  

  feet may swell one or two sizes, especially during winter, so hav- ing at least one good pair of roomy shoes is a must. Select flat or low-heeled shoes (two inches max), with good traction and ade- quate arch support and made of breathable material that won’t trap moisture. Sore feet are incompatible with feeling sexy, so keep your tootsies happy!
  

• Love the Ever-Growing Skin You’re In
  

Even if you’re a self-loving neophyte, take advantage of the novel

experiences and sensations afforded by spending nine months in a new, transformed body to become a master masturbator. Masturbation is a smile-inducing, pulse-increasing, endorphin- releasing, stress-relieving joyride
every
Hot Mama should take advantage of (see Figure 5.4). Self-pleasuring gives you a chance to get to know yourself all over again from head to toe. It also ac- quaints you with the best touch-me-there techniques for when you’re with your partner. If you find yourself needing a boost in

bed, know that masturbation can turn people into better, more confident lovers. Plus, loving yourself and your body helps you to become comfortable with your pregnant figure and sexual- ity. Finally, vaginal lubrication produced during masturbation normalizes your bacteria count, warding off yeast infections and other such conditions that can arise during pregnancy.

their

ma

Preggieswhofindthat theirorgasmicpotentialhasdrastically increased enjoy masturbation as an alternative method of releas- ing sexual tension, affording

lovers time to recharge. Hot Mama Raleigh says, “I have haddayswhere I couldspend whole mornings and after- noons getting off.”

Encourage your part- ner to indulge in some self- lovin’, too. Ignore any fear that self-pleasuring can in- dicate waning regard for your partner. On the con- trary, masturbation keeps your fires stoked, even as it alleviates stress arising from mismatched sex drives and

hecticschedules. The Hot Ma masturbation mantra is: Take no

Figure 5.4

A preggie masturbating

What’s Going on with Your Partner

Communicate about your masturbatory practices to prevent mis- understandings. Says Allison, “He’s having trouble letting his needs be known. He’s afraid to ask. And then our biggest chal- lenge is finding the time. Going out on dates. There’s too much other crap to deal with. We just have different perspectives on how to deal with his sexual needs. He’s Catholic and I think that’s impacting the way he sees me right now. But it hurts that he’d masturbate instead of trying to be with me.”

Try not to be overly sensitive to the reasons your partner may have for going solo, for example, trouble making love to a preg- nant woman because of negative religious messaging. Keep the door open for intimacy, but avoid forcing it open.

for hot mamas

offense and accept none. Consult with your honey, like Sabine did. “If we have to wait for sex,” she says, “then I’ll be more than happy to masturbate or to let my partner watch porn while getting off. If it comes to that, it will be tough, because I’d rather be with my partner.”

Eight to 31 percent of women admit to masturbating during pregnancy. Julienne says, “My favorite pastime around the fifth and sixth months became pleasuring myself. I must bashfully ad- mitthat thefrequencyofmymasturbation sessionsoftenexceeded

How You Can Help Her

Take your Hot Mama to the movies or out to dinner. Savor the time alone together while it lasts!

for partners

two to three times per day. Between the weight of the fetus putting pressure on the nether region, increased blood flow, and raging hormones, I could hardly keep my hands off myself! The endor- phin rush from masturbating helped me maintain self-confi- dence when my increasing girth made me feel like a whale.”

Linger over the feel of your growing belly. Feel your body coming to life in so many extraordinary ways. Don’t stop at one, Hot Mama—dare to become multiply orgasmic! Many preggies report breast-only orgasm for the first time during pregnancy. Don’t miss your chance to join that club. Honor your goddess body. Get in touch with your genitalia.

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Couple Time
Sweet, nonsexualdelightssharedwithyourpartnercanbuildten- derness, trust, and connection during pregnancy. One favorite activity is enlisting your partner in your personal-grooming re- gime. “I’ve tried to maintain my normal beauty routine,” says Raleigh,“buttheonethingthat’s gonebythewaysideistheunder- growth, because you just can’t see it. So Pirro Cy has tried to help me out with it.”

Perhaps ironically, pregnancy can be a very lonely and frus- trating experience, making a partner’s support all the more important. Raleigh explains, “Pirro Cy has been so supportive by being involved in prenatal visits, reading with me, talking to friends about their experiences and then sharing them with me. We talk about the future and about parenting styles. He’s show- ing how he’ll be a good father, and it has increased my attraction to him.”

Caring behaviors—whether bestowed on yourself or shared with your partner—tend to have that effect. Keep this chapter handy as a reminder of the many ways to pamper yourself during pregnancy. Hot Mamasknowthat loving self-care is a crucial part of a holistic approach to both pregnancy and sexuality.