7 Tips on How to Survive the 1st Trimester of Pregnancy : When You’re a Basketball Coach’s Wife.

How to survive the 1st trimester of pregnancy, when you’re a basketball coaches wife.

     Let’s be real honest. I love basketball. I prayed hard when my husband and I got engaged that I would fall in love with basketball, and over the past three years, it has happened.

Basketball never stops.

Josh has a shirt produced by Nike that says just that. It’s real, you can google it.

He has basketball practice at 7:30 am with junior high, 6th hour practice with high school, then Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, are game nights.

I also no joke, have woken up in the middle of the night to him shouting  “GET ON THE FREE THROW LINE”. I swear during basketball season he makes layups, or coaches with his body during his sleep.

So in all actuality, basketball never stops.

So for all of you ladies who just got the big ol’ positive on that pregnancy test you just took, and also happen to be head over heels in love with a basketball coach, I have created a few tips to help you survive this season of life.

1. Scarves.

Preferably ones with no holes. Why you ask is this the first tip? Scarves help cute up that huge top you’re wearing, but most importantly, scarves are the easiest and best way to cover your nose from the constant surprise of smells that come along with basketball season. Farts, the rush of body odor you weren’t expecting, weird court cleaner smells, and concession stand BBQ sandwiches that come from a tub…. my nose during 1st trimester is similar to spidey senses. I can’t tell you how many times scarves have saved me from an embarassing yammy in my handbag. ( If you don’t understand this reference, please watch ‘ I’ll be home for Christmas’ with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, if you don’t have time for that, yammy translates to vomit)

2. Snacks.

I don’t care what you read on Pinterest about your snacks needing to be blah blah % protein, or whatever % vitamin something. Pack a purse with whatever snacks you know you will eat. Have a variety, I switch from salty to sweet on just a thought, so have both. An empty belly makes 4th quarter of the last basketball game seem like an torturous eternity away, and also amps up the nauseous feelings. Take your prenatals, drink water, but always have snacks. I’m not kidding friends, go get them now.

3. Cash

The only time I carry cash is during basketball season. Carry it with you now, so juuussssst in case your snack stash runs out, OR by a God given blessing from heaven above, the concession stand has warm, salty, pretzels with cheese, and you can buy one and not be cranky.

4. A good stadium chair.

Save your hunkus now girls. I don’t care how old it makes you look to carry a chair and take 3 minutes to get it set up right. I have one like this I really like, handed down to me by Josh’s mom.  This will save your sit bones from piercing through your skin during the 3rd of 4 games of the night. If you don’t get one, you will want to stand up even when the other teams cheerleaders are asking. Just bring it.

5. Fold Up Yoga Leggings

Like these. I know you’re not big enough for maternity pants yet, but that button on your jeans will feel like a steel death trap, after sitting in a bleacher seat all bent up on your bloaty, too many pretzel’s tummy. These leggings I think are appropriate with running shoes, and can be worn with boots to be a tad more stylish. They are legit. Buy 7 pairs. I only have 2 right now and they are always in the dirty clothes.

6. People to sit by who make you laugh.

I am so very blessed by the friends I have made though basketball, and that they share my same humor. They make the nights shorter, and give me something extra to look forward to when I’m zoned out at 3 o’clock putting on my makeup to get ready for the nights games.

7. Get your emotions in check.

Pregnancy hormones are the real deal, and will sneak attack you. I have almost cried, during the first few games when our team would run out, because I was already so proud of how hard they had worked to prepare themselves for the season. I have wanted to scream remarkably to the point obscenities at clock keepers calling my husband a jerk, parents making false statements about my husband on social media, and my husband himself for not doting on me like a princess because he’s so incredibly emotionally and physically exhausted from teaching/coaching, and I feel like I’m set on the back burner every now and again. Have a mantra, a joke, or just plain tell yourself ‘wow your crazy pregnancy brain needs to get it together’ 

I wouldn’t change being a coaches wife for anything in the world, watching Josh coach, especially when I catch him doing so off the court, always makes me remember how remarkable of a man Josh is. When the boys on the basketball team found out, they seemed almost excited as we were, and I can’t help but think about all the really cool older brother figures this kid is going to have : )

If you are a basketball coach’s wife, and have any life saving tips for being pregnant during basketball season, or have a 5-9 month old during season, please send them my way!!! lindsey@lenaephotography.com

xoxoxxoxo

Lindsey