My Pregnancy Favorites
Well, I know that there is a lot more going on in the world that is bigger than sharing what I’ve enjoyed during pregnancy, but in the name of a sense of normalcy, I’m just gonna go for it!
This is for my sake mostly (making lists brings me a lot of joy!) but maybe some of you out there might benefit too, either now or later!
I had no idea how quickly I would grow out of regular leggings and pants as I moved through the different stages of being pregnant. It definitely was not enough for me to just size up (that maybe lasted two months?), but having one pair of leggings that I could just keep growing into was very comforting and worth the price.
The top of the leggings come up just below the breast at the ribs, with an expandable panel in front. BONUS: the customer service is exceptional. After one week of having my fancy leggings, my cat picked a hole in the leg! I was sad and mad and decided to just reach out to Blanqi to see if they could offer repair suggestions. Instead, they just exchanged them for a brand new pair!
Doing yoga at home has been such a comfort for me! Not only has it been immensely helpful physically as my body has changed so much so quickly, but it has offered such valuable mental and emotional support, too. YWA is my favorite at-home yoga, and her videos are available for free on YouTube. I watched one of her prenatal yoga videos, and just apply those tips and modifications to any other of her videos I feel like watching.
Smoothies
There’s a lot about eating and digesting in pregnancy that is, shall I say, delicate? LOL! Most of the time, I wake up ravenously hungry (and in the first trimester, that was paired with nausea. #hungernausea) I’ve depended on smoothies first thing in the morning to provide essential nutrients for me and baby that sit gently on the tummy. We have a Vitamix mixer (we got this refurbished Explorian model), and love using nutrient-dense add-ins like Vega Plant-based Protein & Greens (vanilla is my fave), chia and flax seed (we get bags of these from Aldi, which y’all know is my favorite grocery store!) Special shout-out to John for being the main smoothie-maker in our house.
Pink Stork Prenatal Probiotics
Again - so many delicate digestive issues in pregnancy! Frankly, I was on the struggle-bus with constipation the entire first trimester which was more painful than I could have imagined. Then I started experiencing yeast infections and acid reflux, and didn’t ya know, probiotics can help with those things, too? So I went searching, and Pink Stork kept coming up highly rated for prenatal probiotics and I gave them a try. Total game changer!
Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter
I’m normally a lotion-right-out-of-the-shower kinda gal, so as I started growing in the belly this pregnancy, I knew I wanted to pull out the big guns right away to prevent itching, tightness, and stretch marks. I’ve already gone through an entire tub of Burt’s Bees Belly Butter and totally love it. It has a pleasant, mild scent and has genuinely helped keep my skin bouncy, soft, and stretch-mark-free!
Great books
Especially The Mindful Mom-to-Be, Supernatural Childbirth, and Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. I normally read before bed every night as part of my nighttime routine, and adding these gems has been so encouraging for me over the last eight months. I found that I preferred non fear-based pregnancy literature (less focused on what can go wrong and more focused on what you can control - like your mindset - and the possibilities of what all can go right!) Also shout out to Bringing up Bébé (a delightful parenting book that reads more like a novel), and the audio version of The Headspace Guide to A Mindful Pregnancy.
I’ve had a wonderful experience with Babylist, an online universal baby registry. They have wonderful articles with suggestions of best-rated products, and a browser add-on so when you find something you want from any website, you just click “Add to Babylist” and it puts it on there for ya! You can also categorize the types of items (nursery, feeding, bathing) and see who bought what, so you don’t have any trouble remembering for the Thank You notes. SO helpful!
Promptly Childhood History Journal
I love to write and journal. I knew I wanted to make a solid, sustainable, beautiful choice for a pregnancy and childhood keepsake journal for this little girl we’ve been waiting for. Promptly offers gorgeous, high-quality journals with simple linen covers and minimal, thoughtful prompts for capturing memories through pregnancy and throughout your kiddo’s childhood, until they’re 18. I snagged one during Black Friday, and I’m so glad I did! I think it will be so special to present this keepsake to our girl when she’s older. What a treasure!
Thrifting for baby items
This has honestly been such a delight for me throughout my entire pregnancy. I haven’t gone overboard, but as an avid thrifter, it was such fun to keep my eyes peeled for unique, helpful baby items! At thrift shops I’ve scored a TON of baby clothes. I have a strict policy for what I say yes to - I have to love the look of it, the quality has to be great, no stains, and no pilling. I also found a $12 Moses Basket with pads and linens included, a vintage white wooden kids chair, a vintage green chalkboard, and many books. From FB Marketplace I’ve been able to score a cool retro-looking pink diaper pail (Vliba brand - we’ll see how it works!) and a hand-sewn vintage Dutch Girl quilt. Everything I bring home I clean thoroughly and am so happy to give them another round of life!
It didn’t take me long to realize I needed some extra support at night to be able to sleep comfortably and not roll over to my stomach, my preferred sleep position. I found a Snoogle on Marketplace (cleaned, of course), and it did take me about a week to get used to. Switching from side to side can be tricky, but I’ve got the hang of it now! I find it super comfortable and, as the name suggests, very snuggly, while receiving needed support under my belly and between my legs.
Veteran mamas, do you have anything to add to this list? pregnancy must-haves?
We’re getting closer and closer to the due date (40 days!), and we just can’t wait for our little girl to get here! Gathering up all the thankfulness we can in the meantime, even with all the corona-crazy going on : ) Sending so much love to you, especially my fellow pregnant friends!
Love,
Sam
