There comes a time in a pregnant woman’s life when she is no longer able to get her pants off by herself without risking injury. There also comes a time during her pregnancy when wearing socks or shoes that require using your hands to get them on are no longer options if you prefer not rolling around or contorting your body in unique ways while making grunting noises because there’s a baby in utero in the way.
These pregnancy must haves are mostly for the second and third trimesters when the baby bump gets increasingly larger, organs get squished and hormones are ever-changing.
If I gave you my must haves for the first trimester they would include pajamas, a sofa, TV, iced water and saltines, water crackers, animal crackers or terrible, horrible frozen pizza (it was a weird phase and I’m nauseous just thinking about it) depending on which week of nausea we’re talking about.
Here are the top 8 items that helped me get through my pregnancy.
Burt’s Bees belly butter | I started using this at around 16 weeks and applied it liberally every night in addition to a regular moisturizer that I apply daily. I didn’t get any stretch marks on my midsection, so I’m going to say that while this may not have been the only reason for that, it certainly helped.
S’well bottle | Hydration is so important during pregnancy. I found that the S’well bottle helped me both drink more water and track how much water I was drinking (I have the large 25 oz. size bottle). The further along I was into my pregnancy the thirstier I became. Toward the end of it I was drinking about 90 ounces of water a day.
maternity long sleeve shirt | These are super comfortable, so I stocked up on a variety of colors and a few stripes, too. I also got a couple from Old Navy. My goal was to not purchase a lot of maternity clothes, so I wore regular cardigans or blazers over them at work.
ballet flats | What I said earlier is not a joke. There were no more socks, sneakers or boots getting on my feet when I hit 30+ weeks of pregnancy (unless I had assistance from my husband). Ballet flats look chic, professional and are effortless to get on and off.
I also love these slip-on sneakers. I have them in a dusty rose color and wear them every single day.
Tums antacids | I tried taking these when I experienced awful nausea during my first and early second trimesters (weeks 5 through 19), but nothing really worked to make it go away. The reflux and heartburn I experienced in the third trimester was not pleasant. It typically peaked when I was going to bed so in addition to taking my daily allowable allotment of these I also had to sleep propped up to keep the acid down. TMI, but I was burping up things that I never imagined would pose a reflux problem.
USB charged portable fan | I’m forever thankful for my coworker that let me borrow this small but amazingly powerful fan during the last few weeks of my pregnancy as my interior office had absolutely no air circulation. My body temperature was like that of a furnace, and I was pretty much always sweltering. This fan is so awesome!
prenatal vitamins | Whatever brand you choose, you should start taking prenatal vitamins before getting pregnant, too. I also take them everyday since having my baby since I breastfeed.
full panel maternity jeans | There is no greater joy when it comes to clothing than finding a pair of jeans or pants that works with and embraces your midsection. I didn’t want to invest in name brand maternity jeans that cost $100+, so when I found these I was quite happy with how they felt and looked. I was thrilled to be pregnant around the holidays last year because the full panel works with you and not against you whether it’s for baby or sheer gluttony.
I also purchased these full panel pants in navy and black for work.
What are/were some of your favorite items during pregnancy?
