Last month I started a new monthly series called, “Things I’m Loving” and this month, I thought I would do a little pregnancy edition one!
So here’s a list of ten things that I’ve been loving throughout this pregnancy.
1. Extra Pillows
Believe it or not, I bought a huge, U-shaped pregnancy pillow and immediately returned it. I didn’t think it was comfortable and I felt like there was a third human in our bed. My husband felt like lightyears away… it just wasn’t for us. It had tens of thousands of INCREDIBLE reviews and so many people swore by it, but I just didn’t dig it.
HOWEVER, extra pillows have been a game changer throughout pregnancy! Early on I slept with this boppy pregnancy pillow between my legs, then as I developed further (aka when my belly popped) I found that using a king sized pillow worked great between my legs/to hold on to (if I wanted). I’ve heard that people use body pillows also – and I honestly would have bought one, but we already had the king size pillow and that’s worked really great for me.
2. Belly Band (link)
This was game changing, especially in my first and second trimester when I was in that awkward, “I’m pregnant and look bloated but not officially showing yet” stage and my clothes just fit super weirdly. So it was great to be able to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans unbuttoned, put the bely band over my pants to hold them up, and I was good to go! The belly band looked like it was a tank top under my shirts.
Now, I wear it as extra support under my clothes as the heaviness of my belly continues to grow!
3. Going to the chiropractor
Another thing that has *really* helped with my lower back pain is going to the chiropractor! We found someone local that we absolutely love, and I’ve found that he really has helped with the various aches and pains that come with pregnancy.
Plus, I’ve heard soooo many people swear by chiropractor care for helping with alignment for an optimal delivery. As I’m planning to go the natural route, I’m all about anything I can do to help create an ideal birth experience. I’ll definitely let you know how I feel about it after it’s happened!
4. Naturally Calm/Magnesium Spray (link + link)
These are two different products, but I lumped them together because they are both magnesium based and I essentially use them for the same reasons, just different applications.
So I started using this magnesium spray every evening, because I read that most people (in general) are super low in their magnesium levels, and adequate magnesium helps prevent pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. Again, you’ll realize that I’m all about trying anything that’s only going to help prevent things that aren’t ideal, so I started using it every night.
One tip: if you’ve never used a magnesium spray before, or you spray it on a new area that hasn’t been sprayed in awhile, you’ll get a tingling feeling that kinda feels like pins and needles. This is totally normal, but I hate the pins and needles feeling so it’s not my favorite. It only happened for me the first night or two, then it would go away unless I sprayed in a new area.
Naturally calm – I started taking this only a few weeks ago, mostly to increase my magnesium to help me with sleep (I’ve definitely had some hardship with sleeping lately) and then with leg cramps (one of the only negative affects I’ve had in this pregnancy so far). I don’t think it takes bad ( I got the raspberry lemon flavor) and really do feel like it’s been helpful for both of these things!
The only thing to note is that this is easiest mixed with hot water, though it doesn’t have to be drank hot. You can mix it in cool or room temperature water, it’ll just take about 10 minutes before it’s fully dissolved.
Both of these products, from what I’ve read and been told, can’t hurt (obviously taken in regular doses and check with your practioner) and I’ve enjoyed using both of them!
4. Prenatal Yoga
This is another one of those things that I was repeatedly told makes a big difference for pregnancy and birth, and so I figured I’d go for it! While I can’t speak to the birth experience yet, I will say that prenatal yoga has been absolutely lovely for stretching and easing various aches and pains that come with pregnancy. Plus it’s nice to relax and do exercises that are made for this season of my body, and to find some stillness every week.
5. Maternity Jeans (link)
This was the first (and one of the only) maternity pieces I purchased… And I have 0 regrets about it. I’m 100% the girl that would wear jeans everyday if I could, so it was really nice to be able to purchase something that not only works with my every growing and changing body, but that makes me feel like my regular self (especially when so many other things aren’t fitting these days).
6. Jumpers
These are basically one of my favorite pieces of clothing that I own! I hate that my favorite ones are out of stock (I wanted to link them because I’m askinga bout them all the time). I’ve literally snatched both colors when they were in stock and they are two of my favorite pieces I own. Hoping they’ll restock! If not, here’s a similar one I found that comes in cute colors.
While perhaps not the most flattering items when pregnant (makes me look further along than I am – one guy thought I was carrying twins when I was only like 24 weeks?), they’re suuuuuuper comfortable and lightweight, and it’s one of the few things I can wear and feel “pulled together.” My wardrobe for looking cute and feeling cool in the souther summer heat is super limited, so I’m grateful for something so versatile as a jumper.
Bonus: The jumpsuits I’ve purchased are not maternity! So you betcha I’ll likely also be living in these pieces this fall as my body slowly comes back from post-pregnancy bod to closer to my new “regular” post baby body (whatever that will look like).
7. Belly Support Band (link)
Yes, this is different than the other belly band I mentioned above 😉
Ever since partway through my second trimester, I started experiencing really bad lower back pain… Understandable, considering I’m growing a human and all. I purchased this band, different than the stretchy belly band, for extra support. Whenever we take Jace for walks in the evenings (usually a 1-2 mile loop) or on the weekends when I’m working on a ton of projects and on my feet a lot, I wear this and find it helps so much!
I’ve always been an avid fan of taking probiotics (mostly due to stomach issues I’ve had for years) and knew it was something I wanted to continue into pregnancy.
Then my midwife actually talked to me about it further, recommending probiotics with the lactobacillus rhamnosus strand. Supposedly this strand helps reduce your chances of group B strep and infecting baby… Again, anything I can do to help my body provide in the very best way for our little one, I’m down for.
If you’re curious, this is the probiotic that my midwife recommended, and this is the one I was taking before she recommended it (though I have a friend that said the one I was taking before was the one that prevents group B strep). So I just alternate daily on which one I take, again just hoping to cover all my bases with good probiotics and hopefully avoiding GBS!
9. 40 ounce water bottle (link)
I bought a similar one from Home Goods, but my 40 ounce water bottle has been so wonderful! I drink a lot of water anyways, but have found in pregnancy that I drink even more (which I’m grateful it’s easy for me to consume water, because I know that’s not always the case for everyone). And it makes it a LOT easier to not have to get up every 10 minutes to refill my 16 ounce water bottle – instead having this larger one that will carry me through a bit longer 🙂 Plus, I found that as long as I drink four of these a day, I’ve hit my water goal and anything after that is bonus!
10. Maternity Undies (link)
Totally going there – but I gained a *lot* of weight in my booty, and was stretching out the current underwear that I have… So I knew I needed to buy more. Instead of spending a ton of money on a larger size of nicer underwear, I decided to just purchase a set of maternity underwear from Amazon. I knew I wouldn’t be wearing them for very long, and was just looking for something that was affordable and comfortable. This set totally accomplishes both of these things for me, and I would highly recommend if you’re in a similar boat!
I didn’t realize how much having undies cut off your circulation would be, well, awful… So something as simple as purchasing new underwear has been a game changer that’s made me feel so much more comfortable!
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Well y’all, that’s my list! These are ten things that I’ve been using a ton and loving throughout this pregnancy.
What would you add to this list? I’m curious to hear if there’s anything you feel lis missing on this list, or that you felt was game changing whenever you were pregnant.
If you’re hoping to be pregnant soon or just found out you’re pregnant, congrats! Hopefully this list can be helpful for you and give you a few things that can be comforting for you during this time of many changes!
Enjoy!
Blessings, xo
Rosalynne
