6 Products Getting me Through Pregnancy

As I near the end of my pregnancy, I thought it might be useful to put together a few items that I found especially helpful during the past 8 months for all of you folks who are just starting your pregnancy journey. I don't get commission on any of these products, I legitimately own them and actually find them all useful.

1. Boppy Side Sleeper Pregnancy Pillow

I'm starting with the biggest life saver on the list. My maternity pillow. I tried one of those giant snake pillows and I couldn't get comfortable with it, not to mention it took up valuable mattress real estate. Until about 26 weeks I did okay without any sort of extra pillow, just sinking further and further into our ultra-soft memory foam mattress. Finally almost overnight, my back decided that it had had enough of sleeping shaped like a U and started protesting, heavily. From the moment I laid down my muscles started cramping making it difficult to fall asleep and nearly impossible to stay that way. I tried the snake pillow again to no avail and was considering relocating to the floor when after about 4 nights of torture I decided I needed to find a solution. Eventually after much Googling, I found this side-sleeper pillow that supported both my back and my growing belly. It basically works as a buoy, keeping me from sinking into my super-soft mattress. I will say that the bigger you get, the less comfortable it is to sleep and this pillow sometimes makes it difficult to roll over but it has absolutely saved my back and my sanity.

I bought mine for $29 from Amazon: here.

Also... Cleo loves it, it's her sleeping nest.

 

2. Compression Socks 

Tair and I decided to take a "Baby Moon" to Ireland and my OB warned me that pregnant women who fly are at higher risk for blood clots and that I needed to make sure I was moving every 2 hours or so. When I explained this to my mom, she suggested also getting compression socks. I always thought of compression socks as being something that only old people wear but let me tell you, old people know whats up. I bought a few pairs from Target (Dr. Motion makes some really cute ones) and took them on my trip. We have flown A LOT and this is the first time my legs didn't feel stiff and crampy getting off the plane. As I got bigger I also started developing shin splints that sometimes made it hard to even get up and walk. If I wear my compression socks, boom they're gone! This is one of those things I'm definitely keeping past pregnancy. 

These are my favorite  for flights or everyday wear- $7.99 at Target

These are great for when you want to wear no-show socks - $9.99 at Amazon

3. It Works Stretch Mark cream 

I've always been a little obsessed with lotion. I use facial moisturizer, hand cream and lotion on my feet every day, so naturally once I started getting a little bigger I started looking for a belly moisturizer. To be totally honest I only went with this cream because my sister had started selling "It Works" products through their referral program and I wanted to be supportive. I was actually pleasantly surprised though when I found that this is one of the most moisturizing lotions I ever used without being super thick and difficult to rub in. I put it on at night before I go to bed and put my t-shirt over my lotiony bump. So far I haven't had any issue with it staining despite the product being a bit wet. Unlike other lotions I've used that seem to evaporate within the hour, when I wake up in the morning I can still feel the moisture on my skin. I can't tell you yet for sure how well it works but as of 34 weeks I still don't have any stretch marks and my skin feels great.

This will run you $39/bottle but they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Buy it here

Note: If you sign on for the 3 month autoship then you get a significant member discount that you get to keep once you complete your first three months.

4. Tums 

This may seem a little basic but by the end of my second trimester I started getting regular heartburn. The best way to prevent it is to eat regular small snacks and drink a ton of water but sometimes you forget and then your stomach starts shooting fire up your esophagus. I found it really handy to get a multipack of the little Tums rolls like these to take on the go. Now I've got antacids everywhere. In my desk, in my purse, in my jacket pockets, you name it. Heartburn sucks so it's important to have relief close at hand. 

5. Bellaband 

I am naturally pretty petite so when I first started growing the infamous baby bump my jeans began to cut painfully into my stomach. I tried the hair-tie/rubber band trick but eventually that starts to pinch not to mention it looks really awkward when you're trying to grab something off a high shelf. Before I transitioned into full-blown maternity pants I picked up a secondhand Bellaband on Poshmark (always look for second-hand maternity clothes when you can). Basically a Bellaband is the stretchy part of maternity jeans that you wear over your regular, unbuttoned/unzipped jeans. It was awesome while I was trying to keep my unbuttoned pants up and will hopefully come in handy when I'm getting back in to my regular jeans.

If you buy it new it's $16.99 at Target

6. Gummy Prenatals

This one might seem a little silly but after having talked to several women who had trouble remembering to take their prenatal vitamin this might be a bit of a help. If, like me, you're going with OTC prenatal vitamins and you either hate taking pills or suck at remembering them in the morning, One-a-Day makes gummy prenatal vitamins that are pretty tasty. I find them easier to remember because I don't need to get a cup of water to swallow them and I find I'm much more motivated to eat what is essentially candy in the morning.

If you set up a subscription you can get them for $22 for a 120 count at Amazon - bonus, this way you don't have to remember to order them.

Do you have any go-to pregnancy products? Let's hear about them!