this post has been a long time coming & I was hoping to get it out sooner, but better late than never, right?
I am almost certain (because I have taken polls!) that I am the only mama who misses being pregnant… don’t get me wrong, I love being eloise’s mama! but I adored being pregnant & look back on that time fondly. I feel very fortunate to have had a very healthy, fun, & low-risk pregnancy, & I wanted to share some of my must-haves. {I am putting together my essentials lists for post-partum, newborn, & possibly feeding (solid foods), so stay tuned if you are interested!}
{one} jersey dresses. I didn’t end up buying very many maternity clothes & really tried to either wear or buy things that were non-maternity. one of the great pieces that I wore over & over in my last trimester (& since it was warm by then) was a jersey dress. I owned a few pre-pregnancy that I was able to make work, including my favorite target purple maxi dress that I wore to the hospital! but, the best dresses I found for pregnancy were Sonnet James dresses. I discovered SJ in the fall of 2013 & quickly ordered the Stella dress for our trip to Hawaii. hands down one of my favorite dresses ever! I picked up a few more once I found out I was pregnant because I knew I could wear them during my pregnancy & after. I worried a bit that I might stretch them out, but I haven’t had any issues post-partum. I have found that my Quincy & Doutzen dresses (mine are past season colors) are a bit long when I don’t have a bump, so I will probably be visiting the Nordstrom alternations department in the very near future {my Stella & Kate dresses are midi length & are perfect!}.
{two} reusable water bottle. water, water, water. my midwife couldn’t stress enough how important it was that I stay hydrated during my pregnancy. I knew I needed to find a good water bottle that could travel with me between home, work, & everywhere in-between. thanks to amanda for her recommendation on the Camelback bottles! having already been thru this with her first child, she knew exactly what I would need, plus because of the straw end it could be used hands-free which was perfect for labor & delivery! I ended up with the Camelback Eddy Insulated Water Bottle (& also the non-insulated version) & they were perfect!
{three} body oil. for me pregnancy brought on some mild acne & very dry skin. {for the acne I used Belli Anti-Blemish Facial Wash that is free of salicylic acid & benzoyl peroxide.} I had read that body oil could help prevent stretch marks (though the truth is that stretch marks are genetic. you can do some things to help, but you cannot actually prevent them…) so I started my search for a body oil. it didn’t take me long wandering down the aisles of target to find Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Body Oil. I fell in love instantly! it soaked into my skin & left it feeling silky & hydrated, & had the most amazing lemon scent. I used it all over my body after showering, including my bump, & the smell of lemon will always remind me of my pregnancy with eloise!
{four} low-impact workout. the best advice about working out during pregnancy is to have an already-established workout program that you can continue thru-out your pregnancy. luckily for me, my workout of choice is Pure Barre & it is a great workout that can be pretty easily modified for mamas-to-be (there is a Baby on Board package – 3 months unlimited class pass). whatever workout regime you choose (yoga, running, Zumba, etc.), just stick with it! there were a few weeks during the first trimester that I had to forego my beloved PB classes because I was just so sick, but for the majority of my pregnancy I was attending class twice a week, & even went to class two days before eloise was born! I had a healthy pregnancy & I was able to keep active; I know this is in part because of staying in shape.
{five} ginger chews. oh the nausea of the first trimester. I felt nausea many, many times before I was pregnant (thanks in part to being very motion sick as a kid) but nothing can prepare you for nausea during pregnancy! I don’t like spicy, but these Gin Gin chews saved my life! I kept a stash everywhere just in case – desk drawer, purse, nightstand, car. you can pick them up at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
{six} prenatal vitamins. this is not meant to be medical advice (since I am not a medical doctor) so follow whatever recommendation your own doctor gives you! for me, my OB-GYN had me taking pre-natal vitamins years before I was pregnant. her recommendation was that any woman that was pre-menopausal should be taking pre-natals; there is no harm, the first few weeks of pregnancy are the most important for these vitamins (& most women don’t even know they are pregnant yet!), plus it is great for your hair & nails! anyways, I was taking some generic woman’s multivitamin from target, but had to find a new one as soon as I got pregnant since they were making me sick. I found the Rainbow Light Prenatal One Mulitvitamin and Spectrum Essentials Prenatal DHA at Whole Foods & no longer had any problems with my tummy. I always took them in the middle of dinner (usually my biggest meal) so that I knew I had enough food in my belly, though I take them now before breakfast (usually) & I haven’t had any issues. the multivitamin is a pretty big tablet (it pretty much has to be or else you have to take lots of pills) & if you have trouble swallowing big pills I am almost certain there is a capsule form. the DHA is great because it isn’t fish oil (it is vegan except for gelatin in the capsule) so there is absolutely no aftertaste!
mamas & mamas-to-be, what were or are your essentials?
M
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