First Time Mama…What I Found Helpful During my Pregnancy

2020 was the year of change for our family…..I lost my job, my husband was deploying for 6+ months during a pandemic, and we found out I was pregnant 6 weeks before he was expected to leave! We had been been trying to grow our family since December 2019, and seeing that positive pregnancy test six months later was one of the happiest moments of my life. Our little girl is due in 10 days, and I am so incredibly excited to meet her.

Even though I’ve been a step-mom for the past eight years, I was completely clueless on how to navigate pregnancy. I wasn’t prepared for the changes that pregnancy brings – both physical and emotional – or how quickly these changes would come on. I spent a lot of time googling “best XYZ for pregnancy” and leaned on my mama friends for help and guidance. As this pregnancy is coming to an end, I was telling my husband that I almost wished I had a “cheat sheet” on what to expect with pregnancy…a list of basic items/products/clothing to help you through each stage of pregnancy. I decided I’d put a list together of favorite products during my pregnancy to share with you all.

I went through a lot of trial and error – purchasing things I thought I needed, was told I needed, and returning things I didn’t like/need/use, and have narrowed down my favorite purchases for you below. Of course, pregnancy looks completely different for each woman, but I hope this list will help ease some of those questions you might have!

My favorite things during pregnancy

body pillows

I read a lot about pregnancy pillows and how beneficial they are during the later stages of pregnancy/sleeping. I typically sleep on my back or stomach, but around 16 weeks found those positions to be very uncomfortable and needed something to give me a little more support/structure to keep me from rolling onto my back in my sleep. I had also read that sleeping on your side is best during pregnancy, but as my bump got bigger I found that to be a little uncomfortable, especially when laying on the couch. Over the course of my pregnancy, I tried out 4 different pillows, and 3 of them worked best for me. I sleep with the C Shape pillow wrapped around me at night, with the wedge pillow under my bump for extra support. The last 2 months of my pregnancy I’ve felt some pain/discomfort in my lower back, especially if I’m sitting around watching TV or reading in bed at night, and the Backrest Pillow has been a life saver with relieving that pain.

athletic wear

Continuing to exercise during my pregnancy was something that was very important to me, and I told myself from the beginning that I’d work out as long as my body would let me. I was ready to embrace all the changes my body would go through, and wanted to keep a positive headspace along the way. However, I personally gained most of my weight during the first 18 weeks, and quickly found most of my gym clothes to be extremely uncomfortable and unflattering. It was difficult to feel strong, to feel good about myself, to embrace the changes, when my clothes simply didn’t fit. I knew I didn’t want to spent a ton of money on new gym clothes for my pregnancy, but also knew I’d need a few staple pieces to get me through the 40 weeks. I tried out A LOT of different leggings and sports bras, and found these to be the most comfortable – stretching with me as my body grew, but still staying put/snug without rolling down or losing shape. I ordered my true size in both the leggings and tanks, and went one size up in the sports bra.

everyday maternity clothes

Since this is going to be our only pregnancy, I didn’t want to go crazy spending a ton of money on an entire maternity wardrobe. I knew I’d need a few staple pieces to transition into once my regular clothes no longer fit, so I looked to find a couple of affordable wardrobe basics, things I could wear on a day to day around the house. Being pregnant during quarantine made life a little easier since I basically lived in sweats and my husband’s T-shirts for most of the time, but I did invest in about 10-15 pieces for the times I needed to go out in public or wanted to feel like myself and get dressed for the day. I splurged on one “nice” top to wear the day my husband returned from his deployment, and one dress for my virtual baby shower, but otherwise found some pretty comfortable and affordable pieces. I ordered all clothes in my pre-pregnancy size, and sized up one size for the PJ’s.

undergarments

I really struggled in the beginning with finding comfortable undergarments and honestly found this to be the most frustrating adjustment with my changing body. I am so picky with these things in general, as I can’t stand wearing anything that is too tight, isn’t soft, has an elastic, feels restricting, cuts into my thighs, makes me itchy….my list of weird clothing issues goes on and on. I bought and threw away so many underwear styles/brands, or would try a new bra to only rip it off 20 minutes later. It took me a few months to find items I really liked and could tolerate wearing for the whole day, so hopefully these suggestions will help eliminate some of that frustration for you!

other odds and ends

Here are a few other things I used daily in my pregnancy. By month 6 my feet/heels were pretty uncomfortable from walking around on the hardwood all day and my slippers were making my body overheat. I found these Adidas slides and they are like pillows for my feet – super lightweight and comfortable, and were instant relief for my achy heels.

Staying on top of my multi-vitamin was sometimes tricky. I’d try and take it every morning and kept the bottle next to my nightstand, but by the end of the day I’d totally forget if I had actually taken it or not, and often times would take 2 before bed just in case. Investing in a little pill case was super helpful and eliminated any fears I had of forgetting it.

Throughout this entire pregnancy, my skin has been extremely dry and itchy, especially my bump. I tried out a bunch of different lotions/oils, but found the Palmers Cocoa Butter for Stretch Marks to be the best when it came to relieving the dryness. I haven’t had to worry about stretch marks so far, but still recommend this lotion to relieve dryness.

I’ve always struggled with insomnia, even before pregnancy. However, by week 24 my insomnia was really bad, and I was getting maybe 2-3 hours of sleep every other night. I tried my hardest to avoid any type of OTC medicine throughout most of my pregnancy, so I was on the hunt for a more “natural” sleep aid and discovered 8 Sheep Organic Sleepy Body Lotion. This was an impulse 2 am buy after another sleepless light, but I’m so glad I bought it. I put a little bit on the bottom of each foot before bed, and found that I had an easier time both falling asleep and going back to sleep after my 40th pee break during the middle of the night.

The last thing I really recommend is a pregnancy journal, if that’s your thing. I initially got a journal because I knew my husband would be overseas for a majority of this pregnancy, and I wanted a way to document it all so I could share it with him when he returned. As each week went on, I found myself writing less for him and more for our unborn child, as a way to connect with her and share all of my thoughts/dreams/experiences with her. It’s something that is so personal, and I love that I’ll have this to look back on and one day pass on to her.