It has been so long since I have sat down and actually written a blog post (almost exactly a year)! Today I am finally putting together a list of my pregnancy must-haves! This is going to be a list of products I have been using daily (or almost daily) throughout this pregnancy. We only have a couple of weeks left before baby will be here, but this list will be pretty short! I am generally a very low-maintenance person, so I actually have not consistently used a ton of products. Here are products I have been getting a lot of use out of that I would consider my pregnancy must-haves!
Frida Mom pregnancy pillow
I have actually tried a couple of different pregnancy pillows. At first, I was using this one from Amazon that seems to be pretty popular. I used this one for the first and second trimesters, and I did like it. It gives you good back support, as well as hip and bump support. It does take up a lot of room on the bed, and the cover fabric was not great quality. It pilled a lot and really I needed to put it in the wash probably but never did. You could swap it out for a different cover, but I also wasn’t a fan of the pillow quality itself. I felt like it was starting to get flat already.
The second pillow I’ve tried, I absolutely love and will definitely use during any future pregnancy. That is the Frida Mom pillow. It takes up much less room on the bed, and still gives enough support so I don’t wake up sore. I also like that it’s filled with beads that give it a cooling effect. It also makes it so you can form it into any shape you want. It is not really big enough to give back support. I don’t really need the back support, but if you do then maybe you wouldn’t like this pillow. I do need to readjust the pillow throughout the night, but it really doesn’t bother me. This pillow is 10/10 in my opinion.
Leggings
I actually have not bought any maternity leggings, and only bought a couple of maternity clothing items. Early on, I bought a couple pairs of these leggings from Amazon. They have been perfect throughout the whole pregnancy. They are butter soft. I wore them to work almost every day until it was warm enough to wear dresses. Plus, they are super affordable at two pairs for $35. If you want leggings that will cover your belly throughout, then you may want to buy maternity leggings. But for me, I don’t like high rise pants anyway, so these have been perfect. And of course I will continue to wear them even after pregnancy!
Pepcid and Tums
I was lucky enough during the first trimester to not have much morning sickness. However, the nausea and heartburn/acid reflux has been hitting hard during the third trimester. Baby girl is just taking up all of the room in there and there’s no room for my digestive system! Pepcid has been saving my life. I also have been taking Tums sometimes if Pepcid and anti-nausea meds are not enough. If you are having these same issues though, make sure you get everything okay’d by your OB before taking it. My OB has me taking double the normal amount of Pepcid. We also have tried a couple of different anti-nausea meds. So definitely check with your OB first.
BioOil Body Oil
I know that there’s not really a scientifically proven way to prevent stretch marks, but this body oil is great just to keep your belly moisturized so it won’t be so itchy. I try to use this every night (although I think you’re really supposed to do it morning and night). It smells SO good and is effective in keeping my skin feeling good.
Yeti Tumbler
…or really just any large water bottle that keeps your water cold. I know the Stanley tumblers are so popular right now. I finally gave in and ordered one for myself, so will definitely update once it comes in and I’m able to try it out. Until then, I always end up going back to my 30 oz. Yeti tumbler. Especially lately, I have been thirsty non-stop, so the bigger the water bottle the better. I plan on taking this with me to the hospital too.
Portable USB Fan
If you are in the third trimester during the summer like I am, this fan is a life saver. It’s USB rechargeable, but also can run on batteries. I actually bought this for during labor, and then to use with the stroller, but it has been great during pregnancy too. I love that it has the flexible stand that can also hook onto anywhere. When our power went out from the tornado recently, this thing was a NECESSITY.
DoorDash
This one speaks for itself. I have been so lazy when it comes to food during this whole pregnancy! Usually Brent is the cook around here, but he has been so busy getting our old house ready to sell, so he hasn’t been cooking much lately. So with all that, I have been using DoorDash wayyyy more than I should. For the most part, I have at least been ordering relatively healthy meals at least! There’s a local smoothie place I have found that has the best smoothies, smoothie bowls, and wraps. That and McCallister’s are probably my most ordered-from places.
Miralax + V8
This is where we get into some of the TMI items…so I won’t go into detail on why this is needed (if you’re pregnant, I’m sure you already know anyway 😜). Especially during third trimester, you need to be drinking Miralax daily. My OB actually told me to drink it twice a day, and I probably should but I have just been sticking to once a day. You can mix it in anything including just water, and it doesn’t change the taste or consistency at all. My favorite way to drink it is by mixing it in V8 (Splash or Fusion are my favorites, and any of the red ones – fruit medley, berry blend, etc.). I am addicted to V8 just in general, but also it’s nice to get a little extra calories and nutrition at the same time (although yes I know some of them are still very sugary!)
V8 has also been good for me because I have had issues with not gaining weight. One piece of advice my OB gave me was to drink more calories, so drinking juice or even Gatorade instead of just water is a good way to gain some weight. And much easier for me since I don’t always feel like eating lately.
Earth Mama Perineal Spray and Balm
If you know, you know…Honestly though, this stuff is amazing to help with hemorrhoids even if you’re not pregnant/postpartum. In the past I have always used Preperation H wipes and ointment, but never felt like it did enough to help. From now on I will always use this stuff instead. And that’s enough TMI for now 😜
I think that’s about it as far as pregnancy must-haves for me! Leave a comment below or reach out on Instagram (@bethanyschaafblog) to let me know if I’m missing anything. I feel like I am pretty minimal as far as products that I end up using on a regular basis. If this has been helpful for you guys, I will definitely share again when I have labor/delivery and postpartum must-haves!
xoxo, Bethany
