Pregnancy Pillow– Even if you’re not pregnant I’d recommend this pillow ‘cus it’s so damn comfortable. It does take up a bit of space just so you’re aware but we have a king bed and it was totally fine. John was sad that the pillow replaced him as my new cuddle buddy lol!
Plant-based Retinol & Lactic Acid– Biossance SAVED my skin during pregnancy. To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of plant-based retinols as I always preferred the real thing but during pregnancy, I had no choice and my skin LOVED it as much as it loves real retinol. It does take more time to see results when it comes to plant-based products so be patient, your skin will start to transform in due time. Also, the Lactic Acid has to be my favorite product from Biossance. Holy moly my pores tightened up (I’m almost confident to say my pores basically disappeared), helped with my hormonal acne, discoloration, my textured bumpy skin, the list goes on. It’s just a complete game-changer. This will be on my forever holy grail list ‘cus it’s that good!
Belly oil / Moisturizer– I was hesitant to use belly oil when I first start to show because I hate the feeling of oil and oily stuff on my body. It’s all slippery, messy, and gets all over your clothes and we’re just not into that. I tried a few different kinds but this one from Frank & Whit was the best. It is lightweight, fast-absorbing yet highly hydrating. I would use the oil every night and then this plant-based moisturizer by Pipette (Biossance sister brand) and it was my fave combo for my belly. No stretch marks here!
Pregnancy Books I Read-
- Hypnobirthing– Probably the most useful for me to calm my fears and combat my anxiety of childbirth. It’s not a miracle worker but it definitely helped me through my labor and calmed a lot of my fears.
- Bradley Method– I read this just to be informed. It’s not necessary but I learned a lot of birthing and breathing techniques from this book.
- The Natural Mama– Book to read that follow your pregnancy by the week. Tells you what’s going on with your body and your baby which I looked forward to reading every week.
- Cribsheets- A Data-Driven Guide to pregnancy. She covers topics like coffee, wine, sushi during pregnancy. I highly recommend it.
Hydro Flask Water bottle- You need to drink A LOT of water during pregnancy and I definitely wouldn’t have drunk as much water if it wasn’t for my hydroflask water bottle. The key is to get a big one so you don’t have to refill as often. Water bottles are those things where you don’t think you need one, but trust me life is so much better with one. Make sure you get one w a straw!
Prenatal Vitamins- You can read all about the vitamins I take in this blog post.
Comfortable shoes- These are the sneakers I wore whenever I would go for walks, hikes, or workouts during pregnancy. I wore these before pregnancy as well. Basically they’re just my fave work out shoes. For everything else, I loved these lightweight slides by Freedom Moses. They come in tons of colors and designs and they are comfortable AF!! BTW these are the only shoes I wore to the hospital and it made hospital life 1000% better.
A Pair of maternity jeans– I didn’t buy any maternity clothes except for a few pairs of jeans. I can’t live without jeans. I wear them with everything so I knew I needed a few pairs. I probably could of just done with one pair, so if you’re thinking about jeans during your pregnancy, one pair is plenty! Here’s a few that I wore and loved!
Melissa Wood Pilates App- I worked out with my trainer all the way up to week 34. Covid-19 happened and all the gyms closed so I had no choice but to work out at home. I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy. I had no idea what to do, no equipment, no motivation, and just felt lazy esp. in my third trimester. But I knew for my sanity and health I needed to move my body. I found Melissa Wood Pilates through Instagram and decided to give it a try. They are 20 min low impact workouts that combine yoga and pilates. It’s easy yet challenging and it really works. I did it 4-5x a week and I really did see a difference in my body esp. my arms. They got so toned! I highly recommend it!! She has pregnancy series as well so I did a mix of prenatal workouts and regular workouts w modifications.
Comfy AF bra- I shared this bra before. It’s my everyday bra! Again this is a bra I wore for years before pregnancy and even during. It’s SO comfortable, lightweight, supportive, and soft. I wear it 24/7 (yes I sleep with it).
Belly Band– Think of a belly band as your sports bra, you need the support gf! I got mine on Amazon. It had the highest review and it was super affordable. It wore it daily and it helped support my back a lot! If you’re on your feet, walking, working out, or just need some support I’d highly recommend one.
Biker Shorts– These are the biker shorts I wore my pregnancy. It’s not maternity so you can size up if needed but I loved wearing these a little bit tight ‘cus it gave me extra belly support as well. If you’re looking for pregnancy-friendly biker shorts, I’ve heard really good things about this one.