// Pregnancy Favorites : The First 20 Weeks

Now that I'm 24 weeks along (tomorrow!), I've been able to look back on what made the first 6 months of my pregnancy bearable. (Holy cow, y'all! Six months!) Anyone who has experience with growing a child in your own body can attest that there are some incredibly uncomfortable parts that go along with it. Luckily I feel truly blessed in the sense that this has been pretty smooth sailing thus far. I think a lot of that has to do with our day to day lifestyle and where we live. I'm super aware of my privilege in being able to work from home/be off my feet most parts of the day. Even just hobbling around for 4 hours wipes me out entirely and leaves me aching for a few days. (Seriously. Shout out to all you babes who are/have been pregnant and work on your feet all day! I salute you!) But it's not all bad - honestly. I recognize what an absolute honor and, again, privilege it is to actually experience pregnancy. I'm trying to focus all of my energy on the good because it's pretty life changing. Anyway, here are a few items that I loved for the first half of my pregnancy thus far... I'm sure they'll all trickle over in the last half too, because they're just that great!







My first half pregnancy essentials include:

+ Bump Nest pregnancy pillow* - Y'all, I don't know how I slept before this pillow... even not pregnant. One thing about me: I have to have ample pillows when I sleep I sleep with one under my head, one between my knees, one curled up in my arms and then one over my face. I cannot sleep without this set up. But despite being the most exhausted I've ever been in my entire life, I could not sleep in my first trimester. I would wake up for several hours each night, toss and turn, and then feel groggy the entire following day. Then came this pillow. Snoooooze! Now I sleep with just this pillow, and one pillow over my face at night. Some gals have said they just can't get behind the big U shape of the pillow, but that's what does it for me. I can turn over in the middle of the night without moving my Bump Nest pillow and still find a comfortable position. Normally I fall asleep with it wrapped around my front, with the bottom curve between my knees and the top curve under my head. I've wrangled that pillow into so many positions over the past few months that I've worked a kink into the stuffing. Mike may or may not have cuddled up with it while I was away in Las Vegas in February haha... I'm guaranteeing I'll be using it well after this pregnancy! If you're pregnant, THIS is the one thing I absolutely recommend wholeheartedly.

+ Maternity friendly intimates - This maternity sleeping bra and these Gilligan & O'Malley seamless boyshorts are so incredibly comfortable! They're both the perfect answer to growing bodies. The undies are perfect because they never cut into you and they work perfectly under both jeans and dresses. Even the jersey knit dresses! (The only downside to the boyshorts: they tend to ride up a bit! Wedgie central haha) The maternity bra is so great for a comfortable night's sleep. Plus it's not expensive. I have no clue what these babies are going to do in the next several months, so this bra is perfect for "playing it safe."

+ Pregnancy Apps - I'm both amazed and shocked at how pregnancy works. It blows my mind that the human body is capable of this, and I want to know (almost) everything that goes along with it. I've downloaded almost every pregnancy app available in the App store and these three are my favorites. BabyBump, BabyCenter, and What To Expect. I really prefer the apps that give you daily tips and show videos or animations of how the baby is forming. I don't keep track of my stats or appointments in the apps, but the tips alone are worth the storage room on my phone.

+ PJ Salvage robe* - The first 16 weeks of my pregnancy were mostly spent in pajamas with my hair up in a bun. I didn't go out of my way to get dolled up because I was zonked! I tried finding small things to make me feel slightly more "pampered" and that's exactly where this robe came in handy. This thing is basically a sliver of heaven. It's a super lightweight jersey fabric but it consistently has a cool-to-the-touch feeling. It's so refreshing to put on after a shower. It's lightweight so I don't feel like I'm going to sweat out of it or be weighed down. And the bright fuschia color is perfect!

+ Cocoa Butter - Some of us aren't blessed with perfect genetics and skin that can stretch to the moon and back. For all of you mamas who have given birth without so much as a single stretch mark, I hate you. Just kidding, I don't hate you, but I am incredibly jealous.

+ Simply Orange Juice - Orange juice is what got me through my first trimester. And it's what gets me through most mornings still. I've craved orange juice since the very beginning and I'm all about the citrus flavors.

+ Lemon Juice - As soon as I found out I was pregnant I cut out all caffeine. I tried focusing on drinking a lot of water. I like water well enough, but always find it more refreshing to toss in some lemon juice (this also keeps both Mike and Toby from drinking it haha!). I can't tell you how many of these little lemon bottles I've gone through so far...

+ Night lights - This might sound like the dumbest thing to put on a "pregnancy essentials" list but I hate waking up 5 times in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and having to either stub my toes on everything between me and the bathroom, or risking blindness by turning the lights on. Buying 2 nightlights for the hall and bathroom = the best $6 I've ever spent. Now my nightly trips to the bathroom are less dangerous.

+ Motherhood Maternity Bump Start tees - Mike bought me a few of these for Valentine's Day this year and I've been in love ever since! They're so comfortable and you can get 2 for under $25! I probably have 6 or 8 that I rotate between and I can't sing their praises enough. They're simple and so comfortable.

+ BellyBuds headphones* - When I was first offered these by BellyBuds, I sort of chuckled and then shrugged them off. They sounded/looked silly and I couldn't even imagine wearing sticky little headphones on my belly. But when I told Mike about them he thought they were the coolest things ever and I started to get intrigued. I agreed to give them a whirl and now I'm a total fan. The reason I'm a fan? The first time I played music for the baby (right at 19 weeks), I felt him kick for the first time. It could have been totally coincidental, but my heart skipped a beat. I was playing him my favorite band (Loquat) and I think that just makes it even more special. Now I regularly play him music and he bumps along with it. (These actually made me do quite a bit of research about sounds in utero, too) They're a novelty for sure, but I've loved using them thus far.

+ Belly band - Since I'm not big on wearing jeans anyway, I didn't want to invest in actual maternity jeans if I didn't have to. So far, so good! But since buttoning my pants has become increasingly more difficult (okay, impossible), the belly band has saved the day! Not gonna lie, I may never button my jeans again... It helps hide the seams from your unbuttoned jeans and it also covers up the big open fly haha! I love that it gives a little bit of length to the camisole I normally wear under my tees, too.

+ Maurices Denim Flex jeans - I only own 2 pairs of jeans and these denim flex jeans (thick jeggings, basically) are so great. They're skinny leg jeans which come in handy for a short gal like myself. I love that they're stretchy since they can kind of grow with me. Plus Maurice's constantly has a sale on their jeans so you can usually pick them up for just over $20 per pair. Two thumbs way up!

* denotes item was received courtesy of the respective brand. I was not compensated or required to include these items on my blog, and all opinions are my own!



I'd love to hear what some of your pregnancy essentials are/were! Especially for the second half haha! If you have any suggestions on what can make the last few months more bearable, I'm all ears! I've been lucky to steer clear of morning sickness and heartburn, but I'm worried that it'll catch up with me before it's all over haha

Happy Tuesday, friends! xo

13 comments:

  1. I'm too old and too far past my baby-making time to remember what I considered essentials,; however, I am right there with you on the music.I will always remember the first time I felt Sean kick. I was driving to work and listening to "Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional (jamming loud, yo!) and he just kicked and kicked and kicked! Every time I hear that song I tear up!

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  2. I LOVE the Bumpstart tees. They're so comfy and some of the better-quality maternity tees I've found. I also have some tees from Pea in the Pod that were MUCH more expensive and are not wearing nearly as well. I am 19 weeks and haven't really been doing anything differently, but I have noticed that my legs are really tired at the end of the day so I'm going to give the Mustela "Instant ComFort Legs" a try. I think it will be especially nice as the weather gets warmer! I'm also on the lookout for some cute, comfy summer flats (not really a necessity, but a want).

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  3. I didn't get any stretch marks until 38 weeks. I had TWO WEEKS LEFT and they decided to show themselves. Assholes. But, I earned my tiger stripes and I flaunt them with pride now ; )

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  4. Those little belly headphones are soooo cute! I might have to get those for a friend!

    Danielle
    Smitten with Sunday

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  5. This is such a great list! Where were those boyshorts with my first pregnancy? I'll definitely be stocking up on them this time around.
    One thing that was a huge staple with my first pregnancy was Burt's Bees Mama Bee Leg and Foot Cream. It has peppermint oil, so it cools and soothes those achy pregnant legs and feet. It's an absolute necessity as far as I'm concerned!

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    1. Ooh I've heard good things about that leg/foot cream! I might need to pick some up myself :D

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  6. Tums. A lot of them. They started replacing some of my meals towards the end of my pregnancy!

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  7. Have you tried true lemon? It's dried crystal lemon you add to water, in place of juice or real lemon. It also comes in orange, lime, and grapefruit.

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    1. Huh, no! I've never heard of that! But I'm definitely going to check into it!

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  8. i have no interest in babies or ever being pregnant but i still find all of your pregnancy posts riveting. . . maybe it's bc i know and love you?! *shrugs* ;)

    my friend just received her certification to work for a midwifery and help deliver babies. she had to go through so many tests and attend births and recently she came over and we all sat in a circle and asked her birth questions for like an hour and a half! everything to do with the female body is amazing! three cheers for another happy + healthy flynn <3

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    1. Haha I told Mike I have no desire to witness a birth before going into labor. He'll have a whole clinical rotation in OB/GYN and Labor/Delivery in school. I like to know how things work and all that jazz, but I'm terrified to actually SEE it. I made him promise to require a sheet over "the action" when it goes down because I am soooo not interested in watching it happen! :P

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    2. I made the mistake of (in my emotional late pregancy state) putting on one born every minute (people giving birth) and it scared me shitness. In terms of not seeing things etc, I found it was worse for people around me then for me, because I almost felt like it wasn't happening to me whereas they had to watch me go through it! I totally recommend buying shoes in a bigger size towards the very end and for the first few weeks post you having him, my feet suddenly swelled to balloons and I found shoes so uncomfortable!

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  9. Pregnancy pillows are the best thing ever. I wish I had bought mine sooner when I was pregnant!

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB