Essential Maternity Items and Tips for Expecting Moms
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
As a seasoned mom with three pregnancies under my belt, I wanted to share some tips and recommended maternity items that I wish I had known about during my first pregnancy. These suggestions can make your pregnancy and motherhood journey smoother and more enjoyable.
daycare
If you want to get your kid into daycare, apply as soon as possible. My husband and I were on year-long wait lists and had to find a nanny until slots opened up.
belly butter
belly butter doesn’t prevent stretch marks, but I enjoyed putting it on my stomach after I showered because it felt and smelled good, I liked Burt's Bees body butter HERE
prenatal vitamins
Nature Made prenatal vitamins, mostly because you can buy a huge bottle at Costco that will last you your entire pregnancy at a great price (pro-tip you can also purchase with your FSA and HSA)
workouts
- Your OBGYN typically clears you to do the same workouts you did before you were pregnant so I was able to continue doing my f45 HIIT workouts with some modifications. When I needed a more low impact option, I enjoyed completing these Bodyfit by Amy workouts HERE
sleeping
- I loved this body pillow HERE (pillowcase HERE) to make sleeping on my side more comfortable
- This pillow wedge also helped support my big belly in the third trimester HERE
office ergonomics
- In my third trimester, I had terrible lower back pain and could not sit in a normal chair so I was able to more comfortably sit on this exercise ball HERE (accessory holder HERE)
- Sitting on this memory seat foam cushion HERE also helped alleviate my back pain
clothing
go to pants: LULULEMON ALIGN LEGGINGS super high waisted, high-waisted, you can wear them to work out, wear them as pants, and you can wear them after pregnancy because you can order your pre-pregnancy size and the material is so stretchy it will support your pregnancy bump!
workout attire
- lululemon align shorts
- maternity workout tank tops
- oversized sports bras, had to order XL and XXL sports bras (I’m typically a Medium)
- amazon biker shorts, there was a point in my third trimester when I felt so enormous the support of the lululemon align shorts made me feel compressed so I switched from the align shorts to these affordable amazon maternity shorts
- amazon leggings, same with the leggings
everyday attire
- oversized wire free bras, had to order XL and XXL sports bras in my second trimester (I’m typically a Medium)
- under the bump underwear, I needed to order a size up from my normal pre-pregnancy size
- dresses HERE, HERE, I was able to order my normal size and was able to wear these options after pregnancy!
- for most of my outfits I wore oversized tops (which I wore before I was pregnant) with the black align leggings
shoes
my feet never swelled up, for other ladies who did have swollen feet, they had to buy bigger shoes.
- kizik sneakers: I loved having a slip-on shoe because it became difficult bending over in my third trimester
- FitFlop sandals are very comfortable, lightweight, and convenient to put on, plus stylish!
I hope you found this helpful! You are going to be an awesome mama ❤
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