I was very lucky to have had a fairly easy pregnancy, I know so many mothers-to-be struggle with pregnancy conditions and symptoms that they have no control over and can't do anything about. Hats off to them because, well, they are warriors!
Even though my pregnancy was straight forward, here are some things that made it that little bit easier and I cheer about them having been invented...
1. Mustela Stretch Mark Cream - I have a lot of love for this cream and bought a few bottles throughout pregnancy. Although I used other oils and butters at times, this was the one that I kept going back to and ended up putting on daily. It's non-greasy so was perfect to use before getting dressed and my tummy always felt soft well after application, unlike other creams/oils that seem to give a minute of moisture. I mainly bought a perfumed version from Ebay but in future I would try unperfumed, the scent was meh and disappeared on application and you pay extra for it. Incidentally I survived with only two little inch long scars that will hopefully fade into nothingness. The burn on my tummy is still centre stage though.
2. Bump bands - These genius inventions saved me shed loads on a maternity wardrobe. When your tops are too short to meet the top of your trousers / you start living in leggings and want to hide your camel toe, just add these bands underneath any top that still fits around your waist and voila - acceptable outfit. As a double bonus, they provide support for your growing bump (a bump hammock if you will) and that's gotta help in the fight against stretch marks no? I don't see why they have to be exclusive maternity wear either - I still use these now when I want to give the illusion of layers or just to maximise the versatility of my wardrobe. Also, although I didn't get around to it, they would make the most simple DIY!
3. Pregnacare Vitamin Tablets - The super NHS provides pregnant mothers with pre natal vitamins, but after comparing the content to Pregnacare's the difference was sizeable so I decided to buy their's instead. And I don't know why but I credit these tablets with the fact I had ZERO morning sickness and ZERO mood swings. Not to mention it just felt good to be providing my growing babe with extra goodies. I took them daily throughout pregnancy and then switched to their breastfeeding tablets after Delphie was born.
4. Nursing Bras - Being a bigger busted girl I had to shop around a fair bit for a decent maternity/nursing bra that didn't break the bank (I wanted at least four in two different sizes for my growing girth!). I felt it was more sensible to invest in nursing bras, rather than maternity bras, as I had hoped to breastfeed after the baba was born. Marks & Spencer saved the day with this pack of two non wired nursing bras. They gave me a decent lift and the lacing down the centre helped to reduce the mono boob slightly. They were also very easy to clip and unclip with one hand when breastfeeding. (Confession: I still wear these now even though I'm not breast feeding because a) my ribs didn't get the memo that I'm not housing a baby anymore and b) underwire now feels like a prison).
5. V pillow - My friend kindly lent me a specialised pregnancy pillow shaped like a candy cane with an unstuffed section in the top that you were meant to lie over, leaving a short pillow behind your back and a long bit to hug. If you wriggle and turn a lot in bed like I do then avoid this one, the unstuffed section bunches up easily digging in your ribs and the asymmetric design means you need to flip it over and smooth it down each time you roll over. I found this V pillow and life changed! It's quite flat meaning you can add it on top of an existing pillow if you prefer and you can manipulate the shape to suit you. I often had one end under my head with the length of it along my body, under my bump and between my legs. Unfortunately, like the candy cane one, you still have to move it when you roll over but being completely stuffed meant there was nothing to flatten down. I used to just kinda hold it in position and roll, plopping the top back under my head - time is precious people! For the win it also quadruples up in uses: 1 = a tummy time pillow for when babas born, 2 = a nursing pillow (no need to pay out for / find a place to keep a boppy), 3 = when we switched to bottle it was handy to prop me up in bed for feedings and 4 = if you push the ends together it makes for a great nest for the baba to loll in. All in all an invaluable purchase!
6. Gaviscon - Heartburn? Get this and drink it by the bucketloads. I couldn't get on with the mint flavour as it tasted too much like dental product but the original aniseed flavour saved me from many otherwise sleepless nights.
7. Clipper decaffeinated coffee - If you are a coffee fanatic and mourn the loss of morning caffeine binges then I suggest trying this brand. Even though you don't get the caffeine hit the blend tastes the closest to actual coffee I've ever had so you can do a good job of pretending. I tried a number of different types that mainly tasted like crap, but I would drink this even if i wasn't pregnant but hadreached the caffeine blood content of a percolator exceeded the acceptable amount of caffeine in a day.
1. Mustela Stretch Mark Cream - I have a lot of love for this cream and bought a few bottles throughout pregnancy. Although I used other oils and butters at times, this was the one that I kept going back to and ended up putting on daily. It's non-greasy so was perfect to use before getting dressed and my tummy always felt soft well after application, unlike other creams/oils that seem to give a minute of moisture. I mainly bought a perfumed version from Ebay but in future I would try unperfumed, the scent was meh and disappeared on application and you pay extra for it. Incidentally I survived with only two little inch long scars that will hopefully fade into nothingness. The burn on my tummy is still centre stage though.
2. Bump bands - These genius inventions saved me shed loads on a maternity wardrobe. When your tops are too short to meet the top of your trousers / you start living in leggings and want to hide your camel toe, just add these bands underneath any top that still fits around your waist and voila - acceptable outfit. As a double bonus, they provide support for your growing bump (a bump hammock if you will) and that's gotta help in the fight against stretch marks no? I don't see why they have to be exclusive maternity wear either - I still use these now when I want to give the illusion of layers or just to maximise the versatility of my wardrobe. Also, although I didn't get around to it, they would make the most simple DIY!
3. Pregnacare Vitamin Tablets - The super NHS provides pregnant mothers with pre natal vitamins, but after comparing the content to Pregnacare's the difference was sizeable so I decided to buy their's instead. And I don't know why but I credit these tablets with the fact I had ZERO morning sickness and ZERO mood swings. Not to mention it just felt good to be providing my growing babe with extra goodies. I took them daily throughout pregnancy and then switched to their breastfeeding tablets after Delphie was born.
4. Nursing Bras - Being a bigger busted girl I had to shop around a fair bit for a decent maternity/nursing bra that didn't break the bank (I wanted at least four in two different sizes for my growing girth!). I felt it was more sensible to invest in nursing bras, rather than maternity bras, as I had hoped to breastfeed after the baba was born. Marks & Spencer saved the day with this pack of two non wired nursing bras. They gave me a decent lift and the lacing down the centre helped to reduce the mono boob slightly. They were also very easy to clip and unclip with one hand when breastfeeding. (Confession: I still wear these now even though I'm not breast feeding because a) my ribs didn't get the memo that I'm not housing a baby anymore and b) underwire now feels like a prison).
5. V pillow - My friend kindly lent me a specialised pregnancy pillow shaped like a candy cane with an unstuffed section in the top that you were meant to lie over, leaving a short pillow behind your back and a long bit to hug. If you wriggle and turn a lot in bed like I do then avoid this one, the unstuffed section bunches up easily digging in your ribs and the asymmetric design means you need to flip it over and smooth it down each time you roll over. I found this V pillow and life changed! It's quite flat meaning you can add it on top of an existing pillow if you prefer and you can manipulate the shape to suit you. I often had one end under my head with the length of it along my body, under my bump and between my legs. Unfortunately, like the candy cane one, you still have to move it when you roll over but being completely stuffed meant there was nothing to flatten down. I used to just kinda hold it in position and roll, plopping the top back under my head - time is precious people! For the win it also quadruples up in uses: 1 = a tummy time pillow for when babas born, 2 = a nursing pillow (no need to pay out for / find a place to keep a boppy), 3 = when we switched to bottle it was handy to prop me up in bed for feedings and 4 = if you push the ends together it makes for a great nest for the baba to loll in. All in all an invaluable purchase!
6. Gaviscon - Heartburn? Get this and drink it by the bucketloads. I couldn't get on with the mint flavour as it tasted too much like dental product but the original aniseed flavour saved me from many otherwise sleepless nights.
7. Clipper decaffeinated coffee - If you are a coffee fanatic and mourn the loss of morning caffeine binges then I suggest trying this brand. Even though you don't get the caffeine hit the blend tastes the closest to actual coffee I've ever had so you can do a good job of pretending. I tried a number of different types that mainly tasted like crap, but I would drink this even if i wasn't pregnant but had
Happy gestating people! xo
Comments
Post a Comment