My Pregnancy Must Haves

I kept putting off this post thinking my pregnancy isn't over yet  so I can't put together my must haves! The truth is though my pregnancy IS almost over. In fact, if he arrives on his due date my pregnancy journey is over in 3 weeks. Yikes...just typing that out gave me a mini heart attack. I am prepared but wow, to think in 3 short little weeks I will be a mom for the rest of my life is crazy! I can hardly believe it...all smiles though, I can't wait!

Realizing that this pregnancy is almost over I also realize all the things I was going to post about at the end of my pregnancy which is now here. Haha! No better time that the present to get started on that. In these last 260 days (who's counting right) I have had several go to products or activities that I have stayed true to the entire time and I'll share them with you now since looking back I can probably tell what helped the most and what didn't really. Here we go in no particular order:
 
     1) Palmers Products: Tummy Butter & Skin Therapy Oil. Since day one of my pregnancy I started using Palmers Skin Therapy Oil on my tummy. In the start of my 3rd trimester I came across the Tummy Butter and have since used that with the oil religiously. I will do a post on my "stretchies" soon because I promised a long time ago to go a little more in depth. Stretch marks or "stretchies" were a major concern for me! I was scared, still am but let's just say I would use the Palmers products again and will continue after birth.

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     2) Bradley Method Information: I read "The Husband Coached Childbirth", watched countless "Bradley Births", took a 12 week Bradley class with Mark and have googled and re-googled anything Bradley related that I could find. I guess I can't say if it truly matters until after Eli is born but I will say it has given me way more knowledge than my OB doctor and tons of confidence. It also taught Mark alot and brought us closer. Out of all the birthing methods, this one is my favorite.
 

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     3) Water: I know, I know...everyone needs water, water is important, yada, yada. But seriously throughout my pregnancy I have had to have water on my at all times. I have a case at home, a case in my car, and a case at the store at all times. If I am ever without water I have to stop and get some. On top of just always feeling thirsty, water has been great to keep my energy up, swelling down, and belly full.

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     4) My husband. I wouldn't even be in this stage of life if it weren't for him but he has been my rock and also served as my "pregnancy pillow" every night. I don't mean to brag but I have been a fairly easy pregnant wife. Mark even compliments me on it and is thankful for it but the times that I have needed him he has been there. I can't imagine going through this without a loving spouse.


     5) Kegels. I never really did kegels before but they were strongly encouraged in my Bradley class and now that I have researched more I see they are important all the time. I do them very often but not even as much as I should. I haven't suffered from any leaky pipes yet (don't worry, I suspect postpartum will be a different story) and have also noticed a difference in the strength of those muscles...if that makes any sense.


     6) Pelvic Rocks. This exercise is really great for back pain and is supposed to be a great way to prepare your body for birth. Obviously I can't speak for that but I would encourage any pregnant woman to make these a habit. Unfortunately they are awkward to do around others so I sneak them in in the morning and before bed usually hiding them from my husband as well. Silly, I know. I will also sneak off and do them any other time I am having bad back pain. They provide a lot of relief.

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     7) The What to Expect App. This app has been by my side since day one as well. Little Eli started as a pea, then a blueberry, then a raspberry, now my little boy is a watermelon! If you're not quite... following that's OK. The app does way more than tell you what fruit your baby compares to. It gives you week by week updates on what is going on with your baby and your body, it gives you daily advice, counts down to your due date and does it all in a very relate-able way. It also has a "forum" where other women due in your same month all chat and ask questions. I have yet to post anything in the forum (I typically avoid that sort of thing) but I read it every day and love spending my down time catching up on what other women in my same stage are going through.

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Those are really all the main things I have used throughout my pregnancy. I haven't had a crazy craving that stuck with me the whole time or a favorite maternity clothing item that I found as a must have. I've taken a prenatal vitamin throughout but I switched brands each time I ran out. I also visit my Dr. regularly but he really doesn't attribute much to be honest and I really only visit him because the plan they set us up on pretty much requires it.

It's a fairly short list when I think about it but I really don't have anything else to add. These were just the things that worked for me or that I have enjoyed throughout. I'm the first of any of my friends to be pregnant so maybe my list will help them out one day...or they might find things I will have to add next time around.

Thanks!
Danielle