Being pregnant is REALLY hard. After all, you are creating a little chubby life inside you. I had always dreamed of being pregnant and saw the cute trendy moms that made it look so easy and fun! My pregnancy has been a little bit different than most. I’ve spent the last 6 months trying to keep food down due to having Hyperemesis Gravidarum. With that said, I’ve been through my fair share of products…buying, testing, trying, and returning (keep your receipts ladies). I’m by no means a pregnancy expert, but due to my unique circumstances, I thought I would share my favorite “must-have” products that have helped me survive along the way.
Vitamins / Sickness Relief
1.) Bonjesta
First on my list is Bonjesta. If you struggle with nausea or morning sickness, you don’t have to wait until your first prenatal appointment to get relief. I made that mistake and suffered from extreme sickness and insomnia for weeks. Bonjesta is essentially B6 and Unisom on steroids. I started taking this first thing in the morning with a ginger pill and then repeated at 4:00 PM on the dot with a snack, and I got in a groove of feeling good again. I tried Zofran and that didn’t work at all for me. It also makes you REALLY constipated which is the last thing you want when you feel like your body is already breaking down.
2.) Ginger Pills
I took ginger pills along with Bonjesta and this combination for whatever reason was pure magic. I will say I still have to snack consistently and make sure I’m getting enough sleep, but for the most part, I finally found something that works (halfway into my pregnancy). You can get them at Whole Foods or Sprouts. I would recommend 1000 mg.
3.) Olly Prenatal
I will be brutally honest here. Constipation is truly of the devil. I struggled with it the first several weeks of pregnancy and the ONLY thing that helped was switching my prenatals. You definitely want to make sure you have a high amount of Folic, but what can kill you is the iron levels. Almost all of the prenatal pills I tried made me sicker (even when I took them right before bed) and the Iron levels were so high that I would get backed up.
These are chewy gummies that don’t make you feel sick and don’t back you up! They are seriously the best thing ever. You can get them at your local pharmacy, Target or Amazon.
4.) Calm Calcium Magnesium Powder
Sleeping was extremely hard for the first several months and nothing seemed to work. My mom recommended this to me and I swear it did the trick! I put a spoonful in warm water before bed and it instantly relaxed me and helped with my anxiety.
Beauty Products
1.) Burt’s Bees Acne Face Wash
For the most part, my skin has been pretty clear, but every once in awhile those hormones will make my skin flare-up. I’ve tried several different face washes and this one leaves my face feeling so hydrated!
2.) Thayers Lavender Witch Hazel
Not only is the smell of this AMAZING, it always makes my face feel so fresh and clean! I love love love this brand and use it after every wash as my toner. It definitely helps with pigmentation and even some of those dark under-eye circles you’ll get from pregnancy.
3.) Pacifica Sea & C bright Luminizing Face lotion
I love this face lotion! Your skin can get super dry when pregnant and this was the perfect face lotion that helps makes your skin feel soft, but firm. The best part is the sparkles in the lotion so your face looks super dewy and fresh!
4.) Mario Badescu Buffering lotion
I still will have minor breakouts, and because my skin is so dry, it’s hard for me to use spot treatment without my skin feeling even drier. I use to have the worst cystic acne and this stuff is the only thing that has consistently helped keep my skin clear and not overly dry.
5.) Cosmedix Bamboo Glow Mask
I’m OBSESSED with the exfoliating mask. It’s super light and always makes my skin feel so soft and dewy. I put this on when I really need to unwind and have a relaxing “me day”.
6.) Burt’s Bees Belly Butter
This stuff is AMAZING for stretch marks. I tried belly oils and other stretch mark prevention but it left my skin feeling super oily and would sometimes stain my clothes. This stuff is super moisturizing and I gotta say I still can’t see any stretch marks even in my third trimester.
7.) 10 Miracle Leave-in Conditioner
My hair started getting really dry even when taking prenatals and fish oil. Something that has completely reshaped my hair routine is using this miracle leave-in conditioner. My hair has never felt more hydrated (even for living in Phoenix, AZ in the summer).
8.) Dr. Teals Lavender Epsom Salt
Something that really helped me during my sickness was taking warm baths with Epsom salt. It helps relieve nausea and achiness from pregnancy and was a great way for me to just unwind and try to relax. Light some candles and pour a cup of this in the bath, you’ll be good to go!
9.) Quip Toothbrush
Another weird symptom you’ll get while being pregnant is overly sensitive gums. I am an obsessive brusher and flosser so you can imagine how much I freaked out when my gums started to bleed and hurt every time I tried to clean. My dentist recommended an electric toothbrush but with a baby on the way, spending hundreds on a toothbrush was not exactly at the top of my priority list. Quip is super affordable and has a self-timer that notifies you when to switch sides. This really helped me because I can tend to over brush at times. I’m obsessed with this toothbrush and definitely would recommend it!
10.) Bali Bodi Tanning Mousse
Let’s be real…..pregnancy can make you self conscious. Your body is growing and stretching in the least ideal places and it can definitely take a toll on your self-esteem. I started to use Bali Bodi Self Tanner and it has forever changed my life. I’ve never been a fan of self-tanning but this stuff is streak-free and lasts for several days after application. I’ve used it around 5 times and still have more than half of the bottle left! The best part is the ingredients are all vegan!
Pregnancy Products
1.) Pregnancy Pillow
I purchased this one off Amazon when I first found out I was pregnant but didn’t really start using it until my second trimester. I’m so glad I purchased it earlier than later! This pillow is pure magic and has genuinely helped me feel comfortable and breathe better while sleeping.
2.) Maternity Bra
I’ve purchased all of my bras from Target and they work just as well as some of the more expensive ones out there. It was hard for me to wear a bra for the first several months because everything I tried would make me feel sick from being too tight, but these ones for some reason worked the best!
3.) Maternity Robe
I wanted to find a really cozy robe that I could use throughout pregnancy and also bring to the hospital. I found so many cute ones, but they ended up being pretty pricey. I also found this robe at Target for only $30 and it looks and feels exactly like all of the other robes I found.
4.) Maternity Belt
If you have any trips planned or are still actively working through your second and third trimester, I highly recommend this sexy accessory. In all seriousness, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever wear but it truly helped support my lower back and prevented a lot of the pain I would start to feel in the evening.
5.) Pregnancy Journal
It was super important to me that I take as many pictures and document my experience during pregnancy. I wanted to have something I could show our son someday and also reflect on when we have our second child! A lot of the pregnancy journals I found online had a set path to follow and assignment sections to fill out which wasn’t the style I was looking for. I found this little gem on Anthropologie’s website and it allows you to share your day to day thoughts, has encouraging quotes and also has sections to add pictures and fun things!
6.) What To Expect When You’re Expecting
If you are someone who has absolutely no idea what you’re doing and are overwhelmed by all of the things you need to learn/do before the baby arrives….this book will save your life! It simplifies even the most complicated things and even gives helpful tips for your partner.
Last but not least, I really struggled throughout pregnancy finding cute (and decently priced clothes) ASOS has an AMAZING selection of really cute and not so pricey maternity clothes. The best part is they include a free return label in case the sizes don’t fit or you’re just not 100% sold. Check out all of the links below!
Ginger pills: Amazon / Natures Way
Olly Prenatal: Amazon / Olly
Calcium Magnesium: Amazon / Calm + Calcium
Burt’s Bees Acne Face Wash: Target
Thayers Lavender Witch Hazel: Target
Pacifica Sea and C Bright Face Lotion: Target
Mario Badescu Buffering Face Lotion: Ulta
Cosmedix Bamboo Glow Mask: Cosmedix
Burts Bees Belly butter: Target
10 Leave-in Miracle Conditioner: Target
Dr Teals Epsom Salt: Target
Quip Toothbrush: Target
Bali Body Tanning Mousse: Bali Body
Pregnancy Pillow: Amazon
Maternity Bra: Target
Maternity Robe: Target
Maternity Belt: Amazon
Pregnancy Journal (What to Expect): Anthropologie
What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Amazon
Maternity Clothes: ASOS