Let me tell you, pregnancy is one of the craziest experiences I have gone through. It is beautiful, but incredibly tough. Now that I am on the tail end of my first pregnancy, I wanted to share the top 5 things that helped make it as seamless as possible!
1. Pregnancy Pillow
If you’re going to splurge on one thing throughout your pregnancy, this should be it! Sleeping while pregnant can be HARD. Some nights, it seems impossible to find a comfortable position. This pillow has been my saving grace.
2. Comfortable Clothes
I thought I’d be able to get away with wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes for as long as possible. And this, I did try. I wanted to punch myself in the face when I finally got some maternity clothes. Why in the world did I wait so long?! They made my days so much more bearable. Below is a list of some of my favorites items and stores. If you’re not wanting to spend too much on clothes you’ll only wear for a little bit, Goodwill is always a great option!
- Wren & Ivory – cute & comfy bump-friendly options that you can also wear when you’re not pregnant! This is where I ordered my dresses for my husband’s graduation, our maternity photos, our baby shower, and weddings.
- Pink Blush – tons of maternity options that are stylish and comfortable! Gone are the days where all maternity clothes are frumpy. Though I haven’t worn them yet for delivery, my favorite items ordered from this shop are their delivery robes.
- Amazon – what isn’t Amazon good for? From nursing bras to maternity dresses, my prime package deliveries definitely increased in frequency. My most recommended item: maternity spanx.
- Target – great clothes for work! While most Targets I visited had a pretty crappy maternity section (I’m talking one rack), what was there made for some comfy work outfits. My favorite brand is Isabel Maternity.
3. Belly Butter/Oil
Now I don’t think I can give full credit to oiling up my belly everyday for zero stretch marks (looking at you good genes, thanks ma), but I’d like to believe it helped! I also found it so relaxing, and I know the scents will be nostalgic. My favorites: Belly Oil, Belly Balm, Belly Butter.
4. Solid Support System
Now that we’re done with tangible items, we’ll move on to the most important pregnancy needs. The most crucial part to pregnancy, in my opinion, is having a solid support system. Just as in many stages of life, this transitional time really brings out some special people in your life. And you NEED them. If it weren’t for a handful of people throughout this time, I am not sure how I would have made it through.
- Spouse – let me tell you, future dads, we may not say it all the time, but we appreciate you more than you know. For giving back rubs, making midnight snack runs, being our hormonal-rage punching bags, telling us we look beautiful with these new bods, and still loving us endlessly. We love you, we promise. And we are sorry for being little pains sometimes. We couldn’t (wouldn’t want to) do this without you.
- Family – I’m not sure if everyone goes through this, but going through pregnancy brought out a whole new aspect of my relationship with family. They been so supportive with constant check-ins and surprises for the baby, and I cannot wait to see them take on their new roles.
- Friends – life is funny. As you go through different stages, different friends come in and out of your close-knit circle. I don’t necessarily think this is a negative thing. People move through their own paces in life and sometimes you just don’t share too much in common anymore. I was extremely fortunate to have a new friendship blossom right at the beginning of my pregnancy. I know everyone won’t get this lucky, but a then just mutual friend and I found out we have due dates two days apart. Since then we have talked every single day, and gone through this crazy journey together. While everyone else in your support system tries to be as helpful as possible, having someone going through the exact same novelties as you is invaluable.
- Online Support – right when I found out I was pregnant, I joined a private Reddit group created for women with due dates in July 2019 called July2019Bumpers. This has been incredible and so helpful! A new group is created for each month, and I couldn’t recommend joining this more.
5. Self Love
Woooweee if there is ever a time to find out how to be kind to yourself, it is now! Pregnancy tests you in every way possible. You will gain weight and your body will change in unexpected ways. You will slow down and constantly be humbled by your new struggles. You will be out of breath doing simple tasks. You will crave foods you haven’t wanted since you were twelve. You will forget things and, if you’re like me, even blank on people’s names (that made teaching extra fun). One day you will wake up, and suddenly have hobbit feet. You’ll no longer be able to see your nether parts. You will cry for unknown reasons. But guess what. You are literally creating a human. Your body is no longer just yours, and it serves a whole new purpose. Stop criticizing yourself. Stop comparing yourself to other pregnant women. Stop being so hard on yourself. Enjoy this journey as much as you can. All of these changes are temporary. All of these changes are necessary to get that healthy little nugget. Love yourself as much as you damn well can.
Whether you’re trying to get pregnant, newly pregnant, or about to pop like me, I hope these were helpful to you! Let me know if you have any must-haves that I may not have mentioned.
EMILY shapiro says
wHERE IS THAT DRESS YOU’RE WEARING FROM (THE WRAP DRESS IN THE 4TH PIC)?? iT’S PERFECT! yOUR NURSERY PICS ARE DREAMY AS WELL– JUST SENT THEM TO MY HUSBAND 🙂 🙂
tHANK YOU!
Courtney Guy says
Thank you!! 🥰 The dress is from Wren & Ivory! They have a ton of cute “bump friendly” clothes. https://wrenandivory.com/collections/baby-bump-friendly
Emily Shapiro says
Thank you so much!