As my second trimester is coming to a close this week (WHAT?!) I’ve decided to round up the items that made being pregnant so much easier the past few months! You all know by now that this pregnancy has been rough, and any time that wasn’t spent complaining was spent trying to find remedies for the aches and pains and annoyances that this trimester was giving me. Here are my top items for making it through the second trimester!
- Body Pillow – Seriously, you NEED one of these! And if you’re lucky enough to not be huge in your second trimester, you will definitely want one when you reach the third so just grab one now. I didn’t use one during my first pregnancy and instead had to sleep with five pillows at night to be comfortable. Can you imagine trying to roll over and get comfortable with a huge belly AND five pillows in the way?! This time around I went with this body pillow – so much easier, and so much comfier to sleep with at night!
- Stretch mark cream – I was lucky and didn’t get stretch marks until I was 37 weeks pregnant with Reagan, and I owe most of that to using body oil every night on my belly. Since I was getting bigger much faster this time around, I was so excited when Bella B sent me some of their organic stretch mark cream. (By the way, this isn’t sponsored, I just really love the cream). It smells delicious, goes on smoothly and isn’t greasy, and makes your skin feel so moisturized. Plus it helps with itching which is a really common side effect of skin stretching rapidly. I actually have to keep my husband from using this stuff as lotion, he likes to steal it when I’m not looking!
- Maternity support belt – Another game changer! I’ve been suffering from really bad tailbone pain and cramps when I go walking every morning, and my OB suggested getting a support belt to help alleviate some of the weight and pressure of my belly. I found this one on Amazon for $17 and felt immediate relief when I put it on. I wear it when I walk in the mornings and when I go to work at night and the pain has decreased almost entirely. I love this one because it detaches so you can wear it with our without the back brace and the upper belly band, so I mix it up depending on how much support I need that day.
- Protein powder – Pregnant women are supposed to consume a lot of protein every day and most of us probably aren’t meeting that requirement. I love this protein powder (also found on Amazon) because it actually tastes good so I can put it on everything! My two favorite ways to eat it are in a breakfast smoothie with spinach and banana and in oatmeal with peanut butter.
- Good shoes – I wear my Nike’s pretty much everywhere these days! They aren’t the cutest summer shoe but athleisure is in so I figure that counts for something. Really though, the extra arch and ankle support can make a huge difference when you’re on your feet all day. I would so much rather look silly and be comfortable than wear cute summer sandals and be suffering all day long!
- Fruit infuser bottle – Another thing that I’ve struggled with is drinking enough water, for some reason it just never sounds good to me anymore! I love the idea of a fruit infuser bottle because it makes water actually taste good and you can change up flavors based on what you’re feeling! Water is another one of those things pregnant women need to be consuming a lot of (especially in summer months) so this helped me be better at that.
- Maternity leggings – I love my Blanqi Maternity leggings so much! They offer a ton of support and are really soft and stretchy to accommodate growth throughout an entire pregnancy. I wear these almost everyday and will probably keep wearing them postpartum too.
- Tums – Oh the heartburn! They say if you have heartburn that your baby will have lots of hair, if that’s the case then this girl is going to come out with a full head (just like sister). I switch between using Tums and Pepcid to control my heartburn, both work great! I take one before bedtime because laying down is usually what causes mine to flare up.
There you have it! Is there anything you would add to this list? This time around my must haves were much different than what I needed last time! Can’t believe I’m in the third trimester in a couple days!