Pregnancy is a funny thing.  Everyone’s pregnancy is different in subtle ways and your first pregnancy may be different from your next.  You kind of never know what to expect from it until you’re deep in pregnant land.  Before I got pregnant, I was completely naive to all things pregnancy or baby related.  One thing that I would have loved to stumble upon early in pregnancy is a list of “lifesaving” pregnancy products.  Now, at 37 weeks pregnant and officially full term, I’ll share with you my short list of 5 lifesavers that have gotten me through these long 9 months.

1.  The Bella Band. This would be my #1 suggestion to women during their first trimester.  When your belly is too big for your regular jeans and too small for maternity pants.  It’s a genius strip of stretchy fabric that smooths out your waistband while letting you wear your pants unbuttoned and zipped up or down as far as you need.  I was able to wear the Bella Band until I was about 26 weeks pregnant.  Perfectly timed to when my maternity jeans stopped feeling too big.  Bonus – it helps with too-big maternity and still-tight pre-pregnancy pants for postpartum too!

2.  Body butter. It’s completely up in the air on whether or not body butter helps to prevent stretch marks.  Some sources say it doesn’t do anything while others say it’s absolutely necessary.  I didn’t want to take any chances so at 14 weeks pregnant, after doing a little research online, I decided to look for something with shea butter, vitamin E and natural ingredients to moisturizer my growing belly.  I’ve been using it every morning since and have yet to notice a stretch mark.  I apply a generous quarter-sized amount onto my belly, sides and lower back every morning.  My body butter of choice – Hugo Naturals French Lavender.

3.  An exercise / birth ball. Not only is it a great prop during labor, but just rocking back and forth on my exercise ball has done wonders for my lower back pain.  At about 30 weeks, I found that I was uncomfortable in pretty much any reclining position for too long.  Watching tv or movies on the couch became unbearable.  I began sitting on the ball and just rocking around to find the positions that felt good on my back.  I instantly found relief!  Now, while holding my husband’s hands as a support, I roll back so that my upper thighs are resting on the ball.  It feels wonderful!

4.  Any kind of body pillow. This doesn’t have to be one of those giant wrap around pillows or anything specifically marketed as a “body pillow”.  I’ve been using a simple square throw pillow and it works great!  Especially now in the third trimester when the weight of my belly combined with extra hip pain leaves me suffering to find a comfortable sleeping position at night.  There’s nothing better than tucking that pillow under your belly or between your legs for added support!

5.  Comfortable shoes. I didn’t want to admit that retaining water might be an issue for me late in pregnancy.  But, my feet are finally starting to feel stiff and at certain times during the day, my toes look like little sausages.  I’ve been practically living in my Toms shoes.  They are the most comfortable things on the planet and perfect for swollen feet.  I even go for walks in them – they’re good for miles!

What about you?  What was your biggest pregnancy lifesaver?

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