Maternity Favorites

I wanted to put this together before I forgot all of my favorite maternity items. These are things I could not have been pregnant without.

Starting with clothes. I'm no fashion blogger, so these are just the clothing essentials.

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One. Blanqui. This is the best thing ever. It's a little pricey (I got mine back when Target was doing 'deals of the day' but it's still worth full price). This tank goes under your bra so you wear your normal bra. It's like spanx everywhere except the belly. Bye bye back fat. It holds your pants up better than any belly band anything. And, in the last trimester when that belly is heavy and you wish someone was literally holding it up for you - the blanqui does. It got rid of my back pain while wearing it. If I could buy only one pregnancy item, this is it. Apparently you can workout in it too. Workout ... that's funny.

Two. Maxi dresses. Any and all. They are comfy. Long enough to cover any swollen ankles. You don't have to match a top and a bottom. I lived in these in the summer.

Three. Liz Lange V-Neck Tees. These are long and stretchy and thick. You can wear them not pregnant and up until the very last day. At less than $10, stock up. I wore them with sweat pants and under suit jackets for work. They change colors seasonally. Just read the reviews, they are the best t-shirts.

Four. Liz Lange Tanks. Along the same lines, these are thick and long. I wore them at 39 weeks and have worn them since having Olivia. Under suit jackets and to work out. Great for layering.

Five. Belly Band. These are great to have. They sort of hold your pants up - the Blanqui works better. I would usually use a rubber band (or paperclip for clip pants) and layered this on top to hide the fact that my pants were unbuttoned. These are great for shirts that are getting just too short. I used them more early on.


Next up, what I am considering the health essentials. Things sort of health related that I couldn't live without.

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One. Luna Protein Bars. I was hungry all the time, and these taste like candy bars, which is all you really want to eat while pregnant anyway. Plus, they have protein. Score.

Two. Water Bottle. Any kind. You have to drink so much water while pregnant, that having a water bottle that holds a lot and you enjoy drinking from is essential.

Three. Lucky Legs. If you watched the episode of the Kardashians where Kim accidentally referred to her lotion as 'lizard legs' - this was the stuff. I bought it with a 20% off coupon and thought I got jipped when it came. It was lotion with some shimmer that smelled like toothpaste. Really? But when I put it on, in less than a minute, my legs felt awesome. No longer felt swollen, heavy, or tired. It was so crazy. I'm not sure what 'new and improved' means on the website, but I still have my first bottle and will save that for the next time around.

Four. The Snoogle. I refused this. Refused. For so long. It's huge. Did we really need another person sleeping in our bed? No. Dan got it for me for my birthday (so about 6 weeks before Olivia was born), and I don't know how I slept without it. Necessary. Dan thought it was so comfortable, he almost bought one for himself.

Five. Mint Chapstick. Your skin is really dry, so you need chapstick. Since 90% of the chapstick gets eaten (gross) - all natural is must for me, especially while pregnant. And, since I couldn't handle most smells - mint was perfect. This is the best all natural chapstick brand I have ever used (and I've tried a LOT).

Six. Gilligan & O'Malley Sleep Shirts. These are made from the most comfortable fabric, I sleep in them all the time. But while pregnant, your belly itches, and you aren't sleeping well, so you need something extra comfortable. They are very stretchy and loose (don't be fooled by the model in the picture) and will fit the whole pregnancy. 

Lastly, the morning sickness essentials. These are necessary because I lived with these for over half my pregnancy. You can even find some in my purse still today.

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One. Peppermints. A little sugar, and something that settles your stomach. I kept these in my purse for nine months. If you are in a work meeting, it's not too weird to be eating a peppermint.

Two. Oyster Crackers. Sometimes the nausea comes from being hungry. Unfortunately you don't want to eat anything. I'd eat 4-5 of these and feel a lot better. I kept them by my bed to eat in the morning before vitamins. I also kept a stash in my purse.

Three. Lemon Drops. Same as the peppermints, these were always in my purse and the lemon smell and taste was one of the few things that I could handle.

Four. Ginger Candies. I hate ginger. Hate real ginger. Yuck. BUT for some reason, it really did settle my stomach better than anything else I tried. I just had to handle eating one ginger candy - which wasn't always possible. These stayed in my purse as well.

Five. Gummy Vitamins. It only takes throwing up your vitamin a few times before you try something new. These are like adult fruit snacks. Once the morning sickness was over, I looked forward to waking up, just so I could eat my vitamins. They don't have iron in them, which makes them lighter on your stomach, but you'll need to iron from something else.

Lastly, I have to add Dan's maternity essential. 

Dude, You're Gonna be a Dad. Dan was laughing through this entire book. I think he enjoyed reading it, more than the informative it gave him. It is semi informative. When you tell him you have to pee a million times a day, he believes you because the book confirmed it is a legitimate thing. We'll be gifting copies to any newly pregnant friends.

That just about sums it up. Do you guys agree? Did I miss any key essentials?