Pregnancy Essentials

I have been randomly searching the internet all day to find tips on important items to have for a newborn and what to pack in your bag for the hospital. Because of this, I thought it might be handy to document a few items that have helped me alot during my pregnancy. Perhaps a reader will find it useful, or if nothing else, I'll have a handy guide for my next pregnancy. So here goes nothing:

I wish I had of been recommended these little baby's earlier! I suffered from excruitiating heart burn for months! I tried Pepto Bismal (liquid)but the package claims you cannot use it during your final 3 months of pregnancy. So I tried Gaviscon (liquid), which actually eased my suffering, if only temporarily. I became concerned about Gaviscon though when one of the main ingredients (I forget which one now, sorry) was something that the book, What To Expect When You're Expecting specifically mentionned it as something to avoid. So I finally asked my Nurse Practitioner (whom I saw up until 28 weeks) who recommended Diovol (liquid). I was quite perturbed because not only did Diovol not work, it tastes awful! Luckily Week 30 brought on my first visit with my OB-GYN and his recommendation to take 150mg of Zantac twice a day whether I thought I needed it or not. This was a miracle drug! It eased my heartburn by at least 80%, often times I felt none at all and the projectile vomiting that I was suffering from every other day disappeared. Of course nothing is perfect, I do sometimes drink a shot of Diovol now and then if I get a little flare up and it's not time for a pill, but I will definitely be reaching for this during my next pregnancy!

Yoga pants have been such a comfort for me during this pregnancy! I bought one pair during my first trimester when I was feeling chunky all over and my jeans were getting tight! I wasn't yet ready for maternity pants so I broke down and invested some cash (about $80 if I remember correctly) in a good pair of yoga pants. Yoga pants that I am honest to goodness wearing as I type this - at 34 weeks pregnant! Maternity clothes are expensive!!! I made the mistake of buying a new pair of maternity jeans early on in the pregnancy and I think I'm still suffering from sticker shock. The next time around I found a consignment shop that carried used maternity clothes and came away with a pair of denim maternity capri pants for about $12. And honestly, that's all I've got. I alternate between my mat jeans, my mat capris and my yoga pants. Of course, I throw in a dress here and there (all ones I owned pre-pregnancy) but that's really all that I own for bottoms. Tops are another (even cheaper) story. Because i'm "carrying low", I have been lucky enough to get away with not buying any new maternity tops. In fact, the 2 used maternity tops that I did purchase don't even get worn. Ever. I kind of despise them to be honest. I can still fit into most of my pre-maternity tops (they make them so long, stretchy and flowy these days) and when I do buy something new, I typically just buy regular tops a size or two larger than I normally would. It is SO much cheaper this way! Honestly, who wants to drop $60 per maternity top? Not me!

Ahhh, a body pillow is easily a pregnant girl's best friend. I picked mine up pretty early on in my pregnancy because I was suffering from the first trimester curse of sore boobs. Cuddling up with one of these made my nights much more livable. I love mine so much that I popped a seam, the stuffing has relocated to new and strategic places and I've had to tie a knot in the bottom of the fabric to keep everything in (don't own a sewing kit). It was such a great purchase though, because the more pregnant you get, the more you need it to sleep at night. Seriously, I couldn't make it through the night without it between my knees and tucked supportively around my belly. I got mine at Zeller's for less than $15 and it's all that I needed. Certainly no point in spending big money on one since it gets used and abused throughout the pregnancy. I will definitely be replacing mine for the next baby!

I am normally a 36B when it comes to bra's. But through the wonders of pregnancy, I jumped to a 40D pretty quickly. I tried buying nursing bras, but found them uncomfortable. I tried buying regular sports bras but found them too tight and uni-boob creating. Then I stumbled across these Ahh Bra's at Walmart. I got one just to try it on for size and see what all the fuss was about and I loved it. So I got another. In fact, I will probably get more once my milk comes in and my boobs get even bigger! The only thing i've noticed (and it's probably due to the size of my breasts more than anything) is that my boobs get pretty sweaty when I'm wearing this. Luckily a little baby powder works wonders! I'm not sure how convenient this bra will be when it comes time for nursing but I plan to give it a shot!

I think I may have mentionned this in a previous post, but I found a foot stool to be very helpful in the bathroom. That sounds weird when I read it over but trust me on this one. One of the (many) symptoms I've had during this pregnancy is constipation. Especially during the first trimester. Since this was also a symptom of my first pregnancy, I came prepared and did everything I could to ease my suffering. Raisin bran for breakkfast? Check. Benefibre powder mixed in my drinks? Check. Foot stool in the bathroom? Check! There's something about giving your feet a little lift while you're sitting on the toilet, pooping, that makes the whole process easier. And, I've read that it's a good preventative tool to keep away hemmoroids in your third trimester (so far so good)!

Last, but not least, I want to talk to you about cravings. For this pregnancy, I've been going through intense but short lived cravings (i.e. I need it for every meal but after a few weeks i'm over it). The items that I can recall are:

-french toast and mashed potatoes (for supper almost every night during my first trimester)
-honey nut cheerios (two bowls a day for about three weeks during the end of my second trimester)
-chocolate milkshakes (at least one a day, every day, for a few weeks at the beginning of my third trimester)
-arizona green tea (a can a day, sometimes it can be put off til every other day, for the last two weeks or so)

I can tell you right now that none of these things fall into the list of recommended foods for a pregnant lady. My thoughts? Keep the items that you crave on hand because there is no sense in being miserable and cranky because of food. The excess of hormones will have you miserable and cranky enough all on their own. This recommendaion is especially true during the evil first trimester if you're suffering from morning sickness. Some days all I could eat were liquid yogurt drinks because everything else made me gag or vomit. Some days I would show up at work in the AM with a chocolate bar and a travel mug full of juice (and I'm talking fruit drink, not 100% fruit juice). And do you know what, I never apologized for it. I knew what I could and couldn't handle and what I needed to get me through the morning without vomiting - too much. I took my vitamins and ate healthy as often as my tummy allowed it and I never once doubted my ability to be a good mother!

Anyways, I hope this is helpful to someone, or at least that it will give you a good laugh! This is my life!

P.S. I am in no way being compensated for my above recommendations. I truly just wanted to pass along the things that worked for me. I'm sure anyone looking at this list for tips will come up with their own list by the time their pregnancy is over - and I'd love to read it!!!