My Current Pregnancy Must-Haves
I am currently 24+ weeks pregnant, and nearing the end of my second trimester - can you even believe it?! I swear as soon as the second trimester hit, time went x10 faster..! Of course feeling like myself again, having this renewed energy has a lot to do with it, but wow I am trying to soak up every minute because it's pure magic! (I owe you a proper pregnancy update very soon, will do that in a vlog format!)
These are the few things that I have loved and used so far during this pregnancy which all have made a world of difference and helped me feel my best. A bunch of these came from friend's recommendations (literally every mum friend I have told me to get the bbhugme for example..!) and then things I've discovered and tested for myself.
These are the products I use every single day :
1 | BBhugme
This pregnancy pillow came HIGHLY recomended as I mentionned, and oh boy it did not disapoint. I don't know if you've seen me posting about it on Instagram lately, but we've actually named ours :D she's called Berta, and has fully integrated our family unit. I am not joking when I say that Michael is *this close* to buying one for himself... because it's SO comfortable to sleep with whether you're pregnant or not.
What really sold me with this is the shape, so many pregnancy pillows I saw out there were ginormous U shaped monsters that seemed to take over your bed and your life. As much as I wanted comfort I wasn't willing to kick Michael out of our bed and replace him with a pillow! I love the fact that it was designed by chiropractors and health professionals, and most of all it's multifunctional!
You can use it at night to help you sleep and support you (it really helps with hip support to minimise lower back aches, and support your growing belly too!) you can use it to sit in bed or on the sofa behind your back or your head, and most importantly you can also use it as a nursing pillow/support when baby comes - which won me over, as I'd like to keep our baby purchases to a minimum and not flood our home with too many items! (let's check in on that next year, shall we ;) )
Do yourself a favour and get yourself a Berta ;) (I had SO many of you comment or DM me after I shared ours, that they still use their bbhugme months after having had their baby, and a few of you actually told me your partners got one for themselves haha so Michael has not gone completely mad I guess?!)
2 | Blanqi Pregnancy Leggings & Top
I was actually targeted by this brand on Instagram (it works haha) and then kept seeing them on a few pregnant mamas I follow, so decided to buy one of their pregnancy leggings... and I fell in love!
It's basically my outfit of choice... every.single.day! I have since gotten another pair of leggings (I have the forest green ones and the navy, both in a size M - they fit me very well, but I wonder if I'll need to move to an L as the bump gets bigger.. probably not as it's super stretchy!)
I also decided to try out their "Everyday Maternity Belly Support Tanktop" and this is almost better than the leggings, they are so supportive, and really hug the bump in all the right places. I love to wear it when working out and when I go on my walks, I feel like it supports me where it should. I'm not sure I'll really need a belly support band towards the end, because I have this top!
this was taken a few weeks ago - the bump has GROWN since then..!
3 | Belly Oils& Other Potions
I have been quite religious about moisturising my belly, hips, thighs and boobs every day after my morning shower. I sometimes even add a little extra at night if I feel the need to.
I've been using this beautiful oil by Nuture Skin, it's a mix of apricot kernel oi, chia seed oil, sweet almond oil, rosehip oil, and grapeseed oil, with added Vitamin E and Squalane. I love the scent of it, it's very discreet, it's a light oil that penetrates straight away into the skin, and doesn't leave me feeling sticky. I also love that it's in a glass bottle, and has a handy spray, which makes it so easy to apply (so much better than a pump or a dropper!)
I have also been using their nourishing skin treatment cream, which is a little bit more of an intensive cream, which will come in handy as I get bigger! It has a super rich structure, and stronger scent, I sometimes add it to key areas like my hips where I feel like I'd be more prone to stretch marks (I got some there when I was a teenager.. so who knows!)
Their products are all vegan and cruelty free, as well as natural with no nasties, weird fragrances etc.. which is key when applying on top of baby's home ;)
I have also been loving the beautiful products by Ilapothecary. I've been using their beautiful Feminine Happy oil, either directly on my skin, but lately I've been loving adding it to my baths (I've always been a bath kinda gal, but since being pregnant, I spent A LOT of time in the bath haha I think I spent pretty much every evening for a month in a bath during my first trimester in France :D) This oil smells divine, it also has Maca in it! Which is amazing for reducing stress. I love their beautiful glass bottles, and the numerology hints on each products!
I have also fallen in love with their Calm Butterfly's Soothing Balm, to apply on my boobs, on my dried lips, on the belly too or anywhere that's drying up in this winter weather! It can actually help with tension headaches (made with calendula and lavender!), and ALSO be used as a baby balm once baby get here - that's how pure their products are! Such beautiful quality, I love their ethos and the quality and potency of their products.
Nuture Nourishing Skin Treatment Oil | Pregnancy Oil | Pregnancy Favourite Products
4 | Prenatals
I wanted to add this here, because of course it's an essential. I see it as insurance - making sure that all my targets are hit! Absolutely key in the first trimester, especially when if like me, you lived on toast and beige carbs ha!
I've been using these Garden of Life prenatals*, the one where you have to take 3 pills a day. I preferred it to their 1 pill a day one*, because I could space it out through the day if I wanted. Taking pills when nauseous is not always fun.. and also I had heard that some people can react to high levels of iron when taken in one high dosage - I didn't feel it affected me but I also truly believe their products, which are made with whole foods ingredients are such amazing quality and not full cr*p, which was much gentler on my system and I believe absorbs much better too.
I also changed it up when I was at the height of my nausea because suddenly the smell of those ones was not going down well (I was SO sensitive to smells.. it's crazy! I still am, but not to the point where things make me nauseous thank goodness and I can take those Garden Of Life ones again!) So I tried these* when I was in France for a bit and I liked them, they were in capsule form as opposed to pill form, which helps when you're sensitive to smells!
Those are the prenatal gummies on the left! (also loving their Elderberry immune gummies, and had to get Michael some too because he kept eating my prenatals haha)
Then later on I discovered they have prenatal gummies*, which I have loved taking in my second trimester! Just an FYI - their levels in the gummies are slightly lower than in the pill, but I'm still hitting my main targets, and confident I'm hitting the rest with my varied healthy diet :) These are just simply delicious, and they don't feel like a chore taking them every day haha they are actually the first gummies to be made without artificial sugar but with real fruit, no gelatin and no nasties again.
Disclaimer : As you know I work with Garden of Life, but this post isn't sponsored, these are genuinely the products I use and love. I've been using their products for the past 2 years now and can vouch for their quality! I'm a huge fan of their "MyKind Organics" range, in collaboration with Alicia Silverstone - if you know about her, you know she is very much into all things natural, clean, potent and vegan and these products reflect just that.
I still have a discount code with them, it's "TANIA25" for 25% off if you want to use it - and it's not just on the prenatals of course (these links are however affiliate links - all marked with an asterisk *, which just means I will make a small commission if you buy from this post, this is at no extra cost to you!)
5 |Meditation & Movement
This is something I value and prioritise whether or not I am pregnant, but I feel they have both come into their own and truly lifted me up since growing a little babe.
Expectful app on the right, and my wellness folder including some of the pregnancy apps I've been using!
I used the Expectful app, since trying to conceive, and have continued using it thoughout - I have loved the updated content following your progress (it's not just for pregnancy, but has something for everyone, from trying to conceive, to all stages of pregnancy, to motherhood and fatherhood, for birth support, for healing, for postpartum... It has it all!
They also have a variation of different guided meditation, different timings, for different times of the day, for walking meditations, for relaxation, for connecting deeply with your baby etc. It's a serious gem of an app!
I truly think that mindset is so key when pregnant, being able to tap into those quiet moments, and exercising your brain, watching your thoughts, breathing, all those things are so important for my wellbeing and for my baby's wellbeing too. I truly believe that babies are sensitive to our emotions when in the womb (and even more so when they're out!), and I want to lower my stress and anxiety as much as possible! (this was easier said than done when I was in my first trimester and feeling terrible, but I've since then made a real effort to focus my energy on feeling my best now that I feel better!)
As for movement, I have continued doing what I've been doing consistently for the past year. I walk a lot, I walk every day, sometimes it's for half an hour, sometimes 2 hours, but I make sure to be outside and walk every single day - of course owning a dog helps tremendously, but I also love going on walks on my own, just with my own thoughts, or sometimes a podcast or a walking meditation. I've heard how wonderful it is to prepare yourself for the marathon of giving birth, but not only is it good physically but also for my mental state. It just makes me so happy! Fresh air and nature are the best medicine.
Then as you know, I have continued doing my Melissa Wood workouts! She has a bunch of prenatal and postnatal flows in her app and website, but because I've been doing her workout for a long time now, I feel comfortable doing some of her regular flows, but just omitting the crunches type of ab exercises. I just replace the ab part with another of her exercises (I've memorised quite a few by now!) her workouts are truly what makes me feel my best, and her method is just pure gold.
Disclaimer : these products are just simply MY personal favourites, I am by no means an expert, always check with your health professional if you're unsure!
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