My Pregnancy Must-Haves

For the sake of posterity, mostly, I thought I would compile a bullet list of my favorite things throughout my pregnancy.  Every gal and every pregnancy is different, so some or all may not apply to everyone.  But if you happen to be somewhat like me, maybe they will!

*Full-panel maternity jeans.  Still carrying around more weight than "normal" and having all kinds of unattractive loose skin, full-panel pants are not only super comfy for me, but they hide my lumpiness and allow me to look like an actual pregnant person, and not just like I have a bad beer gut.

*Saline nasal spray.  I have year-round nasal allergies already, but my congestion has been even worse throughout my pregnancy, especially at night.  A few squirts of saline and a short wait, and I can usually vacate my nasal passages successfully, and get back to sleep.

*Kleenex Cool Touch and Puff's with Vicks.  Both are amazing, all of the time.  I need to remember to throw a box in my hospital bag.

* Sandwich cookies dipped in dark chocolate, chilled.  I do these myself.  My personal favorites have been Nutter Butters and Mint Oreos.  The very important part is KEEPING THEM IN THE FRIDGE.  This not only keeps them from melting, and makes them more delicious, it prevents me from eating more than one at a time.  Out of sight, (mostly) out of mind.  I never had such a terrible sweet tooth pre-pregnancy.  But damn, ladies, is it bad now.

*Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion.  This is really a general favorite thing, though it's been great for the weird dry patches that have been popping up on my skin.  It lasts all day, except on my hands, where it still does a decent job lasting through several washes.  I don't have any stretch-mark related advice, as I haven't sprouted any new ones, because I had so much extra skin leftover from weight loss.

*Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - Another all-time favorite, just thought it was worth a mention.  I may leave my cell phone at home on occasion, but I never forget my Burt's Bees.

*A plain-old, firm, standard-sized pillow.  I have a rather soft memory-foam mattress, which does a decent job of supporting and hugging my protruding belly.  I tried a body pillow and found it way too cumbersome in a queen-sized bed with two adults and two small-ish dogs.  So, I bought a regular old pillow and I keep it between my knees as I sleep.  This doesn't completely alleviate hip pain in these last several weeks, but I'm fairly confident that I does help.

*Bath tub/shower treads.  If you don't have these, or a bath mat, get them/one.  My balance is not what it should be!

*Shower seat/bench.  My new shower has a seat in it, and I LOVE IT.  Sometimes I just need a break!

*Tums.  Keep a roll in your purse, by the bed, and at work.  Even with the part of my stomach that produces acid being connected to a lower part of my digestive system, I still get heartburn.

*A travel-sized pillow for lumbar support while driving.  This was more for 1st and 2nd trimester, as I'm so short that I can't fit it behind me and still not hit the steering wheel these days.  It was a back-saver early on, though.

*The notepad and reminder apps on my smart phone.  I have days where I can't remember something 2 minutes after I thought of it.  I take down notes as often as I can!

I'm sure there are some other things that  I'm forgetting at the moment, but this is a start!  Happy Monday everyone!