Maternity Must Haves and Why I Love Them

Pregnancy Must Haves and Why I Love Them. Maternity Essentials

When you become pregnant for the first time, there are soo many unknowns & so much to research to make sure you are being your healthiest and safest for baby {& yourself}. From safe beauty products to books and prenatal vitamins to just comfort as a mama-to-be, below are my Maternity Must-Haves I discovered during my pregnancy plus why I swear by them!

Pregnancy-Safe Beauty

Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Crème: You probably know by now if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant that it’s not safe to use retinol products while pregnant. After a lot of research, I found this natural alternative to retinol that is safe for pregnant mamas! It smells amazing too and really made my skin look and feel so nice & more refreshed in the morning {even in the 3rd trimester when I was barely getting any sleep lol}. I actually don’t even think I’ll go back to my retinol product now that I’m not pregnant anymore as I love this one so much!

Self Tanning Drops & Self Tanning Mousse: though I didn’t sunless tan a ton during my pregnancy {mainly since I wasn’t going anywhere with COVID lol}, I did give myself a little fresh glow here & there and I wanted to make sure I was using the safest product I could for my sunless tanner. There is a lot of question around whether or not sunless tanners are truly unsafe during pregnancy, but I figured I would rather err on the side of caution and find something that was a little more natural and safe than the sunless tanning wipes I always used pre-pregnancy.

Setting Mist with Broad Spectrum SPF 50: I used this amazing SPF setting spray prior to pregnancy, but it made the list because I used it even more while pregnant given that your skin is so much more sensitive to the sun while pregnant. You can use this over makeup even and it provides a really nice soft finish on your skin, protects you from the sun, and smells amazing!

Mineral Sunscreen Mist SPF 30: another safe sun necessity! I wanted to switch to a safer mineral sunscreen that obviously had no parabens, sulfates, phthalates etc {which of course I didn’t want in any of my products not just sunscreen!} I originally had tried another brand of mineral sunscreen, but it actually gave my skin a terrible rash and I had all these red bumps all over! This one linked here did not do that at all and has a really nice feel and finish to it!

Stretch Mark Slayers

I was very fortunate to not get any stretch marks during my pregnancy. Below are the products I rotated between throughout my pregnancy which may be to thank for me not getting any! They are also all natural, safe products for pregnancy & post-partum, and let’s be honest, it feels really nice when you’re pregnant to give your belly a little massage and talk to your baby while you do 🙂 I slathered these not just all over my belly, but on my hips and breasts too!

Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter: I used this when I wanted a non-oily option that wouldn’t get on something that I was wearing. I’m still using this post-partum too so I have a safe product on me for when Luca is laying on me etc.

Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil: the smell & feel of this one is my favorite of all these stretch mark prevention products so I highly recommend. I am also still using this one post-pregnancy 🙂

Weleda Pregnancy Body Oil for Stretch Marks: Weleda products are some of the cleanest & greenest skincare and baby products out there {we use their baby lotions and diaper cream too for Luca!} This stretch mark body oil is made with essential oils so if you enjoy the smells of essential oils you will definitely love this product! I mainly used this one at night since it is a thicker oil.

SheaMoisture 100% Pure Argan Oil: I added this oil in because I really was just trying to diversify what I was using to give myself the highest chances of not getting stretch marks lol. Argan oil is supposed to increase skin’s elasticity, thus possibly helping with stretch marks. It’s also totally pure and safe for you especially during pregnancy.

Maternity Comfort Necessities

Fold Over Jogger Sweatpants: these are heavenly soft, comfy & flaterring. The fold over waist allows you to adjust as needed as you grow too, wear it pulled up or folded below the belly. I love these so much I’ve been living in them post pregnancy too & just ordered another color! {also can be purchased here & here}

Cute & Comfy Nursing Bralettes: these bralettes here, here & here are my favorite for both being extremely comfortable but also looking cute {and feeling a little less like a nursing bra while still having the functionality!} Your bust grows substantially in pregnancy and I didn’t want to spend money on all new bras just for pregnancy so it was great to buy nursing bras I could wear throughout pregnancy & now while I am nursing!

Basic Seamless Bralettes: I have worn these bralettes for years {in black and nude} & they came in handy during pregnancy when I wanted something stretchy & comfortable that was versatile to wear under all different things. Plus they are crazy affordable!

Soft, Extra Stretchy Undies {& thong version}: these were such a game-changer during my pregnancy. All I wanted to wear were comfy, stretchy underwear that I felt good in. I stocked up on a bunch of the full coverage and the thongs and they were pretty much the only underwear I wore all pregnancy. I did also get a few pairs of these that were very comfortable too!

Soft & Stretchy High Waisted Workout Pants: these workout leggings here & here were my favorites throughout my pregnancy for comfort, style & not feeling like I was squishing the little guy lol. Plus I can still wear them post-partum!

Belly Support Band: I ended up having Pubis Symphysis Dysfunction during my pregnancy so really needed the extra belly support especially for when I was taking walks around the block or working out. This affordable find did the trick perfectly {and is great even if you just have minor back aches & pains or need support} and I even used it post-partum for a few days to help stabilize my core before my Belly Bandit started fitting me!

Prenatal Vitamins & Health

Prenatal Gummy Vitamins: I don’t necessarily have a hard time swallowing pills, but when you are dealing with morning sickness and need to force yourself to swallow multiple very large prenatal pills a day, it’s just not ideal. Because of this, I went with gummy prenatal vitamins. I did a ton of research to try and find one that was the most complete and was very happy with these ones!

DHA Supplement: it is hard to find a complete prenatal that also has DHA {if it does, it’s usually missing something else very important or has lower percentages of the other necessities}. Because of this, I also added a DHA supplement to ensure our little one’s brain developed the strongest that it could! These ones are nice easy gel capsules to swallow and don’t have any weird aftertaste or flavor.

Folate Supplement: Folate or Folic Acid are very important supplements to take during pregnancy not only for fetal growth but also for mama. Since I have hypothyroidism, I also wanted to make sure I added an additional Folate supplement {the gummy I linked above has 600 mcg so technically enough on it’s own if you prefer not to add another supplement}. Folate is the naturally occurring form of the supplement which makes it easier for your body to utilize and absorb over Folic Acid. These ones are super tiny little pills and also have a little flavor tablet in the container that gives them a faint, fresh citrus taste and smell.

Dates: I started eating dates later than is actually recommended {they say you should throughout your 3rd trimester} so I only incorporated them into my diet for a couple weeks before Luca was born. Dates are said to help prepare the cervix for labor and make labor easier…I don’t know if this is necessarily the case, but I did dilate in record speed so hey, maybe it was the dates!

Raspberry Leaf Tea {or this brand}: this is another tip that I waited a little long on to start doing, but I started drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea {I put it on ice since it was summer} in the last month of my pregnancy. It is also said to shorten labor, so again, my labor was super short, maybe it was the tea lol!

Pregnancy Books & Resources

Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong–and What You Really Need to Know: this was the first book that I read when I became pregnant & I found it to be super helpful. It is unbiased and just provides a bunch of facts and research study results about all kinds of things. I highly recommend!

The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth: this book is obviously geared toward more natural mamas, but even if you aren’t planning to go all natural in your pregnancy and childbirth, this book provides tons of general information and guidance as well as mantras and positive encouragement for throughout your pregnancy.

Parenting Books: though I didn’t get a chance to read these two books {here & here} before Luca arrived, they got great reviews & one came recommended by friends so I’m hoping to make my way through them this month!

Tinyhood Courses: since most of my pregnancy was during the COVID era, we could not go to in person prenatal or parenting classes at our hospital. A friend of mine recommended Tinyhood as they were running a special. These courses are quick and great to give first time parents all the basics they need to know for the taking care of their baby, including things like infant CPR and breastfeeding and more!

I hope you try out the products in this post & find them helpful during your pregnancy, and if you are already pregnant, congratulations mama-to-be!