If you are looking for a long list of things that I recommend using, this is not the post. I’m actually here to de-influence you. I went into pregnancy knowing I did not want to buy everything that was possibly out there for pregnancy. Even then I still feel like I made some bad purchases.
Every pregnancy and person is different so the things I experienced may not be your reality. This is why even the “safe” purchases I thought I’d for sure love didn’t always work for me. It takes some trial and error sometimes to find what works for you specifically. My hope is to show you my thoughts on the products I used or didn’t use to help you decide if the item would work for you or not.
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What I didn’t buy and why
There are some things I saw on the market for pregnancy that I chose not to buy. They all have different reasons. So let’s get into the whats and the whys.
Pregnancy clothes- Now, I have not sworn off all maternity clothes, but I have on a lot of them. I have stayed away from buying tops and dresses that are geared to specifically maternity. Pants I have been extremely selective on what I have bought for specifically maternity.
When I have chosen to buy clothes I have opted for a bigger size. I’ve found for me that I can just wear a bigger size or longer shirt and make it work. This is the route I chose to go because my hope is to be able to wear these items postpartum as well. This way I am not buying a whole new wardrobe for pregnancy and postpartum.
I also have been wearing my normal longer dresses and haven’t seen a problem with them yet. For pants, I have bought maternity leggings, but mostly I have been opting for buying the size up in a stretchy pant and wearing them lower than I would if I didn’t have a belly.
I do want to note I am a stay-at-home wife and I do not have a job that requires me to wear a certain type of clothing. If I did I would probably invest in some maternity pants at least. As for at-home clothes, I haven’t found it necessary.
I have also simplified my wardrobe during this season of life. I am choosing to get pieces I can wear with all the other clothes that fit me. That way only a few pieces will stretch a long way.
There are lots of other small items that people buy for pregnancy! I did not see anything that I must have or that stuck out to me other than the items I listed below. So here are the things I did try!
What didn’t work for me
Pregnancy Pillow- I chose to buy the Newton pregnancy pillow in hopes of being more comfortable at night. I tried it for a few months and was underwhelmed. I even added more pillows to it to help me become more comfortable. I eventually ditched the whole thing and went with using normal pillows to give me the support I needed.
This isn’t to say others may not love it or others on the market, but for me, it wasn’t worth it and I am not choosing to buy any others in hopes of finding one that I do like. Extra pillows I have around the house have worked just fine for me.
If you are wanting to not spend unnecessary money maybe try using pillows you already have and if you feel like that’s not doing the trick maybe then look into a pregnancy pillow you feel would fit your specific needs.
Preggie Pops- I bought these early on in my first trimester when I began to feel nauseous. I found that these did not help nearly as much as peppermints did and I did not like the taste. The sourness was the point of them, but I didn’t see it helping me enough to want to deal with the taste. Peppermints did just the trick to help calm my nausea without a bad taste in my mouth.
Big water bottle- I bought a large bottle of water thinking it’d make me want to drink more and have fewer trips to get more water. While the fewer trips is true the large water bottle didn’t encourage me to drink more, it actually did the opposite.
I found myself not wanting to pick it up for drinks or carry it around due to its weight. It made me feel like it was never ending and I was not making any progress in my fluid intake goals. I also did not get a clear water bottle so I found myself wondering how much longer it was going to take to get to the bottom.
I found having a smaller clear water bottle that I fill up more often made me feel motivated to keep going because I was always seeing the progress of the water going down and emptying the bottle. I also didn’t have a problem needing to fill it up more often because I am always up to use the bathroom.
What did work and what I would recommend
Belly oil- I got the Bio-Oil for stretch marks orginally. I can’t speak to if it truly works or not, because I am not using it as directed. I use it after showers and when I feel dry. I have gotten stretch marks and I can’t say if I would still have or not if I did follow their directed use.
However, I can say it’s very hydrating and I like to use it rather than lotion when I want to hydrate my skin. I do think you could find a million and one lotions, oils, etc. that you feel like work to hydrate your bump and skin and that is totally up to preference. Click here to check out Bio-Oil.
Chapstick- Any will do, but man! My lips were and still are so chapped during pregnancy. It’s something along with dry skin that came on within the first week of knowing I was pregnant. I’ve had many mornings where I woke up to bleeding lips. It’s not enjoyable so a good chapstick is a must for me. Click here to check out the chapstick I use.
Nice shoes- I was and still am hesitant to buy new shoes due to others experiencing their shoe size going up during pregnancy and some experiencing it going back down and others not. Due to this, I have not yet bought any new shoes because I am not sure if I will be able to fit into them when I need them and how long I’d be able to wear them if my shoe size does change.
I have stopped wearing shoes that don’t support my feet or are healed in any way. I get extremely uncomfortable walking fairly quickly if I do. I already had supportive candles and tennis shoes that I can wear so I wear those. If I didn’t I would definitely be ordering myself some supportive shoes that didn’t break the bank due to the unknowns.
Pregnancy ball- I will be getting one for my late pregnancy days and for leading up to and into labor. I will be buying one of the cheapest ones I can find, because I do not see the value in buying a more expensive one.
I will update this post after delivery to say whether it was worth the purchase or not. Until then I am assuming it will be because lots of moms I know said it was helpful to them. Some used it more than others but they all have said it was useful in some way.
Books- I was given a book to read to baby while we await his arrival. Myself and my Husband read this book to him, but any baby book would do!
I have a devotional that is a week-by-week on pregnancy that my Dad gifted me and I read that as well. I have found that fun to read each week, but you could find something similar online or apps to tell you about your baby that week if you don’t want to spend the money. Click here to check out the weekly devotional I have.
I also will be reading some books on babies, parenting, motherhood, and really just all the things that I feel like would be helpful to read up on. I am going to go to my local library to try and find the books I am wanting to read and if they don’t have them then I will purchase them on my Kindle or a physical copy.
The pregnancy must-haves
You don’t need a ton! Buy things that would make you feel more comfortable with the symptoms you’re having! Don’t feel like you need everything out there to have a good pregnancy or to be prepared.
Having a baby is expensive! No need to make it even more with things that you don’t need or end up using. Spend it on things that would actually be helpful to you.
I hope this helped get a perspective on what you really need for pregnancy:)
If you liked this post check out my motherhood content by clicking here. I talk about pregnancy, preparing for baby, and practical motherhood conversations.
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