When you find out you’re pregnant, it’s an exciting time, and you’re probably also a little nervous.
It’s a good time to have some fun and stock up on all the gear to make your pregnancy as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
Some of the items you might see advertised for pregnant women you can likely skip, but there are others that are must-haves, including the following:
Pregnancy Pillow
Add a pregnancy pillow to the top of your must-have list. A pregnancy pillow is designed to help support your changing body and give you a restful night’s sleep, according to the team at Best Sleep Health.
They provide full-body support. They’re most important in the later stages of pregnancy when your growing belly takes up more room, but they can be important to have on hand at any time.
When you use a pregnancy pillow it can help alleviate aches and pains as your body weight increases, which puts pressure on your hips, legs, and back.
Comfortable Leggings
When you’re in your first and even second trimester, you may not be ready for maternity pants, but your regular clothes might start to feel a little tight and uncomfortable. Having soft, high-waisted leggings can be a good way to stay comfortable as your bump grows.
You might also consider buying a bra extender to help your band fit your changing needs.
Maternity Belt
A maternity belt, which is also sometimes called a belly belt or a maternity cradle, wraps around your lower body and then has an upper strap that goes over the top of your belly. A cradle is formed for your belly.
This can help provide you with support and reduce pain and stress on different parts of your body.
Compression Socks
When you’re pregnant, you may have swollen feet and also leg cramps. You need good shoes and perhaps shoe inserts, but you might also need compression socks to provide even more support for your feet and calves.
If you’re on your feet a lot, you might especially need compression socks.
Heartbeat Monitor
There are prenatal heartbeat monitors you can get for home use. Of course, these little doppler devices don’t replace your prenatal doctor visits, but it can be a fun way to feel connected to your baby.
One brand is the Roo Prenatal Heartbeat Monitor, which rests on your stomach and stays in place with an elastic strap.
You can connect through your Bluetooth to the Roo app on your phone, so you can track your baby’s heartbeat every week.
Nausea Bracelets
Nausea is an unfortunate reality of being pregnant, but you can get Sea Bands or some other brand of nausea-relief bracelets to help you.
Sea bands are chemical and drug-free, and they use pressure points to alleviate nausea. They’re also washable.
Pregnancy Headphones
When you play music for your baby during your pregnancy, they might remember it for up to a year after birth, according to studies. That’s the idea behind Bellybuds, which are pregnancy headphones.
You stick them to your belly, and both you and baby can listen to the same music at the same time.
There’s also a safe maximum volume so that it’s not too loud for the baby.
Jacket Extender
You may not want to spend a lot on maternity items because you aren’t pregnant for that long in the scheme of things. This could be especially true when it comes to things like coats and jackets. They’re seasonal, so they’re used even less often.
Instead, consider a belly extender that will zip into your current coat.
Once you have the baby, you can keep using it as a way to zip your jacket over your baby carrier.
Razor Reach
This is a fun invention that can make life during pregnancy a bit easier. Consider a razor extension shaver handle.
It’ll make it easier to shave your legs even when it’s tough to bend over or reach them.
You can find inexpensive razor reach tools that will reach up to 20 inches and will fit with any type of razor.
Finally, when you find out you’re pregnant, treat yourself to a pregnancy journal. A pregnancy journal is where you can track your appointments, weight gain, and other milestones in your pregnancy.
You can also use it to help you stay organized with your medical appointments and what you want to ask providers when you see them. Keep all of your ultrasound photos too.
