1. 2. 3. 5. 7. 8.
Now that I’m over halfway done (what?!) I’ve rounded up the things that have so far made my pregnancy much easier. I can’t imagine NOT having these things. Without further ado, my top 8 Pregnancy Favorites.
Coconut Oil. This stuff is like a magical elixir. A growing belly combined with the dry cold winter air provided by all these “polar vortex”s these days leads to a rather dry and itchy situation. In order to retain any and all moisture I have, I slather this stuff on in the shower. I’ll occasionally use it in between showering as a regular moisturizer before bed. While using the coconut oil in hopes of avoiding stretch marks, I discovered something great! It has made my Keratosis Pilaris disappear.
Keratosis Pilaris is a skin condition that according to Wikipedia affects nearly 50% of the worldwide population. Up to 80% of adolescents with the majority being women. It’s basically a build up of keratin so that your hair follicles become trap creating a red bump. It’s most common on the back of the arms, thighs, and sometimes bumcheeks. For me my KP is always worse during the dry winter. My KP bumps on my arms and thighs get red, irritated, and itchy. Sometimes the little bumps end up bleeding. Once upon a time, I had a special dermatological lotion that I had to apply 3 times daily for months before seeing a result in a smoother arm. It wasn’t worth the cost and time. Now? My arms and legs are the smoothest they have ever been. Not a bump to be seen! Coconut oil is the only change I’ve made. You better believe I will continue to use this as my in shower moisturizer from now on. And the 50% of the people who also suffer from those strange little annoying bumps, you’re welcome!
Next up is my acrylic cup and straws. I always loved straws but since falling pregnant I now drink everything through a straw. I was gifted an insulated clear acrylic cup for christmas <Thanks Pat! It’s still my favorite cup> and the top so happens to fit my acrylic straws perfectly. I usually fill my cup with iced tea, or watered down juice. While the one pictured isn’t the one I have, it perfectly represents my need for a designated ‘water’ cup.
Being pregnant with CF presents a few challenges that most women don’t have to deal with. One of these challenges is being able to gain enough weight! Most nutritionist recommend drinking your standard supplement drink: think Boost or Ensure. While these are packed with calories they are also packed with things I can’t pronounce. Not to mention the taste is terrible! Thankfully my nutritionist recommended a newer, organically made supplement drink, Orgain. I bought a few to try thinking it’d be just like all the other supplement drinks out there, and boy, was I surprised. I actually enjoyed drinking them. I enjoyed them so much I found myself craving them! They’re made of an organic blend of proteins, fruits, veggies, and other great things. Having Orgains everyday really has helped me to keep my weight up – even during the flu!- and slowly gain some pounds.
During the first trimester I always had ginger ale on hand. While I wasn’t experiencing any true morning sickness, my gag reflex was super sensitive. If I coughed hard enough I was bound to throw up, and once I started I couldn’t stop! Enter my lovely ginger ale. Something about it made it easy to sip and helped keep my coughing/gagging under control. Later during the pregnancy it was my ‘go-to’ for correcting a low blood sugar. All in all it’s been super handy having it around.
That kind of leads me to my next ‘must have’ of pregnancy. Undies. Lots and lots of undies. It was only a matter of weeks before my regular underoos because uncomfortable. I also had a few weeks where I was coughing non-stop. Coughing non-stop all day every day leads to some sore and tired muscles. Apparently it also leads to peeing your pants, frequently.
Imagine that you do push ups everyday. You can do a lot of push-ups on a daily basis without getting tired. Go you! Now, imagine someone forced you to do continuous push-ups without stopping… all day. There’s only so much your muscles could handle before you literally couldn’t do another push-up. That’s me, except I’m not talking push-ups, I’m talking about pelvic floor muscles. You know, the muscles that help you hold your pee in while you sneeze. They also help you out when you cough. In my case, after a day of nonstop coughing, those muscle are tired! They stop working on ya. Which leads to the case of needing lots and lots of undies, and a sense of humor. Peeing your pants is funny when you’re a kid, not so much when you’re an adult. Once the coughing was more under control (thanks to getting over the flu) so was the whole peeing in my pants ordeal. Moving on.
Since I was about 10 I’ve always slept with a body pillow. I can even remember the purple fleece cover my mother made for the winter season. I never stopped sleeping with a body pillow and now that I’m pregnant? Well, I sleep with two. I sandwich myself between the two and call it good; Kyle calls it a barricade.
When my jeans no longer buttoned I turned to maternity jeans. I originally had a pair from Old Navy and one from Motherhood Maternity. A week or so after buying these pants I found a pair of maternity jeans (in my size) at the thrift store. They were cheap and already broken in, but in great condition. This is where I profess my love for these jeans. They happened to be H&M’s Mama Jeans, and they feel like wearing PJ’s. These jeans are so darn comfy that I returned my other two pairs. I’m looking forward to finding a pair of skinnies next time I’m at my local H&M store.
My last item is a staple for winter. Fleece lined leggings in a size up. They’re warm, they’re cozy and the waist stretches like you wouldn’t believe! I’m not even sure how I survived previous winters without these things. I have several pairs, and while my sister is going to cringe, I wear them all the time… as pants! At least I always make sure that my shirts are tunic length when wearing leggings as pants.
I’m sure as my pregnancy continues and I get bigger I’ll run into more issue and perhaps have different products that I’ll deem as a necessity. I mean, I hear your feet swell up and sometimes your shoe size is permanently altered… shoe shopping anyone? For now, these are pretty much my main go-to’s.
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated to rave about any of the mentioned products. All products were bought with my own money, and all opinions are my own*
