Mama, I know you may not be feeling 100% right now. This is hard work to grow a new person – but you’re special, you’re worth it, and the end result is awe inspiring. Your pregnancy is the ultimate time to take care of yourself inside and out. Whether it’s some of my suggestions or just something else you’ve been thinking about treating yourself to lately, I vote that you should treat yourself!
These are five pregnancy must haves that made all the difference for me over the course of my 40 weeks. They are not in any particular order, but I recommend getting each of them as early in your pregnancy as you can to avoid not having them on hand when you need them most! As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn on qualifying purchases.
Slip On Shoes
Who wants to have to bend over to out on their shoes? Nobody- and especially not anyone with a baby in their belly! That’s where Kiziks come in. It gets to a point that your balance is non-existent and without these, I am not sure I could have worn anything other than flip flops without some major maneuvering.
These shoes were a dream to put on. You just slip your foot right in and the shoe back pops up over your heel. I found these shoes to be very supportive and comfortable to wear during errands, exercising, and wearing all day long.
I still wear mine six months postpartum and receive compliments on them regularly. While the website does say not to soak the shoes in water, I decided last week to throw them in the washing machine on a cold cycle and they honestly came out very well after a good air dry. I won’t do this too frequently, but it’s nice to know it’s an emergency option.
Smart Water Bottle
Hydration is always important, but usually boring. Not with the Hidrate Spark Pro Smart Water Bottle. This amazing bottle lights up and sends you reminders to drink throughout the day all while keeping track of how much you drink. Well, thank you, Mr. Water Bottle!
In the app settings, you can check off if you’re pregnant or nursing and it gives you a personalized recommended volume to drink daily. It also connects with other apps, like Fitbit and Apple Health, to see other factors, like your exercise, and calculate your daily goal. I found the app extremely motivating to hit my water goal every day. It’s also super neat that you can personalize the LED glow reminder color, it’s BPA free, and the lid is top rack dishwasher safe.
It’s pretty quick to charge and the battery lasted several days for me. I was sometimes really bored with flat water and started putting a few splashes of Mio Water Enhancers to spice it up a bit.
The Prenatal 
I started taking a good quality prenatal even when trying to conceive. As a pescatarian, it was very important to me to make sure I was getting the vitamins I need where maybe my diet was potentially lacking.
This Nature Made Prenatal supports baby’s brain health, bone health, eye health, and nervous system and has 250 vitamins in each bottle. I only needed two bottles through my pregnancy and continue to take it postnatal to help with breast milk support. It has folic acid and 17 key nutrients to make care of baby and mom.
Mid way through my pregnancy I decided to try a gummy multivitamin because it seemed easier to remember to take it. When I compared the nutrients between the vitamin pill and the gummy, there was a huge difference and I decided to go back to the pill version. Do what you feel is right for you to help you remember!
Your body is going to prioritize and take nutrients for the baby that is needs where it finds them. While this was actually a relief to me to learn, it’s critical to refuel your body with what it needs for both of you. You’re going through a huge physical and mental change, make sure you’re taking care of yourself even if it’s as simple as taking a vitamin.
Bump Box
Right away I subscribed to Bump Boxes! I knew I was only going to be pregnant for such a short time of my life and I wanted to really celebrate that. What better way than surprise gifts that come in the mail! It felt like opening a present and I looked forward to it each month.
You can order one-off boxes or subscribe for a certain number of months, which is generally a little less expensive per box. The boxes are filled with cute little goodies like pregnancy friendly face lotion, body lotion, soap, baby onesies, teethers, and just exciting surprises based on your specific pregnancy.
If you want to share the joy with your special partner (he was there too, right???) they even have adorable Bump Boxes for Dad to Be. It really doesn’t get any better than sharing the incredible joy I hope you’re feeling!
The Pillow
A pregnancy pillow is going to make a world of difference for you towards the end of your first trimester. I bought this one in cotton to stay cool for the summer months, but they also offer a cozy velvet version for anyone in colder climates. The cover easily comes off to be washed regularly.
You are typically encouraged to avoid sleeping on your back once you get to a certain point in your pregnancy, which was a struggle for me. In fact, my body decided back sleep was amazing for some odd reason. Having a pillow to encourage me to sleep on my side was a life saver. I also found that having part of the pillow between my thighs took pressure off of my lower back (Heavenly!!).
This version also comes with a wedge that you can put under your growing belly to help support it while you’re on your side. I did not use this wedge much until the very end when my belly decided to really pop!
Remember
Pregnancy is not easy- you’re creating life, Mama! This is definitely not something to take lightly and it’s the ultimate time to treat yourself.
Baby Talk 