Shopping List for Pregnant Women

Pregnancy Shopping List for First Time New Moms.   List includes vitamins, lotions,  pillows, clothes and more to stay healthy and comfortable for 40 weeks!  This post is in partnership with
buybuy BABY.

The title should read “What a Pregnant Woman Needs… Besides Donuts and Hugs” but it was a little too long.  This post is all about what every pregnant woman needs, or at the very least it’s about what this pregnant woman needs.  Yes, I need donuts. Yes, I need hugs.  Yes, I need my husband to tie my shoes.  Yes, I need the pizza delivery to come in less than 30 minutes because if not I will bawl my eyes out and proclaim I can’t live (true story – happened a few weeks ago).  I’m hungry.  I’m emotional.  I’m uncomfortable.  I’m hard to live with.    But I’m pregnant and carrying a little human inside of me – therefor I’m awesome.

 

Now that I’m in my 3rd trimester (What up 32 weeks!) these are the products I’ve been using.   Everything here I’ve thoroughly researched before buying and come with glowing reviews! Here’s my pregnancy shopping list!

First, let’s start out with the most important thing you need.  You need prenatal vitamins.  Actually you should start taking these even before you even get pregnant.   My Doctor recommends One-a-Day with DHA and friends love Rainbow Light.  I’ve been taking Nature Made PrenatalMulti + DHA 200 Mg for months even before trying to get pregnant – I love that I only have to take one pill a day and they’re easy to swallow with no after taste.

For beauty products, there’ s a whole market for women to have glowing pregnancy skin and no stretch marks.  But let’s be honest, it’s a lie.  Stretch marks have a lot to do with genetics, and glowing skin has it’s ups and downs.  In my first 25 or so weeks, I had issues with pregnancy acne, and then it semi cleared up (my fingers are crossed).    Here’s the products I love that I think you should spend your money on.  I’ve been using Burt’s Bees Mama Bee belly butter since about 10 weeks – it’s shea butter and Vitamin E that I lather all over my belly, hips and boobs – basically everywhere that my skin is going to stretch while being pregnant.  I use it once a day (at night after I get a shower) and it leaves me feeling moisturized and smooth.  At 32 weeks I’m on my 3rd jar to give you of a idea of how long it lasts.  So far it’s working with limited stretch marks (only ones I can see and that I make my husband examine next to me under our magnifying bathroom mirror).  I would also recommend Burt’s Bees Mama Body Oil to double lock in moisture.   

In the third I’ll trimester I’ll be carrying around 30-35 extra pounds and my feet can feel it.   I mean I’m guessing my feet can feel it. I would ask them but I can no longer see them.  Grab your partner, tell them your feet hurt and throw a bottle of Burt’s Bees Mama Bee foot creme at them.  Not only is it going to make your feet feel great, but it also helps healthy circulation if your feel swell up.

For pesky pregnancy acne, I’ve gone through lots of trials here.  I’ve been wanting to do a entire post about it but I have to work up the courage to post before and after photos.  In the meantime,  lots of women have good luck with the Belli line but it didn’t help me (although try it – it might work for you!).  I’ve been using Mario Badescu products along with CeraVe Moisturizing cream at night and it’s been my saving grace. 

Other body products you’ll need are Tucks medicated pads and Earth Mama spray.  I’m not going into detail here, just trust me that you will need them (before and after pregnancy).

For clothing – wear what’s comfortable and what you can fit in.   The only “maternity” clothing I’ve bought so far is a maternity bra that makes me feel like a ninja.   I’ve been living in dresses (both tight and oversized) and linen/cotton overalls.   When I’m at home I change into comfy pajama pants and fitted tank tops.   For yoga, I wear my regular yoga pants (under my belly), a tank top and a sports bra. If you really want to buy maternity clothes you can, but don’t break the bank on something that you might only wear for 3 months and never again.    When your pants and skirts start to not fit invest in Bellaband that will keep you wearing your pre-pregnancy jeans for quite a while.   Once your belly starts to weigh you down and you get back pain get the Belly Bandit belly support which really helps!  I know lots of women love maternity leggings that go over the belly, so try those too.  I wore my regular leggings over my belly for as long as they were comfortable and then I just started wearing them under my belly – they still fit this way and I didn’t have to spend any extra money.  One thing you might have to spend money on is new bras – like I mentioned above I got a maternity bra that I can snap off with one hand and makes me feel like a ninja.   Maternity bras are great because you can wear them while you’re pregnant and while you’re breastfeeding.  They’re also super comfortable so you might just wear them forever after this! 

 

Sleeping will become uncomfortable with time.  I originally bought a Snoogle early on in my pregnancy and found it wasn’t really necessary so I tucked it away in my closet.  As soon as I started getting a belly, leg cramps and a sore back I declared the Snoogle my best friend and it now permanently lives in our bed.   It will take up space in your bed (it’s big!) but it’s worth it.  You can use it a million ways (including sitting up) and it makes sleeping as comfortable as possible when you have to pee every 2 hours.  When you snuggle inside of it, it feels like someone is hugging you, so it’s great for those hormonal moments where you just need to cry by yourself in bed (third trimester real talk!).  If you want something smaller get the Boppy prenatal pillow with supports your bump, back and legs.

 

Finally, some odds and ends that I’m going to throw at you.  If you don’t already have one, get a yoga mat and start taking prenatal yoga classes.  Seriously, do it.  It’s one of the best choice I’ve made while being pregnant.  It will  make you feel energized,  it will make your body feel better and you’ll be surrounded by other pregnant women so you can complain freely to them.  

While you’re pregnant you’re probably going to google every single thing, especially if you’re a First Time Mom.   There’s so many pregnancy books out there but the best one in my opinion is “What to Expect When You Are Expecting” which organizes the book into week-by-week sections.  I’ve found it very accurate with symptoms and it gives helpful info for both Mom and Dad!  Because there’s so many pregnancy books available – make sure to take advantage of your public library –  free books!

Lastly, some things you just can’t buy when you’re pregnant.  Make sure to get lots of rest.  Make sure to drink lots of water.  Eat healthy but it’s ok to splurge on donut or muffin once in a while.  Don’t feel guilty! If you’re feeling down, talk about it with your partner.  If you need a hug, ask for one.  If you need help getting your shoes on, ask for help.  

I hope this pregnancy shopping list helps you and you have an amazing 40 weeks!

Let me know in the comments if there are any items that you couldn’t live without while pregnant!