Pregnancy Survival Guide

From food to clothes to entertainment…My favorite products that helped me through nine months of pregnancy.

Well, I made it through pregnancy and came out on the other side with a beautiful baby girl!  Now I’m fully plunged into motherhood, sleepless nights and all.  I’m writing this at 3:40am.  I should probably try to sleep but I’m pretty sure the little girl will be up again in a few minutes.  So before I start to forget, I want to share some of the things that helped me through the last nine months.  Pregnancy is a surreal and challenging experience, these are some of the products that helped me:

1.  Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer: Of course, I gave up alcohol, but I also decided to (mostly) give up caffeine.  The trouble with this decision is… there’s not much left to drink!  Sprite, herbal tea, fruit juice and the options are especially slim in local restaurants.  So I started exploring ginger ales.  Not only are they caffeine free, but the ginger helps with your morning sickness too.  I drank every ginger beer and ginger ale I could get my hands on and Cock n’ Bull was hands down the best!  It’s spicy and not too sweet plus it’s quickly becoming a favorite of bartenders around town so it’s becoming easier to find.  You can buy it at Fred Meyer, local soda shops like Rocket Fizz, and Beaumont Market, if it’s not sold out.
2. South Park: Stick of Truth:  I am not a huge video gamer so take this with a grain of salt when I say: this is the best video game I have ever played!  It is easy to play and hilariously offensive.  It is full of pooping, farting, anal probes, abortion, sex and violence.  It was a huge distraction for me during the entire first trimester when I was exhausted and feeling awful.  I highly recommend for any South Park fan.  If you don’t like South Park, this is not for you.
3. Sacroiliac Belt: I didn’t have many pregnancy problems, minimal morning sickness, swelling, stretch marks and heartburn, but I did have hip pain.  Oh! Did I have hip pain…  It was so bad I fell down one day getting out of bed and frequently feared falling at work.  So I started seeing a physical therapist who told me to get a sacroiliac belt.  It was a huge help during the third timester!  This isn’t a problem everyone has, but if you do have hip pain, give it a try.
4. Power Mamma Spanx:  Ok, this is not something I expected that I’d ever buy.  Before getting pregnant I thought maternity Spanx were kind of a silly attempt to cover up your changing body, but I ended up wearing them not for looks but for comfort.  Being pregnant during the summer was rough.  I sweated so much and had so much chaffing (in areas I did not expect) that I couldn’t stand wearing skirts and dresses.  So in order to stay cool, I turned to Spanx so I could keep wearing my comfortable and cool clothes all summer long.
5. Liz Lange Maternity Tank: As soon as that pregnancy test comes back positive, just head to Target and buy 3-4 of these tanks.  They’re cheap, but really well made and durable.  I wore these the entire nine months and still throw them on as I’m hanging out around the house with a newborn.  Great product.
6. SodaStream:  At home, sparkling water was critical.  I drank it straight or mixed it with fruit juices to make my own “sodas”.  It made me miss beer and cocktails a little less.  This is, hands down, the most heavily used appliance in my kitchen.
7. Cocoa Butter & Oil:  There is no scientific evidence that creams and oils help prevent stretch marks, but I figured it was worth a shot.  I used Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Oil and Argon Oil from the Body Shop.  Every day after my shower I’d rub it on my belly and hips.  I never got any stretch marks.  Was it the products that helped?  Was it simply the daily rubbing ritual?  Or was I going to avoid them anyway?  There’s no way to know, but what ever it was it worked.
8. Baby Bargains:  Picking out the right baby products was stressful for me.  When it comes to cribs, car seats, strollers, baby monitors and carriers I was clueless and really paranoid about buying the wrong thing.  But this book really helped me.  It explains the features to look for, what to avoid and has reviews of current products.   It really helped me make educated decisions and ease my anxiety about the products to buy and register for.
9. Kindle Fire:  I had many sleepless nights throughout the pregnancy.  I used my Kindle all the time, to get back to sleep in the middle of the night.  Since the screen glows, I didn’t have to turn on the light to wake my husband.  I’m also using it a lot now while breast feeding. It’s easier to hold than a regular book and I can browse social media too, especially Pinterest.