Pregnant in Portland

My favorite Portland businesses for pregnant women and expectant parents. Shopping, spas and yoga!

Ok, I’m almost done talking about having a dang baby.  But before I move on, I really need to share a few local businesses that are great for pregnant women and expectant parents.  I used all of these and recommend them:

Zenana Spa:  I had numerous friends suggest this place to me and for good reason.  This is a little spa on SE Clinton Street that specializes in prenatal massage.  OMG.  Every pregnant woman needs to treat herself to this at least once.  Not only do they have specially trained staff but they use an amazing body pillow that was complete heaven for all my aches and pains.  It helped me relax my body when nothing else was working.

Yoga Shala:  There are lots of places around town for prenatal yoga, I tried out Yoga Shala on N. Williams.  I was only able to do two classes because I had a problem with my hips, and yoga was actually making it worse!  I thought yoga was supposed to be good for everyone…. I was wrong.  But the two classes I did try were great.   The teaches were really encouraging and supportive no matter what stage of pregnancy or what ailments you were dealing with.  The exercise was nice, but what I really enjoyed was the time spent with other pregnant women.  It felt really great to have a chance to share and hear how others are coping with pregnancy.  I really wish I could have attended more.

Posh Baby:  Posh Baby is one of the ONLY locally owned baby stores!  Believe me, I looked around and there really isn’t much, a few stores that sell clothes and a couple resale shops, but Babies R Us pretty much has the monopoly.  As the name suggests Posh Baby is little spendy which is why I was surprised when I ended up buying our crib there!  I could not find a crib I liked at Babies R Us, but Posh Baby had exactly what I was looking for and it was about the same price as the mid-range cribs at the box stores.  This probably isn’t the place to buy all your necessities, but it’s worth checking out especially for big ticket items and specialty products.  Also a great place for shower gifts.

Twice Around The Block & Just Between Friends:  Another suggestions from my “mom” friends.  Wow, these sales are the BUSINESS.  Two bi-annual consignment sales, where you can get everything you might need for a child.   As a new mom, I was a little overwhelmed but ended up buying lots of clothes, books, a few toys and even scored a hiking backpack.  I was hoping to find some furniture but both sales were a little slim on that.  these are going to be “must attend” for me in the future.  One of my friends said she outfitted her little boy for an entire season for only $35!  Check their websites for the upcoming spring and fall dates.

Mocktail Menu @ The Sudra:  I’ve mentioned it many times before, finding fun stuff to drink was a challenge for me.  Many restaurants and bars have surprisingly few non-alcoholic options, so I was really excited to find a “Mocktail” menu at The Sudra.  (Excellent Vegan Indian restaurant, try it!)  I hate the word mocktail, but I’m going with it for lack of a better option.  If you know of other restaurants with similar menus let me know.