Five Favorite Pregnancy Purchases

Let’s just get a confession out there before I dive into this post: I am apparently kind of old-fashioned when it comes to pregnancy. I am not entirely sure I knew this about myself before becoming pregnant, but it turns out, I really am.

For example: I waited until I almost missed a second period before I took a pregnancy test in August. Hubs and I eschewed all the genetic testing for our baby (which is a different post for a different time), and even though we’ve attended our 20 week anatomy scan, we have chosen not to know the gender of the baby I’m currently carrying. We are also planning a home birth with a midwife, and the only thing that makes the room the baby will sleep in a “nursery” is the fact that it will contain a crib (okay, maybe a few cute things too).

And I say that with no judgment, truly. To each their own. I know some people test the moment they can, have every genetic test in the book, know the sex of their baby as soon as possible, and want to be surrounded by nurses bringing them a glorious epidural for their birth. And I know that many people’s nurseries are HGTV worthy.

Seriously, I get it.

It just turns out, I’m not into all that.

Sometimes, it surprises me. For the years that we struggled with infertility, I daydreamed and had secret Pinterest boards with pins about nursery decorations (woodland creatures or full out Harry Potter? Or maybe a little cowboy nursery!?!). I peed on enough sticks to take up a corner of a landfill (which I am pretty sure collectively cost enough to fund this baby’s first year of college) the very moment the package said I **might** be able to get a positive.

But since getting pregnant, I have somehow just not felt like any of that was super important to me (and again, I just want to say: no judgment. If you are pregnant and reading this, decorate that nursery to your heart’s content. Your baby will have a way cooler room than my baby will). My priorities have shifted some, and I think that’s okay.

I have also made a few discoveries about myself that have been kind of surprising as well, and have lead me to finding a few products that have been absolutely indispensable for this pregnancy. Of course, when you get pregnant, everyone has loads of advice for you: do this, try that, don’t buy one of those, of course you’ll need this! And all of this advice is given with the best of intentions, so I appreciate it. I also am a big believer in figuring out what works for you. So, I’ve taken some advice, left others, and discovered some new things along the way.

And so here’s my contribution to the annals of pregnancy advice: My Five Best Pregnancy Purchases.

1.     Tuft and Needle Queen Mattress

Strictly speaking, the purchase of a new mattress was not just about the fact that I got pregnant. Hubs and I have been contemplating and shopping for mattresses for a while now. But after I got pregnant and various aches and pains intensified (round ligament pain, anyone!??!?), we decided that we really shouldn’t put off the purchase of a new mattress any longer. We had already compared several brands, their prices, and all that, so we made our final decision, hopped online and ordered a queen-size Tuft and Needle Mattress.

Guys: Best. Mattress. Ever.

All right, I can’t speak for all mattresses ever, but I can speak for mattresses that I have owned or slept on regularly, and I have to say: this one is amazing. It’s a foam mattress, and it’s the kind that’s vacuum-packed wafer thin and shipped to your front door. Then you slit the packaging, stand back as the mattress inflates, and voila! You have a new mattress.

I have slept like a slightly ungainly, pregnant queen since we bought this mattress in October. Honestly. I can’t say enough good things about it.

And here are some of the best details: Tuft and Needle Mattresses are made of 100% organic materials in the United States, they are affordable, and they have a 100 day return policy. You essentially get to test it for 100 days and if you decide it’s not for you, then you can return it for a full refund. And the best part of that: Tuft and Needle’s return policy includes donating the mattress to a charity, then giving returning your money to you.

2.     A Hydroflask bottle

I splurged on an expensive water bottle after finding out I was pregnant, and my water bottle of choice is a Hydroflask. Since pregnancy demands more attention to hydration than non-pregnancy, I knew I had some work to do—I am notorious for always running a little dehydrated. Part of this is laziness, part of this is indulgence. I really like my water cold, so I get lazy about drinking when it’s not nice and cold. I also, when given the option, will reach for something other than water, usually hot or cold tea, with a little something sweet in it.

So in order to combat this, I purchased a Hydroflask and a straw attachment lid. And it’s been a game changer for me. The flask keeps my water cold, which means that I do a way better job drinking it throughout the day. Plus, the straw makes it handy.

Since everyone keeps telling me that I’ll be even thirstier and in need of more water when breastfeeding, I feel confident that the Hydroflask was a good choice for this pregnancy.

And: Hydroflasks come in all different sizes and colors too, so how fun is that? I picked a turquoise one.

3.     Kindred Bravely Pregnancy Undies

Can I shamelessly admit something? Pregnancy panties are something that my pre-pregnancy self would have categorized as a waste. A racket, really, and not something that you really need when you’re pregnant.

My pregnant self has been humbled and will freely admit that pregnancy undies are one of the GREATEST INVENTIONS KNOWN TO WOMANKIND.

I’m totally serious. Now, I get it: not everyone carries their baby the same way, so pregnancy panties might not be a necessary thing for everyone. But me—I am tall, and baby is sitting low, which mean that most of my normal panties were cutting into my belly and putting pressure in places one does not need pressure while pregnant. So I shopped around a bit and decided on these: Kindred BravelyPregnancy Underwear. I checked the chart, selected my size, and pressed “submit order” on Amazon.

They are so comfy and practical, I might wear them forever.

Kindred Bravely makes all kinds of awesome maternity underwear products, and I have fallen in love with these undies. They are cut to sit below your belly, with a wide, soft waistband that doesn’t cut into you. The backside are cut to cover all your parts (an important feature, IMO). They come in normal, plain colors, and aren’t terribly spendy either.

4.     40ish Weeks Pregnancy Journal

This is one of my favorite purchases because it’s been such a fun and simple way to track this pregnancy. It’s a simple journal that has some prompts in it, but not too many. There’s enough to give you some direction, but lots of room for free-forming it full of all the details you want to record.

I have been having a great time filling it with photos from my phone (Shutterfly’s app lets you order little 4x4 photos for free from your phone—all you pay is shipping), documenting stuff that’s been happening, my bump, and ultrasound photos.

Since I am something of a smash-style journaler anyway, this little book has been the perfect pregnancy journal for me, and I love that I’ll have to look back on after this little one arrives.

5.     A Pregnancy Body Pillow

This is one item, like pregnancy panties, that I kind of thought was silly before I was pregnant. I had seen several, including an obscenely large one that took up most of a King –sized bed, and thought, I value my marriage. No way I want one of those in the bed with us!

Ha!

Then I started to get uncomfortable, especially once I hit the stage that says you shouldn’t lay on your back much. And before I knew it, I was submitting another Amazon order, this time for a C-shaped pregnancy pillow that I fell in love with the moment I fell asleep with it.

It just makes sleeping easier and more comfortable. Seriously.

Hubs has nicknamed it “The Great Wall of Pregnancy Pillow” (that was after he wanted to name it Nagini, after Voldemort’s snake. I nixed that idea, but I do love the man for making such a brazen Harry Potter reference).

But it’s been one of my best purchases, and it really has made a difference in the quality of sleep I am getting regularly, which counts for a lot, since pregnancy is fairly exhausting, not to mention sleep challenging because of the no-sleeping-on-your-back and can’t-sleep-on-your-belly situation.

Obviously, there are LOADS of potential pregnancy purchases to be had, but these have been my favorites so far. What was critical for your pregnancy?