Pregnancy Favorites

As I near the end of pregnancy with baby #2, I got to thinking about what some of my pregnancy must-haves are. Since I enjoy reflecting, I put together a little list of my favorites to share with you. Get excited! But seriously...I love reading other mama blogs that share similar information, and I'm hoping this may be of interest to some of you who have been following along with me this time around, or who may be expecting yourself.

Maternity Activewear (great options at Target & Old Navy) // Baby Pics App // LaCroix flavored water // Soma Embraceable Cool Nights Sleepwear & // Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion // Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy // Humidifier // Maxi Dress

After basically giving up on pop (not that I drank it much anyways, but I do try to avoid aspartame and empty-calorie sugary drinks), and wine (which I'm still trying to come to grips with), I got pretty tired of being stuck with boring old water all day long. T did make me a few mocktails earlier on, but I'm not a huge fan of sugary drinks with fruit juices or ginger beer, and I prefer something a little more light and easy to drink without all of the extra calories. Enter LaCroix flavored water. An all natural sparkling water that comes in just about any flavor you could imagine. This has seriously been one of my biggest wins during this pregnancy, and I grab for one at least once a day. The coconut flavor is my absolute favorite for summertime, and if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine I'm in some tropical destination sipping an umbrella drink on the beach. Sigh... Surprisingly, I've found that Menards of all places carries the most variety of flavors if you are having trouble finding a specific one. Also...I just discovered this recipe list of mocktails to make using LaCroix. You can bet I'll be trying some of them out this weekend!

Continuing on with a health-related mindset, I've been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion for stretch marks for the second time. Everyone has their favorite anti-stretch mark remedy, but this one is cheap, easy, readily available, and did the trick the first time around. That being said, studies say that the ability to avoid stretch marks really just comes down to genetics, so take this advice with a grain of salt! Another great thing to have around...a humidifier. Pregnancy brings with it many bodily changes, but one that you can actually do something about is that constant stuffy nose. I found this particularly helpful over the winter months, but now that I near the end of pregnancy, I think I'll bust it back out as I've been really stuffy lately with the additional stuffiness brought on by pregnancy hormones.

Speaking of health, having easy snack and dinner options on hand is key. Takeout, grilling, slow cooker, or dinner reservations...easy and simple is what it's all about. During the first trimester, while battling the worst of the morning sickness, and the rest of the time when trying to juggle the responsibility of raising a toddler and choosing healthy options while growing a tiny human, for me, having a quick grab-and-go snack like granola bars, trail mix, bananas, or hummus have been a lifesaver when hunger strikes.

On maternity clothing...Unless you are a tiny little toothpick, chances are, you are going to need to invest in some sort of maternity clothing. Since the second trimester, I have been living in maternity activewear (favorite leggings here ), and maxi dresses. The black dress I linked above is perfect for mixing up accessories and dressing up or down depending on how the mood strikes you. It was in my hospital bag when I had C, and it might be a repeat this time!

Soma's cool nights sleepwear line has been a favorite of mine since I treated myself with a set after C arrived (favorite cami & shorts). They are suuuuper soft, keep me cool, come in a ton of color options, have support up top (key when you are pregnant!), have an empire waist (great for both pre and post baby!), are nursing friendly, and stretch for daaaaays. If you haven't already been whisked away to check them out, do so now. I won't judge.

A word on social media and literature. With C, I spent time drawing out chalkboards for my weekly bump updates. In this current life I live with a toddler who would likely destroy a chalkboard drawing before it even had a chance of being captured in a picture, I switched mindsets and have been using the Baby Pics app. I LOVE IT. There are so many great stickers you can add to photos depending on what you are wanting to share about not only your pregnancy, but also baby milestones, holidays, etc. Highly recommend for anyone who is lazy or doesn't have a creative bone to speak of. On literature, T & I are once again following along with the weekly breakdown of what is happening with baby in our favorite pregnancy book, Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. T used this one while in residency at Mayo, so for obvious reasons, it was, and still is, our go-to for all things pregnancy related. If I find the time before baby arrives, I'd also like to re-read Bringing Up Bébé, another of my favorite pregnancy/baby books from last time around.

Do you have any pregnancy favorites?