Being pregnant can feel like a bit of a minefield – you just try and get from one trimester to the next, but as soon as your phone picks up on the fact that you’re with child, you’re bombarded with baby items, sponsored posts and a whole lot more.
But what do you actually need?!
I really didn’t want to spend much money – let’s face it, having a baby is a spenny time, so I’ve been really careful with what I’ve bought. Of course, everyone is different – two people can be pregnant at the same time but have completely different symptoms and experiences.
First trimester
In my first trimester I felt constantly nauseous- but I cottoned on pretty quickly that if I just kept eating super often and sipping water, it would quell the queasiness. Thank goodness as well, as working full time, and 4 days in the office is pretty hard going when you’re trying not to throw up during most meetings.
Problem was, I hated all food. As someone who never snacked, I had to learn to better my snack game – trawling the supermarket aisles for all the convenience foods I always walked by – Babybel, Kellogg’s Winders, crisps, rice cakes, some fruit, ginger biscuits and sour sweets like Haribo saved me. I’m not a health professional but my midwife said as long as I’m eating something – whether it be plain toast or simple carbs like pasta – it’s much better than nothing.
Along with nausea, I was sooo incredibly fatigued. Not just slight over-tiredness – proper exhaustion where my body couldn’t do anything. I’d say the best thing I did was cancel all my extra-curricular plans and go to bed as soon as I could, to make sure I got enough sleep. As someone who usually has multiple dinners and meet-ups scheduled in a week, it felt daunting to suddenly not have anything or see anyone, but it made the world of difference. I got myself into a routine of having had “dinner” on the hour and a half commuter train home, shower and go straight to bed. Whilst it felt like I was living to work for a few months, I genuinely don’t think I’d have been able to summon the energy to complete a working day without it.
I also started taking Pregnacare gummies (as I can’t stand large tablets), which are actually alright! They taste a bit like wine gums and give all the vitamins in an easy way! There are, of course, loads of others on the market, but mostly all in giant horse-tablet form, so these work perfectly for me.
Second trimester
Rather handily, one of my best friends is a midwife. One of her early recommendations was that hydration is the best thing to halt stretch marks in their tracks, so adjacent to using the mamamio tummy rub butter, I’ve been making sure to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. This also helps me feel like I have enough energy as there’s more blood pumping around my body!
As the second trimester went on, I quickly started having more painful hips at night. I am a front, back and side sleeper, regularly shifting between all the positions in a single night. It’s recommended that you don’t sleep on your back after around week 16 of pregnancy, as this position puts the weight of the uterus on top of the inferior vena cava, which can cut off blood flow. I felt weird about sleeping on my front when I started showing my bump, so side sleeping it was.
Later in pregnancy it’s also recommended to only sleep on your left side to reduce risk of still birth, but for now I’ve been switching between them.
My poor hips were feeling the brunt of my increasingly heavy body, so I took ageeeeees researching what pregnancy pillow to buy. They’re quite expensive and I didn’t want to buy one to find it was a bit useless – I also wanted to continue using my pillow and avoid taking up the entire bed with the huge U and J shaped ones. In the end, I settled for a wedge pillow from Amazon in my early second trimester, however, I quickly found I needed to use an actual pillow between my knees to align my hips. It was all becoming very complicated with multiple pillows and wedges…
That’s when I landed on the Bella Moon 3-in-1 pregnancy and nursing pillow. It was a little more pricey (but I got it in the Black Friday sale half price) however I thought it could be great to take into postpartum and use for nursing. It’s been an absolute hip saver! There are 3 parts to it. I’ve taken off the top section so I can use my normal head pillow, and use it to prop up behind my back. I then face the long middle bit, popping it between my knees to align my hips. The covers can be washed too and are really pretty.
As my bump has grown, I’ve had to say au revoir to the majority of my clothes. Luckily my floaty dresses still fit, but it’s been a lifesaver getting a pair of maternity jeans from Vinted (you can get some real bargains on there!) and my mum gave me 2 pairs of maternity leggings for Christmas which I’ve basically lived in since. You don’t need to spend lots of money on new maternity clothes (and boy, they can be really costly!) Just make sure you’re comfy and that your trousers/knickers don’t cut in! Bra extenders are a great shout for a growing bust, and saves the pennies on new bras – which we all know aren’t cheap!
So there you have it. Providing you’re doing what you feel is best for you, you’re doing great. You do what works, and only buy what you really need (if you’re on a budget like me!) You don’t need all the latest gadgets and gizmos. Fingers crossed for the third trimester!!
*None of these products have been gifted or sponsored, these are all entirely my own opinion from my experience.
