Pregnancy Must haves for First Trimester 

Here are all my pregnancy must haves for the first trimester and beyond. The bare bones of things I think every pregnant woman can benefit from early on in pregnancy and throughout. I personally use all the items and still do. 

Prenatal Vitamins

I’ve been taking these prenatal vitamins for a few years now. My OB advised me to start taking prenatal vitamins 2 to 3 months before trying to conceive and as long as pregnancy was a real possibility. The folic acid needs time to build up in your system for the baby. 

After trying many different types of prenatal vitamins, I decided and have stuck with Rituals. You can get $15 off your first order by clicking here. 

Once you find out you are pregnant, make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins! 

 

Expecting Better by Emily Oster

The first book I read that was based on facts vs. opinions. This book helped me make decisions regarding my pregnancy and eased my mind on many issues that came up. If you read anything about pregnancy, I recommend this book. 

 

Real Food For Pregnancy by Lily Nichols 

Being a certified nutritionist who struggled for years with my own health, I wanted updated research briefs on pregnancy diets. What most doctors hand out is outdated and honestly in my opinion why there’s a rise in gestational diabetes among other pregnancy complications. I highly recommend reading Lily Nichols book, before getting pregnant, anytime during pregnancy, and especially if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes or at risk for it. She also has a dedicated book for gestational diabetes here. 

 

Pregnancy Pillow

You’ll be getting your money’s worth by investing in a good pregnancy pillow as soon as you are pregnant. Here’s the one I purchased. I also opted for the jersey pillow case because it’s way softer than the one it comes with and has a zipper which makes life easier. 

 

During pregnancy you start to develop certain aches and pains. Positions during sleeping also become harder so comfort is key. My physical therapist actually prefers a full length body pillow or a U-shape like this one. I’ll be replacing my snoogle with a full length body pillow as recommended by my therapist. 

 

Would you like to learn more about pregnancy physical therapy? Comment below if so. 

 

Pregnancy Must Haves Second Trimester

While I think it would not hurt to purchase these items early on I really found these products to be most beneficial starting in my second trimester. My pregnancy must haves second trimester bare bones. 

Squatty Potty

Yup a squatty potty becomes such a necessity as you get further into your pregnancy. I like this one because it matches the rest of my bathroom. This magical stool helps elevate your legs and gives you more purchase to help the bowels move. Many women complain about constipation during pregnancy and while I haven’t had it bad thanks to diet and exercise, I also find that I need a stool to help move things along. 

 

Personal Fan

The best part of this one is you can use it for labor and baby once he/she is here. Every woman I’ve talked to tells me how hot they get during labor, so I knew I wanted a personal fan for the hospital, but I ordered this in my second trimester because damn was I hot. 

 

As someone who runs hot to begin with, pregnancy has added to it. Now add summer to all that, this fan is necessary! The charge holds really well. It can turn or stay stationary. Powers nicely with lots of airflow and has an essential oil diffusing option. The base sits nicely on my desk or clips to anything including a stroller. 

 

I love this fan so much I bought 2!

 

Pregnancy Must Haves

I didn’t mention anything for morning sickness because I shared a little of what I used in this post here (First Pregnancy Purchases) and here (First Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms). Not everyone will experience morning sickness and each person is different in how to soothe nausea. 

 

One of the things I did when I first found out I was pregnant was look up pregnancy must haves blog posts. Many were helpful and extensive, but I wanted to give you a minimalist version in case you are on a budget or live in a small space or maybe you just don’t want a bunch of random pregnancy things you won’t use. 

 

With the expectation of new life and for me a lot of fear around pregnancy and labor, I know online shopping was a way for me to control a bit of all my emotions especially while pregnant during a pandemic, but in the end I just needed a few items to help me educate myself on pregnancy and make life a little more comfortable as I grow a human. 

 

xoxo

Serein 

 

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