1. Mama Mio Tummy Rub. I am not one of those people who always tries the latest in beauty products. I do not sign up for BirchBox, because although it sounds fun to get a package of goodies in the mail each month, I know I wouldn't actually use them. So when my sister-in-law told me that I just HAD to try the Mama Mio Tummy Rub I thought, okay, I'll check it out. I am prone to having stretch marks. I've always been built like a bean pole but even at an early age when I was tumbling daily and lifting weights for basketball, I would get stretch marks when my muscles started to develop. So, needless to say I was a little nervous about my stomach never being the same post-pregnancy. I typed it in on ol' Amazon and saw $35 for 4 ounces - I literally laughed out loud. Yeah right. Unless it's made of gold... or possibly chocolate... I'm not interested. Then a month later I was at a Pea in the Pod trying on clothes and they had a sample bottle in the dressing room. Okay, for free, sure I'll give it a spin. Wowzer. I have never felt a lotion so thick, creamy and smooth in my life! I was still completely opposed to the price, but the store was running a sale on the set so that I got the tummy rub, regular lotion (which is also great) and shower gel (it's shower gel, nothing special) for $50. I am so glad I did. I have not had a SINGLE stretch mark whatsoever. The little 4 ounce bottle has covered me perfect for the entire pregnancy and to top it all off, I've had to fight off Brandon, who truly has the driest skin ever (literally... like leather... not exaggerating) because he keeps stealing the regular lotion. Bottom line, cheap? Nope. Worth it? Definitely!
2. Snacks. I know, obviously, snacks are essential when your body and baby are growing around the clock, but I have some rules about pregnancy snacks. I am typically against all things rules - no need to make a rule unless you absolutely need it - but I learned very quickly that in order not to "blow up" I was going to need a few "helpful guidelines" when it came to snacks. I don't have any guidelines about forbidden snacks - chocolate, for example, is being eaten a lot around here... My guidelines are all about portion control! I do my best to buy healthy snacks, but let's face it healthy snacks are more expensive and when they come prepackaged in snack sizes the price goes up even more. To resolve this issue I bought a box full of snack size Ziplocks and went to town! AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME FROM THE GROCERY STORE, wash, cut and divide up your fruit into snack size bags. If I don't do it immediately, I don't do it at all and my fruit typically goes to waste. I chop strawberries, pineapple, kiwi and count out 20 grapes per bag. (That's my OCD, 20 grapes isn't some golden rule I just like things to be even.) Fruit is a yummy, sweet snack that will conquer your sweet tooth, make it convenient!! Buy bulk nuts (Personal fave: Planters NUT-rition Wholesome Nut Mix) and then scoop half of a cup into individual bags for on the go. You don't have to cut out delicious ice cream but NEVER buy a carton, this is just setting yourself up for failure! I would put ten scoops into one bowl, drown it in Hershey's sauce and consider it one bowl of ice cream... Just because it all fits into one bowl doesn't mean it should. Now I buy individually wrapped ice cream bars (Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch and Edy's All Natural Strawberry Fruit Bars) and am completely satisfied after one! If you can control the portion sizes and can throw in as many healthy snacks as possible, you and baby will be happier and healthier at the end of nine months of eating!
3. Gilligan & O'Malley Panties. So, I know what you're thinking - "Panties? Really?" Yes, really. Trust me, the very last thing you want when your belly is growing daily is to have panties on that feel like they are cutting off the circulation to your legs or stomach. There are panties designed specifically for pregnancy and I must admit I did not try them so I can't tell you if they are a-mazing or a-nightmare, but I saw the pricetag on those bad boys and instantly knew they would not be taking residence at my house. If I'm going to have to purchase an entire new wardrobe for a five month span of time when my clothes don't fit, I do not plan on dropping all my money on underwear. This is where Target saved the day! The Gilligan & O'Malley Micro Seamless line has got to be the most comfortable and stretchy (but in a comfortable no matter how much you've grown stretchy, not the I'm about to fall off stretchy) pair of panties ever made. They are 79 % Nylon/21 % Spandex and come in lots of fun colors and patterns - they have some with lace, some that are seamless (the picture above) and all for a very reasonable 5 for $25. Sign. Me. Up!
4. Prenatal Yoga. I am not I didn't think I was, a "yoga person." Turns out the stereotype of "yoga person" in my head and the real deal were not even close to the same thing! (In case you were wondering - yoga people wear shoes to class, bathe regularly and don't talk like they just smoked a lot of drugs that are only legal in the state of Colorado.) I apologize for my uneducated, ignorant, snap judgments. Now that we've cleared that up... I had a good friend who raved about prenatal yoga. I really didn't get what all the hype was about, last time I checked I was breathing on my own just fine and had no need for getting all "zen" but so far in all things pregnancy this friend had not led me astray so I decided to give it a try and roped in another friend who is currently pregnant to go with me, just in case it was super awkward. We both showed up the first day more than a little skeptical, but within a fifty minute period we realized (a) all those stereotypes were way off, (b) yoga was fun, (c) stretching felt better than it ever felt before and (d) we were going to be die-hard prenatal yoga people. Since hitting the 12 week mark, my friend Kristen and I have been attending prenatal yoga once a week and it's something we both look forward to the other six days... Not only do we learn fabulous stretches that make our achy, growing bodies feel sooooooo good, but they also explain relaxation techniques to use during labor and delivery, demonstrate the most comfortable ways to sleep and do little things that you didn't realize you wouldn't be able to do, like stand up (If you haven't ever been pregnant or you're early on in your pregnancy this won't make sense to you now, but trust me it will later.), and you get to enjoy a class with a bunch of other pregnant people who can relate to your fatigue, soreness or whatever else you're dealing with. I HIGHLY recommend that you look into prenatal yoga - the company I use is based out of Oklahoma City but offer classes all over, it's called Mamaste Yoga. We LOVE our adorable teacher and after Cooper arrives I plan to take the postnatal Mama & Baby yoga class and the Stroller classes (the stroller class is FREE if you do the prenatal classes - woohoo I love free workout classes!).
5. Mini Coca-Cola. So clearly this one isn't probably the "healthy" choice you were expecting, but I want to keep it real and mini Coco-Colas are really happenin' at our house right now. I have tried my best to follow all the eating while preggo guidelines - no sandwich meat unless it's steaming hot, none of the good cheeses, no cookie dough (which if you knew me you'd know this was a serious sacrifice) or homeade ice cream, no hotdogs... the list goes on and on... but mini-Cokes, well, I bent the rule on that one. Actually I haven't read anything that says "No caffeine" but since I already don't drink coffee, tea or energy drinks, I decided to take it a step further and drop my every-once-in-a-while Cokes. That was all good until I started getting a touch of altitude sickness while we were in Peru - it felt kind of like a headache on steroids. So Brandon told me to take a couple Tylenol, but I hate taking any medicine when I'm not pregnant, I absolutely refuse when I am, so instead I ordered a Coke at dinner and like magic my headache disappeared! Ever since, mini-Coca Colas have been my go-to headache relief, energy boost, just need a little something sweet guilty pleasure. I still self-impose rules - no more than one every other day and they have to be the mini kind - but nevertheless they make me happy and sometimes you just need a little splurge!
6. Books. I must confess that after law school, my love for reading kind of took a hit. I was so over it - I'd spent three years with my nose in one gigantic, ridiculously heavy textbook after another and reading no longer felt like a pleasurable activity. That took a massive u-turn when I found out I was pregnant! I'm back to "studying" again for the biggest final ever on August 15th. I read anything and everything I can get my hands on and I'm loving every minute of it. I am a firm believer that the more educated I am on a topic, the less scary or intimidating it is - bringing a baby into the world is no exception. The more I read, the more confident I feel.
So - here's my latest list of what's sitting on my bedside table:
What to Expect When You're Expecting. Love this book's weekly break down of how little Cooper is growing! Every Thursday morning I wake up and read what this week will bring for our little man. There is also so much information in this book on how my body is changing - WARNING: I HIGHLY suggest that you do not read this from cover to cover! What to Expect gives lots of information on the scary parts of pregnancy that don't necessarily apply to most/all women. If you read it, you will become paranoid... Read the weekly updates and then skim the headings of the rest of the chapter, if whatever the topic discusses is not currently happening to you then SKIP IT. If something scary does happen (for instance I had some spotting early in pregnancy) then use the index in the back to look up that specific thing and then read. This book is a great resource that I have relied heavily on, but do not let it make you spend the next nine months royally stressed out.
Breastfeeding Made Simple. This book comes highly recommended from the well loved lactation specialist at Brandon's hospital. Brandon told her I planned to breastfeed, I wanted to read as much as possible about it before Cooper got here and asked for her suggestions. (He's good like that) This was the single book that she recommended! She explained that a lot of people "over-think" breastfeeding (that would probably be me...) and she believed this book told you everything you needed to know without filling you full of worthless worries.
Baby Bargains. I received this as a gift from my good friend and recently-new-mommy, Heather at For the Love of Paisley (Check out her adorable blog! Seriously could their family be any cuter!?). I'm not going to tell you much about this one right now because I will cover it in more detail when I do a registry post, but know that Heather totally hooked me up because this book came in SUPER handy while trying to make the nine billion decisions during registering, buying Cooper's nursery furniture, etc. Buy it now, you'll thank me (and Heather) later.
The New Contented Little Baby Book. This one I can't swear by yet, because I don't have an actual baby to try the technique on, but it's been an interesting read that came highly recommended by several mommies I know. Basically, it's a different version of BabyWise which helps you set a schedule from the day the baby is born so that you'll have "the happiest baby on the block" although realistically we all know we try these things in hopes of getting to sleep a decent number of hours! Most the mommies I know, and I can guarantee I will fall into this category come August, did not follow the recommended schedule perfectly, but adjusted it to what worked for their family. A lot of the "rules" are much more rigid than anything I would even pretend to try, but the bottom line makes perfect sense and I was interested to read a new perspective on baby schedules.
7. Mani/Pedis. Let's cut to the chase: (1) When everything else on your body is feeling out of control and looks different, having nails that look nice make you feel pretty and can help you falsely convince yourself that you've still got it together. (2) The little mini-massage they give you is worth every dime by itself. (3) Let's face it, there is no way you could reach your toes even if you wanted to.
8. Vacation Days. So I read once in a blog, years before I was even thinking about having a baby, that using a few vacation days before having a baby was a really good idea. This made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Clearly, having a baby was going to suck up every one of your "get out of jail free" days at work, why would you burn them in advance?! Now I know. Now more than ever, Brandon and I find our time together very, very valuable. We know that "alone" time is limited. We understand that when Cooper arrives, it'll never be all about us again. We get it - the days of deciding to go to the movies last minute are done, eating out just got a lot harder and vacation... well, our fingers are crossed that we'll just plow through all the difficulties of traveling with a tiny. So with all those things in mind, we have focused on making the most of our vacation days! You don't have to go to Italy to spend quality time with your spouse (although, I must admit, it's a great thing to do if you get the option!), I suggest taking off a day or two and just go with your spouse to do whatever your little heart delights in! Turn off your phone, don't check your email, just enjoy each other!! It's precious time and it's a vacation day very well spent.
9. A Very Patient Husband. I cannot adequately express my appreciation and gratitude for my sweet husband over the last eight months. This man has been an absolute life saver... The first few months he did literally everything when I was exhausted beyond belief or sick and whining - bills, cleaning, laundry, cooking, refraining from cooking when I couldn't stand the smell, the list goes on and on. Then when I finally got my energy back and things seemed to be on the way back to normal, well, that's when the pounds started packing on and trying to find something to wear seemed like absolute torture. I, admittedly, did not take this like a champ, but that sweet husband of mine would always pick me up off the closet floor, hug my neck, kiss the top of my head and do his very best to convince me that I was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen - belly or no belly. And then he'd send me off to buy a new outfit that made me feel just a little more confident about my expanding waist line. Now that I've grown accustomed to my ever growing bump, sweet husband has been chored with a whole new set of responsibilities - carry every little thing that might be heavy, help me analyze each tiny nursery detail, hang pictures, move the crib, move the crib back, sit through childbirth class and appear interested even though you've delivered a ton of babies and could be teaching this class... And he does it all with a kind and patient smile. I try to always tell him thank you and I do my best to not be demanding, but to be very honest I feel like in just the last eight months alone I've got my money's worth out of those vows we said a few Septembers ago. I couldn't have picked a better partner in the world to help me raise our Cooper. I hope I do half as good of a job as my husband's momma did...
10. Turns out, I only needed nine things to survive! Couldn't think of a tenth one for the life of me! Lucky you, this post has finally come to an end. Please feel free to leave a comment if there's something that you couldn't live without and I don't have on my list!!
Be Blessed!
Raegan
So - here's my latest list of what's sitting on my bedside table:
What to Expect When You're Expecting. Love this book's weekly break down of how little Cooper is growing! Every Thursday morning I wake up and read what this week will bring for our little man. There is also so much information in this book on how my body is changing - WARNING: I HIGHLY suggest that you do not read this from cover to cover! What to Expect gives lots of information on the scary parts of pregnancy that don't necessarily apply to most/all women. If you read it, you will become paranoid... Read the weekly updates and then skim the headings of the rest of the chapter, if whatever the topic discusses is not currently happening to you then SKIP IT. If something scary does happen (for instance I had some spotting early in pregnancy) then use the index in the back to look up that specific thing and then read. This book is a great resource that I have relied heavily on, but do not let it make you spend the next nine months royally stressed out.
Breastfeeding Made Simple. This book comes highly recommended from the well loved lactation specialist at Brandon's hospital. Brandon told her I planned to breastfeed, I wanted to read as much as possible about it before Cooper got here and asked for her suggestions. (He's good like that) This was the single book that she recommended! She explained that a lot of people "over-think" breastfeeding (that would probably be me...) and she believed this book told you everything you needed to know without filling you full of worthless worries.
Baby Bargains. I received this as a gift from my good friend and recently-new-mommy, Heather at For the Love of Paisley (Check out her adorable blog! Seriously could their family be any cuter!?). I'm not going to tell you much about this one right now because I will cover it in more detail when I do a registry post, but know that Heather totally hooked me up because this book came in SUPER handy while trying to make the nine billion decisions during registering, buying Cooper's nursery furniture, etc. Buy it now, you'll thank me (and Heather) later.
The New Contented Little Baby Book. This one I can't swear by yet, because I don't have an actual baby to try the technique on, but it's been an interesting read that came highly recommended by several mommies I know. Basically, it's a different version of BabyWise which helps you set a schedule from the day the baby is born so that you'll have "the happiest baby on the block" although realistically we all know we try these things in hopes of getting to sleep a decent number of hours! Most the mommies I know, and I can guarantee I will fall into this category come August, did not follow the recommended schedule perfectly, but adjusted it to what worked for their family. A lot of the "rules" are much more rigid than anything I would even pretend to try, but the bottom line makes perfect sense and I was interested to read a new perspective on baby schedules.
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| (I stole this picture off the internet, those are my hands/feet so don't get all weirded out) |
8. Vacation Days. So I read once in a blog, years before I was even thinking about having a baby, that using a few vacation days before having a baby was a really good idea. This made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Clearly, having a baby was going to suck up every one of your "get out of jail free" days at work, why would you burn them in advance?! Now I know. Now more than ever, Brandon and I find our time together very, very valuable. We know that "alone" time is limited. We understand that when Cooper arrives, it'll never be all about us again. We get it - the days of deciding to go to the movies last minute are done, eating out just got a lot harder and vacation... well, our fingers are crossed that we'll just plow through all the difficulties of traveling with a tiny. So with all those things in mind, we have focused on making the most of our vacation days! You don't have to go to Italy to spend quality time with your spouse (although, I must admit, it's a great thing to do if you get the option!), I suggest taking off a day or two and just go with your spouse to do whatever your little heart delights in! Turn off your phone, don't check your email, just enjoy each other!! It's precious time and it's a vacation day very well spent.
9. A Very Patient Husband. I cannot adequately express my appreciation and gratitude for my sweet husband over the last eight months. This man has been an absolute life saver... The first few months he did literally everything when I was exhausted beyond belief or sick and whining - bills, cleaning, laundry, cooking, refraining from cooking when I couldn't stand the smell, the list goes on and on. Then when I finally got my energy back and things seemed to be on the way back to normal, well, that's when the pounds started packing on and trying to find something to wear seemed like absolute torture. I, admittedly, did not take this like a champ, but that sweet husband of mine would always pick me up off the closet floor, hug my neck, kiss the top of my head and do his very best to convince me that I was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen - belly or no belly. And then he'd send me off to buy a new outfit that made me feel just a little more confident about my expanding waist line. Now that I've grown accustomed to my ever growing bump, sweet husband has been chored with a whole new set of responsibilities - carry every little thing that might be heavy, help me analyze each tiny nursery detail, hang pictures, move the crib, move the crib back, sit through childbirth class and appear interested even though you've delivered a ton of babies and could be teaching this class... And he does it all with a kind and patient smile. I try to always tell him thank you and I do my best to not be demanding, but to be very honest I feel like in just the last eight months alone I've got my money's worth out of those vows we said a few Septembers ago. I couldn't have picked a better partner in the world to help me raise our Cooper. I hope I do half as good of a job as my husband's momma did...
10. Turns out, I only needed nine things to survive! Couldn't think of a tenth one for the life of me! Lucky you, this post has finally come to an end. Please feel free to leave a comment if there's something that you couldn't live without and I don't have on my list!!
Be Blessed!
Raegan
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I bought the target maternity panties and absolutely loved them. I shouldn't used the word loved (past tense) because I will admit I still wear them. They are SO comfy!
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