Hellobee

I tried to enjoy my pregnancy more this second time around because I knew that it was going to be my last.  It has been easier with baby bee #2 than it was with Charlie because I gained much less weight,  which means less heartburn, backaches, bloating, and that general whale-like feeling.  Looking back on my first pregnancy now, the three biggest things I would have done differently are 1) I wouldn’t have gained so much weight, and 2) I would have bought maternity clothes earlier in my pregnancy so I could get as much wear out of them as possible, and 3) I would have read more on breastfeeding and baby sleep instead of childbirth (which is only one day).

Anyway thinking about all that gave me the idea for this Pregnancy Goodies Checklist.  Being pregnant for the first time is a completely new and exciting experience, so I’ve compiled some goodies that make your pregnancy a little more comfortable, as well as books, apps and classes that help you prepare for your new baby.

• Body Pillow – When I was pregnant with Charlie, I was so big I couldn’t live without my Snoogle body pillow, though it was a tight squeeze on our queen size bed with me, my belly, Mr. Bee, and the pillow.   I sold my Snoogle after having Charlie (no storage space), and I have a Snoozer body pillow this time around.  Body pillows are so comfortable, you’ll want to use one even if you’re not pregnant!  Now that we have a king sized bed, I think I’ll keep this body pillow even after baby bee #2 is born.
• Stretch Mark Cream – A friend of mine told me that his wife didn’t get any stretch marks during her first pregnancy because she religiously used stretch mark cream, but she ended up with horrendous stretch marks the second time around because she didn’t use any cream.  That scared me into applying stretch mark cream when I was pregnant with Charlie.  I didn’t get any stretch marks, but I think it was probably due to genetics and my existing pot belly.  I am what you call “extremely lazy” when it comes to beauty routines, so I haven’t used any stretch mark cream this time around.  The jury is still out on whether stretch mark creams have any effect, but had I gotten stretch marks with Charlie, you’d better believe I’d be applying it religiously right now!

• Prenatal Massages – I’ve heard of spas that have tables with holes in them so you can lay on your belly, but all the prenatal massages I’ve received (from certified prenatal masseuses) had me lay on my side.  Prenatal massages are awesome and every pregnant woman deserves at least one.
• Pedicures – It’s difficult to reach my toenails to cut them, so I treat myself to a pedicure every 2 weeks.
•  Nonalcoholic beer and wine – I always thought there was no point to nonalcoholic beer or wine, but I’ve had an O’Doul’s on three different occasions throughout this pregnancy at parties, and it actually tasted pretty darn great.  Most nonalcoholic beers and wines have less than .5% alcohol (an amount smaller than that found in some processed foods and fruit juices), so they should still be consumed in moderation.  I know many women do it, but I can’t bring myself to have a beer or glass of wine while pregnant.  But I don’t see anything wrong with the occasional nonalcoholic beer or wine!
• Pregnancy journal or blog – You’d be surprised how bad your memory becomes once you’re pregnant, and it becomes even worse when you have the baby. I love that I have a blog documenting my pregnancy and parenthood journey because otherwise I would have forgotten so many things.  Often when a friend asks me something pregnancy or baby related, I have to go back to my blog and look it up before I answer!

I tried every nausea remedy out there including acupuncture, and the only thing that really worked for me was taking 50 mg of vitamin b6 with 1/2 a tab of unisom every night throughout my entire first trimester.  My ob recommended it and when I went home and googled it, I found out that it’s commonly prescribed to treat morning sickness.  Who knew?!

I tried to be super cheap and put off buying maternity clothes as long as I could.  I ended up needing to buy maternity clothes anyway so I should have bought them earlier in my pregnancy to get more wear out of them.  A couple of maternity musts for me included:

• belly band – which let me wear my regular pants a little bit longer (a hair elastic looped through your button hole and around your button works great too!)
• larger bra – I’d been wearing bras with underwires my entire life and only tried an underwire free bra when I was pregnant with Charlie.  Now I will never go back!
• maternity leggings – with the panel that goes over your belly.  I lived in these towards the end of my third trimester and for a long time after Charlie was born too.
• maternity jeans – with the panel that goes over your belly.  I found that pants with panels that go over your belly are much more comfortable that pants that fit under your belly.  I was able to buy designer maternity jeans at a maternity consignment store, so I didn’t have to shell out big bucks for a nice pair of jeans.
• maxi dresses – if you’re pregnant in the summer, you can get away with wearing nonmaternity maxi dresses.  I purchased maxi dresses that I could continue to wear after having the baby.

• The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp – A must read on how to soothe your newborn!
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth – Though you may not believe in sleep training, I think the principles behind infant sleep covered in this book are extremely helpful for new parents to know.
• Sprout Pregnancy iphone app – I obsessively read up on how big my baby was each week and what symptoms I should be feeling.  This app gives you easy on the go access to all that information and more.

Mr. Bee and I took a childbirth class and we did find it helpful to mentally prepare ourselves for labor.  But being busy with a move when I was 8 months pregnant, we didn’t get around to taking a newborn care or CPR class before Charlie was born.  You’ll have no time or energy after the baby is born, so an infant CPR class is something you should try to get done beforehand.  And though I didn’t take a breastfeeding class, I wish I had because the hospital lactation consultants were not that helpful, and it’s astonishing how little I knew about breastfeeding when Charlie was born.  I did eventually see a lactation consultant when Charlie was a month old, and her help was indispensable.  In retrospect I definitely wish I had spent more time preparing for breastfeeding and newborn care than I did on the actual birth, since giving birth is only one day!

What are some of your favorite pregnancy goodies?