Hellobee

There is nothing more exciting than seeing your very first positive pregnancy test.  Since the beginning of pregnancy is a lot of waiting and feeling yucky, when a close friend tells me she is pregnant, I like to spoil her a bit with a special gift all about her.  In nine months, all the excitement and presents and fun will be very baby-centric, so I think it is important to let the mama-to-be soak up all the attention and love, while she is still the center of attention.

Here are some fabulous gift ideas for a newly expecting mama-to-be:

1 – 5) Books:  I know that when I first got pregnant, I was pretty clueless.  I wanted to read All The Things out there, so I could feel “prepared” (um, yeah right. Nothing really prepares anyone for this journey, but the book gave me a little security blanket in the meantime).  Depending on you friend’s style, you could go serious with the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, or you could take the relaxed and more silly approach, with Let’s Panic about Babies.  If you are close with both mom and dad, you may want to throw in something special for dad too (again either with a serious option like The Expectant Father (which Mr. Confetti was gifted and enjoyed), or a sillier one like Dude, You’re Gonna Be A Dad).  And if you really want to be helpful, you could give mom a book for baby’s first year, like the Confetti family baby bible: Baby 411.

7, 8) Pampering:  So many women like to pamper themselves any time, but when you’re pregnant and feeling so very different from your normal self, a little pampering can go a long way.  I think it would be fun to gift a package with a whole bunch of different products for moms-to-be, like this Earth Mama Angel Baby sampler or the Mambino Organics Bun in the Over Kit.  Another option would be to send a gift card for a pedicure or a prenatal massage (if you’re in Chicago, it MUST be at Urban Oasis, where they have tables with a hole for your belly.  Heaven.)

Practical:  Especially if you’ve been through a pregnancy before, you know that while you don’t need to jump right into maternity clothes right away or go buy much for yourself, there are some products that can make the first half of pregnancy a little easier.  If you hear about the pregnancy before the second trimester, one option for a gift is a 10) Bella Band.  This thing saved me when my pants were too tight, but I wasn’t ready to go full-on maternity yet. Plus it came in handy at the end of pregnancy, when all my shirts were getting too short. If your friend is dealing with morning sickness, there are tons of remedies out there, but a few cheap ones that would make cute small gifts are 6) Preggie Pops or a package of 14) Sea Bands. Another fun option would be to splurge on a maternity body pillow, like a 12) Snoogle, or to buy a cheap body pillow at Bed Bath and Beyond and then decorate a pillowcase for it.

Finally, Impractical Gifts: Depending on who you are buying for, sometimes the best gift is something they would never buy for themselves, whether it’s a silly 9) pregnancy tshirt, a kit to create a custom 13) Belly Cast, or a 11) special gadget to wear on your belly so that your baby can jam along with your favorite tunes.  I think all three of these could be fabulous gifts for the right person, although none of them will be for just anyone.

Do you have any go-to gifts for your pregnant pals?  When you were pregnant, did anyone get you something that you really loved?