10 Pregnancy Essentials You Didn't Know You Needed

If you’re looking for pregnancy essentials and must-haves, you’ve come to the right place.

I’d like to think I am a much smarter pregnant lady this time around. I think I spent most of my first pregnancy researching. Researching baby products (and never really stopped), researching the growing baby inside of me, baby names and just about every single thing I could.

This time around, I obviously have far less time to spend dwelling on every detail of my pregnancy but hopefully, it is because I am smarter, too. At least I know what things work for me and how to keep myself comfortable and happy during these nine months.

Here are my top ten pregnancy essentials. I should put out a disclaimer… I love being pregnant. I am lucky that I usually feel pretty good and have had pretty pleasant pregnancies thus far.

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Pregnancy Essentials You Didn’t Know You Needed

1 – Pregnancy Pillow. I was skeptical about pregnancy pillows when I was pregnant with my first child. This time around, I am obsessed.

2 – Toddy. I love coffee. Like a lot, a lot. I don’t necessarily drink a lot of coffee in a days time but want to be drinking coffee all day long. During the first trimester, I switch to decaf, but once I hit the second trimester, I allow myself a cup a day.

The only downside? My pretty terrible heartburn and somewhat sensitive stomach while pregnant. Meet The Toddy. The Toddy cold brews coffee by extracting the flavor of the beans through a slow brew process – this method reduces acid by 67%! A total game-changer for me.

The coffee goes in the top plastic piece with water, sits on the counter overnight and you have yourself a full pitcher of coffee. And the best part is you have a week’s worth of coffee waiting for you every morning. Just pour and serve. Amazing!

Even if you don’t have the heartburn/stomach issues, it is the fastest way to get a good cup of coffee in the morning. I serve mine iced, but it can also be warmed, which I have yet to try. The price point of The Toddy is also great – around $35 and you can use your favorite variety of ground coffee (no pods or specialty order – for us, the giant bag of Starbucks coffee at Costco).

3 – TUMS. I mentioned my pretty terrible heartburn, and it flares up quite often. I eat lots of Tums, and they really help – sometimes more than others but generally speaking, I don’t really go a day without them.

4 – Tumblers. I really hate going places without water. Even if I have my coffee in hand (which I drink out of these, too) I need water nearby. I actually keep a Costco sized pack of bottled water in my car. Yep, I am really serious when I say I don’t want to be far from water.

I know it may seem crazy to keep water in my car, but I get really nauseous when I don’t drink enough water, so I figure, why not? Perks of a big car, I guess! Most of the time, though, I try to take my tumbler water bottle with me and at home, you won’t find me further than ten feet from my tumbler. I am still amazed at their ability to keep water cold and love that they are virtually indestructible.

5 – Granola Bars. I don’t particularly love granola bars, but I keep one with me at almost all times. Sometimes I get so busy chasing a 14 month around I forget to eat a proper breakfast or lunch, so grabbing a granola bar is the next best thing.

It keeps me from getting overly hungry and most importantly, nauseous. My favorite are these Greek Yogurt Coated Bars (they go great with coffee). If you are not much of granola bar person, crackers, nuts, trail mix or anything quick and easy fills this void.

6 – Prenatal Vitamins. An obvious essential that doesn’t need much explanation, but I take these religiously along with my fish oil and calcium supplement.

pregnancy essentials - prenatal vitamins

7 – Leggings. I would be lying if I said that I only wear leggings when pregnant… BUT they are basically my uniform these days. Due to their already elastic nature, there is really no need to buy separate maternity leggings which the thriftiness in me loves.

Leggings can be dressed up or down and are always comfy. With the cooler temps around the corner, you will definitely see me rocking leggings with boots and big sweaters. It is safe to say I see this fashion statement of mine continuing.

8 – Maxi Skirts. I saw a funny e-card that referenced maxi skirts to yoga pants without a seam and I would totally agree. Although, I think they are more comfortable than yoga pants. Old Navy is my go-to place for maxi skirts. I love that I look like I am dressed up but feel like I am in my pj’s = bliss.

9 – Maternity Cami’s. The BeMaternity cami’s from Target are my favorite. I have tried many other maternity type cami’s and several ride up over my belly – not comfortable or very appealing. Next to leggings, these are my #1 maternity staple.

I actually continued to wear these post-baby. They’re great for nursing and are forgiving over that bump left after baby’s departure. In all honesty, I wore them even after nursing and probably will this time around, too.

10 – Cocoa Butter. I used Palmer’s Cocoa Butter throughout my entire pregnancy with my first child and did not get a stretch mark, so I figured, why not use it again this time around. I use it on my belly every night and on my skin when I get out of the shower.