A Few of My Favorite Things

So I’m about halfway done with this pregnancy! I can’t seem to wrap my head around that one… I have read lots of websites & blogs, gotten advice from family & friends, and really just learned as I went along. So here are some things that have helped me out so far plus things I just like:

1. Things to Eat
The things that helped with the early nausea were the typical things: saltines, ginger ale, Sprite, applesauce, and bananas. Quick snacks to eat when I needed to keep nausea away: cheese & crackers, yogurt, and bananas. My favorite things to eat before I got out of bed in the morning were shortbread cookies and animal crackers.

When I was having digestive troubles? Fiber gummies worked great! And since they seemed to help with keeping my prenatal vitamin down, I started eating fruit snacks (thanks, Amanda!) when I had to take that big horse pill.

If I’m still hungry at the end of the day, frozen fruit bars are so refreshing! Plus they are less than 100 calories, so I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it. Ice cream has been hit or miss with me in terms of sitting well, so I’m glad I actually prefer a healthier option!

2. Clothes
My first few maternity items were used things that I got inexpensively. The jeans I got were a mix of UK and US sizes, so I just did my best to guess what I could wear. I only ended up being able to wear about half of them, and they were only so-so with fit. I always struggle with the length of pants/jeans, so most that didn’t fit well were because of my height.

One of my favorite clothing stores to order from is Loft, and I decided to try out their maternity clothes. So glad I did! My favorite jeans to wear are from there, and they are so comfortable and fairly flattering! I discovered that I really prefer the full panel maternity pants, not only for extra coverage, but also to help smooth everything out. Loft also has some really nice tops that will be good for weekends and nicer occasions. It’s a little out of my price range, but I get emails telling me when big sales are happening, and that’s the only time I let myself buy. 🙂

My favorite everyday tops are t-shirts from Old Navy. They’re inexpensive, comfortable, and come in a variety of colors. I also like their tank tops… comfy and cute with a non-maternity cardigan. But I won’t be able to wear the tank tops to work, so I’ve stocked up on the t-shirts instead. My favorite dress is from Old Navy too (the one in my 20 week post) — it’s SO comfy and flattering. Old Navy is awesome for sales, and they offer free shipping on orders over $50.

Other places I’ve purchased some cute clothes from are Zulily.com and Kohl’s. We’ll see how they hold up as my belly gets bigger!

3. Good Reads
I haven’t read a ton of books so far, but a couple of my favorites so far are:

The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy
This has been my comedic relief so far. It might not be chock-full of facts, but it’s honest and light-hearted. And it really offers some good insight on things I’m going through and will be going through.

Eating for Pregnancy
I know I already posted this book in a previous post, but it’s really good for yummy, healthy recipes. Excessive weight gain hasn’t been an issue for me (yet), but I’m glad to have this book to help motivate me to eat well and stay within my weight gain recommendation.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting
I was told I didn’t have to buy this (they give us “the purple book” at the hospital on base that is supposed to have all the same basic info), but I wanted to get it anyway. This book has so much information in it, and I like being able to quickly look things up when I have questions or concerns.

4. Miscellaneous
It was driving me nuts to not know if I was gaining or losing weight in the beginning of the pregnancy, so I finally bought a scale. I have never owned one before, which is probably a little unusual. Anyway, I decided to go with this one from Amazon.co.uk. It probably hasn’t helped with my high concern about gaining too much weight, but it is helpful for my weekly updates. Plus it’s one less thing to worry about. 🙂
Another thing I bought to ease my worries: a fetal Doppler. I read a lot of reviews and decided to spend a little more on this Sonoline one on Amazon.co.uk. My favorite thing about it? It works! I think I first used it toward the beginning of the 2nd trimester, and it took me a little while to find the heartbeat. But now I can find it pretty quickly, and I love how easy it is to use. I use baby oil gel instead of buying ultrasound gel, and it seems to work just fine. Plus it’s good for my skin.

Speaking of my skin, this is the stretch mark cream I am using. I have no idea if it’s working, since I’m not that big yet, but so far no stretch marks! I’ll probably do another update at the end of the pregnancy. Relationship tip: I let Andrew apply the cream as a way to both keep him involved in the pregnancy as well as keep some intimacy when I’m not feeling great. I never have to ask him to apply it… he volunteers! 🙂

Like I said, I’m only halfway through the pregnancy, so I’m sure I’ll have updates and additions in a few months. Hope this is helpful for anyone else who is pregnant or has plans on getting pregnant soon!