MY 17 MUST HAVES FOR FIRST TIME PREGNANCY

Not a sponsored post.

Yey! I made it to the third trimester and I am only 60 something days away from seeing the face of a cute little angel made out of love and fat rolls (probably).
As it was a planned pregnancy, I was not taken by surprise actually (the only surprise was that it happened right away), so I was not stressed about what was going to come. I just took it as it came indeed – bloating, little food sensitivities and not much at the beginning. I didn’t want to waste money on unnecessary things either that you see being advertised all the time ”for pregnant women”.

So here I am leaving you with my list of essentials that I grew fond during different stages of pregnancy and I think overall they are quite general.

1. Milk Soap. A more gentle and creamier soap is needed during pregnancy. Your skin goes through a change and my skin particularly was acne free and quite clean but very very dry, so I found it really important to switch to a more gentle, milkier body soap for showers.
2. Preglife App. This app has been a lifesaver and I am not sponsored to promote it, but I just genuinely believe that if you live in Sweden or speak Swedish (or learn it, like me) and pregnant, this app can save you from a lot of headache. Tracks your pregnancy, appointments, results of appointments and also gives you so much advice in terms of labor, parenting, preparation for delivery and a very complete checklist for both you and your baby. The app also integrates a side that your man can read so they are more aware of what’s happening to you and the baby at different stages of pregnancy. Very useful.
3. Protein bars. I wish I would’ve eaten more of these but truth is that they really save you from hungry/sweet moments when you’re outside of home and adds some extra protein to your diet. Do not trade real food with protein bars, PLEASE. Just have them in your bag if you are travelling or out of home for some time – it calms your hunger down and it’s a little treat you might want to have from time to time. Barebells bars are my favorite, especially the nougat ones. Addictive.
4. Breast pads. Some women might not need them but you should still have them in hand after the second trimester. My breasts have enlarged more than couple sizes up so milk production is fully functioning and sometimes you might have a surprise out of a sudden in your bra. It happens and it’s normal (if the milk that gets out is clean and odourless), no need to be ashamed or anything. It just means your body is preparing to feed a baby in couple months. Stick the pads on your bra so it absorbs any leakage.
5. Citrus fruits. In the second trimester, my appetite for everything citrusy grew enormously. I think it’s part of the process when the body needs to enable iron retention so Vitamin C is needed. I listened to my body and I had many many oranges and lemons. Also, it helps with food adversity or if you feel sick (I gladly didn’t but it helps to clean your body otherwise with the added good fiber).
6. Ultrabalm Lush universal cream. This is a gift my sweet man has given me for Yule since I was dealing with really dry skin and lips and it helped amazingly much. It’s something I could’ve prepared at home but being honest, it’s nice we found a product that works equally well, is organic and natural and saves me some energy as I was extremely sleepy those deep wintery days. Apply it wherever your skin feels dry.
7. Grapes. These have been a saver when I was craving sweets but I couldn’t give in again, frozen or just fresh they make a great light sweet snack for when watching films, getting cozy or nibbling on something. I love them this pregnancy!
8. Raspberry leaf tea. I could do an entire post about this but many mothers have recommended me this herbal tea before getting pregnant as they claimed it helped them with symptoms and easier labor. We will see its benefits when the time comes for me in some weeks. It’s not a particularly delicious tea but it’s something warm you can have when you feel like curling in your blanket.
9. Multi Gravid vitamins by Good Earth. Before these, I have taken some damn disgusting multivitamins that would melt in my mouth right when they’d get in contact with my tongue and the iron in them would just make it impossible for me to swallow them, making me sick instantly. So I discovered these capsules that are big but it makes it so much easier to swallow with a cup of juice. They are more natural and a nordic product, which of course I need to endorse, containing all the necessary quantities of vitamins and folic acid for pregnant women here in the North. I do not endorse ”gummy vitamins” as I simply do not believe in their authenticity and contents. Looking for a good multivitamin should be a high priority for a pregnant woman, despite her ”very good diet”.
10. A body pillow. We call this the snuggle pillow. It’s incredibly comfortable and we only purchased it halfway second trimester when I really just could not fit more pillows in bed and I couldn’t get any sleep. This has helped incredibly much…sleeping on my left side (the recommended side to sleep for pregnant) and hugging the pillow with both arms is probably the comfiest position you can sleep on while getting bigger and bigger. I got mine from Jollyroom on a temporary discount if I remember well, so worth it!
11. Books to read. You will realize you have more free time than expected especially if you are a stay at home mother (and pregnant with your first child) so a good stash of books are well needed. I got this book pretty recently so I didn’t have time to start it but I am looking forward to it as it also continues with another title ”The Sea Queen”. It’s based on the Viking Age and inspired by the icelandic sagas on the character of Ragnvald of Maer, so quite exciting! I can leave this link here for you to judge its content as displayed in Goodreads.
12. Feminine dresses. These are so important for making you still feel cute and fitting in something else than potato sacks clothes. I do not use any sort of pants besides leggings during pregnancy so I did find couple cute dresses in Zalando and this one particularly I loved it because it has a little mark under the breasts/on your waist that enhances the still existing waist area, giving you a very feminine and flattering look. Also a good thing is to look for dresses that you can use afterwards too while breastfeeding. The green one I showed is one of those.
13. Mouthwash. Oral hygiene is of extreme importance while pregnant as well as the intake of extra calcium. We got this Flux Aloe Vera mouthwash that gives extra protection against caries with 0,2% Fluor, without alcohol (important for pregnant women to remember they should not use alcohol based products) and free of paraben. Remember that your mouth will suffer some pH changes during pregnancy and you might experience some bleeding, gum swelling, etc. But take extreme care of flossing, brushing and cleaning well with good products and preferably enriched with fluor (do not swallow, just clean mouth with it and leave 20 minutes before you ingest anything).
14. Leggings. At least for me they are a must-have. I do not wear anything else besides leggings and dresses because I have gotten quite of a belly and being honest I absolutely HATE restricting my belly by belts and buttons and I would like to suggest the same for all women out there. Leave the belly out and do not strangle your own child with uncomfortable clothing that was not even made for women (jeans, trousers in general) and especially not when in such state. I got like 8 pairs of leggings from Lidl (yeah, the cheapy Esmara brand) and I can tell you they are the most comfortable pairs of leggings I ever owned (and I had some branded ones). I also had H&M ones and they’re just much better, stretchier, softer, cotton…they feel so so good.
15. The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care book. This is probably the most important book you will have to read for becoming a parent, a mother. It’s a book that criticizes the mainstream modern advice regarding parenthood, child caring and diet. Written by a member of the Weston A. Price association, Sally gives advice on baby diet and necessary nutrients for both parents and child to procreate a healthy offspring…comes with recipes for baby food from scratch and natural ingredients. An absolute must-have for all parents in their library.
16. A comfortable upgraded bra. This I needed quite early on since my breasts enlarged a lot and quite quickly. I strongly recommend on getting something that fits comfortable, that does not strain you or your chest/back and something that you can use for breastfeeding afterwards as well.
17. Liver pâté. I could eat this every day and I was so so so happy when my midwife agreed that it is safe to eat. There is so much silly information about this on the net that you might actually feel a little lost regarding on whether you are or not allowed to eat it. Yes you can, as long as is the store-bought one. Why? The main reason doctors tell you to avoid the consumption of liver is due to its ”high” content of Vitamin A. The truth is that that only happens if you make your own liver paste at home from pure liver. The store-bought liver paste contains in average 30% liver only, rest of it is a mix of meats that give taste to the product. As long as you stick to the store-bought, liver paste can make quite a superfood for pregnant women, getting the little bit of needed of Vitamin A and a good amount of proteins, which are quite needed for the healthy development of a baby’s brain, for instance.

So that’s about what I have been needing while being with a bump. What have been your must-haves? Is there something you’ve really needed during your pregnancy that I missed in my list? I am curious to hear! We all are so different when comes to ”needs” I bet my list is either too long or too short for others.

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See you next time!