Now that i am nearing 10 months of pregnancy (!!) I figured it’s finally time to answer a question I have frequently received. Today I have put together a list of the products that I have found most useful through pregnancy. Many of these are not maternity or pregnancy specific honestly, but rather are regular items that have simply made me feel more comfortable. Whether in the first, second or third trimester, I hope this helps!

My 15 Most Used Pregnancy Products

1. Dyson fan: this is very bougie, but this is my #1 item. I don’t want to be pregnant without this specific fan! I grabbed it on sale at QVC in white/silver a few months ago and it’s back on sale now.

With pregnancy, you are uncomfortable and HOT even with central air on and blasting you. This Dyson fan is amazing because it doesn’t fling air at you at one particular height. It distributes air from top to bottom at the perfect pace. This sounds so unnecessary, but sleeping is hard enough when pregnant and this makes me sleep like a baby 😉 You can set a timer on it and if I sleep past what mine is set to, I wake up so uncomfortable which is what made me realize how much this specific fan makes me comfortable.

Fans also are known to reduce sids so I will be using this within our master while baby sleeps in his bassinet and then move to his nursery when he transitions to the crib. This is another reason I justified grabbing this fan because it doesn’t have any blades that will harm children. It also has an air filter and reports on your air quality too!

2. The best bra: I shared about this in my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale round up, but discounted or not, this bra is needed if you are pregnant or just want the worlds most comfortable bra.

Once I hit mid second trimester, I needed to find new bras to get me by because I needed a larger band. The bump somehow takes up every millimeter of space there was from chest to below lol. I wanted to find something that was comfortable, breathable and smoothed me out on the back (was looking for a wide band if that makes sense because #PregnancyBackRolls :-P).

This bra was the only one I ordered to start, expecting to need to exchange and try five others until my pickiness was met, but that ended up not being the case. This one fit beyond my expectations. Not only did it meet all my requirements, but it’s so silky and cooling. I also like that it has light inserts so you don’t show through and can wear them outside of the house. I have both the scoop and V neck versions, but where the V neck more as it is more versatile with shirt necklines.

Pregnant or not, this will not be my favorite bra and I cannot suggest it enough! For sizing, I’d say it runs true to size. Pre-pregnancy I’d likely be a medium and was a 36/34B. Now with being pregnant, I wear a large.

3. Ritual prenatal: Seek advisement from your OB! Personally, I found this prenatal multi vitamin to be the one that was best for me. I like how –

• the company uses natural folate instead of the popular synthetic alternative found in most prenatal vitamins
• it has no synthetic filler or artificial colorants
• how it is multiple pills put into one. The unique capsule design puts dry and oil ingredients together in one pill.
• the transparency int heir supply chain and ingredients.

And ultimately, the 12 ingredients inside checked all the boxes on what my OB wanted me to take! Consult your own OB as I have no medical degree and our bodies are different 🙂

4/8. Belly Lotion and Oil: I really have no idea if anything you do really helps prevent stretch marks, but I keep my belly and surrounding areas hydrated just in case. I have tried a few products that either made my skin get raw or just didn’t hydrate at all. I’ve found this belly oil is not only hydrating and gentle, but soaks in very fast. The ingredients are clean too.

I also use this lotion since it’s what I usually use on the rest of my body and love it. It soaks in fast, is extremely hydrating, doesn’t have a scent and has clean ingredients. This brand is known to be very gentle and great for all skin types. I use it all over my body.

5. Regular underwear: I had heard of underwear that cuts like a V in the front to accommodate a bump, but I haven’t needed that at all. I have worn this kind my entire pregnancy and they have been my go to ‘regular’ underwear for about five years now. For regular underwear, they are the only ones in my bureau!

They run true to size, are super stretchy (my favorite part) and are cute for ‘regular’ underwear. They also work with the bump. No maternity underwear needed in my opinion!

6. Lake pajamas: Seriously.. if you are in your first trimester, get yourself a pair of these PJs. I’d always wanted to try them since they have a cult following and finally did back in December. I then bought two more pairs all of which I have lived in this pregnancy. The PJ pants are the only ones I will wear now because they are the perfect blend of stretch and smoothing. The band also is small (I hate big or bulky bands on lunge pants/PJs). The tops are nice too and match!

I have two non-maternity and one maternity. The pants are the same fit and the only difference is that the maternity top has a lot of space in the belly area. At 38.5 weeks, the non maternity still fit fine so I’d probably go that route so you can wear after birth. The top is just fitted which I honestly prefer over the look of the baggy maternity top.

7. Ritual protein powder: A few weeks ago I grabbed Ritual’s newest product which is this pregnancy specific protein powder because it has choline in it! While I have been trying to eat eggs everyday, this helps give just a bit more choline, which is super hard to get/absorb, for baby. 90% of women don’t get enough choline in their diet (source) so this helps.

Not only that, but the taste is great! I usually use this protein powder and think the Ritual protein powder tastes even better because there is no added sugar.

9. Yeti 30 ounce tumbler: With needing to keep your water in take high, having a thermos or glass you like is key. I refill a few times a day and hit my water goal which is less maintenance than a smaller size.

10. Target Sleep Dress: I actually grabbed two of these for my postpartum hospital bag, but have been living in it through the third trimester! If you are pregnant, you can’t go wrong with this $20 button up night gown. It’ll be great for nursing once baby is here, but until then the cool, stretchy, lightweight material is a life saver. I wasn’t sure what to expect pre-pregnancy so I went up from a medium (pre-pregnancy size) to a large and it currently fits at 38.5 weeks pregnant. I am 5’7″ and really like the length.

11. Compression pregnancy leggings: This pair of leggings is what I wear when leaving the house and they are my most worn maternity items for sure. While I say compression, it’s not overboard and is the perfect amount.

I have been wearing the crop leggings with this summer pregnancy, but here are the full length version as well.

They are actually my favorite legging pre-pregnancy, just in the maternity version. I love these because they have the perfect amount of compression and material thickness. They are not overly thick, but they smooth you out and suck you in in all the right spots. The compression is what I prefer when leaving the house as they don’t stretch and are very flattering.

For sizing, I have it in a medium (my normal pre-pregnancy size) and small. I personally preferred the small up until week 37 so they do run a size large. Now I’ll wear the medium through the remainder of my pregnancy because (hello swelling!) so you may want to start with a size down from your pre-pregnancy size to start.

12. Pregnancy pillow: I remember that 20 weeks hit me like a tone of bricks. My hips ached while laying down, my belly felt like it was straining when I’d lay on my side and my back was hurting. Going into pregnancy, I wanted to avoid as many “pregnancy only” products. I really didn’t want a huge traditional pillow that took up half the bed and wasn’t transportable (even the couch made me ache). I found this pillow and it was a life saver through my second trimester.  So much so that I packed it for my babymoon in Nantucket!

There is a wedge for your belly, a cushion for your back and a strip that connects the two. This strip can be adjusted as it has velcro.

Why is this pillow so great? I have a list of reasons –

• • It takes major pressure off your back. I at first was just trying to find a wedge for my belly, but I’m glad that I went with one with this back part. It instantly would take pressure off my back so that I could have some relief while sleeping or resting. I’d use just the wedge sometimes while on the couch and my back would immediately ache so finding a pillow that gives this back support is very beneficial. I’m going to jinx myself, but I credit this pillow with the fact that I’m just about to enter my third trimester and have no back pain.
  • It of course supports your belly. Recently I haven’t needed the pillow as often when lounging because I think my belly can reach the bed or couch when I’m on my side, but in those weeks through the second trimester when your belly isn’t as large, this wedge side of the pillow helps take pressure off your belly.
  • It takes pressure off your hips. I’m not sure exactly how, but this pregnancy pillow took pressure off my hips. I was getting bruises (!!) before I used it and they ached horribly.
  • It keeps you on your side. Once you hit a certain point in pregnancy, it’s recommended to sleep on your sides as much as possible. I am a back sleeper and I did find that this helped my body sleep more on my side. I did wake up sometimes still on my back, but it wasn’t that frequent. Although the marketing of the product is all about side sleeping, the main benefit, in my opinion, are the three other bullets above.

There are a few cons to this pillow, but I find the positives outweigh them. First off, it’s certainly not the cheapest pregnancy pillow on the market, but I have looked at my husband countless times saying it’s worth every penny due to the reasons below and how mush relief it brought me.

Secondly, if you want to flip sides, you need to rotate the pillow. This was my biggest hesitancy before purchasing, but it ended up not being a big deal for me personally. When I’d wake up and want to rotate, I’d need to get up to use the restroom anyway (because #pregnancybladder) so when I’d come back to the bed, I’d just flip the pillow. It hasn’t been an inconvenience!

My last note on this is that I personally do not need to use it within my third trimester. I think this was needed through my second trimester because my stomach wasn’t big enough to lay on my mattress alone and needed the wedge support. Now I just sleep as I did pre-pregnancy (but always on my side of course) without any support and will just stick a regular pillow under my belly a bit if needed. so you’re likely thinking, why would I spend money on this for one trimester? Well I’d go to bed through my second trimester and look at my husband and say “this is worth every penny”. I would not have been able to sleep and would have been severely uncomfortable in my back, hips and stomach. Also, you may still need the support in your third trimester! Our mattress just seems to allow my baby belly to form into the mattress and yours may be different.

13. Slip on Sneakers: Putting on shoes has been a thing of the past for many months at this point. Having neutral slip on sneakers allows you to be able to wear all the cute dresses still, but be able to get your own shoes on and I’ve recently learned over the last few weeks… sneakers are really needed. Once I hit the third trimester, wearing any shoes outside of sneakers and the sandals below will make achey feet feel even more worse in the morning!

The pair I love is sadly discontinued, but here is a similar pair!

14. Slide on APLs: I bought these last year and have lived in them this summer anytime I’m not wearing sneakers. They are so cushioned that I can get away with wearing them and not causing extra foot aches. I have other slides like this, but they are not supportive. It’s specifically this brand. They have really come in handy from weeks 37 and beyond due to the extra swell you get in the last four weeks of pregnancy.

15. Casual pregnancy leggings: For times when I just want to look semi put together to lounge at home or even do yoga or weights, I use these leggings. They have zero compression which sounds like they’d be super unflattering, but that is not the case! This brand is the first leggings I’ve ever worn that has no compression and actually looks flattering. They are as comfortable as PJs.

Now that I am 38.5 weeks pregnant, I wear these out walking in the hot, humid August weather because they are so comfortable and breathable.

I also own a pair of non maternity leggings in medium (so they were a bit big pre-pregnancy) and at almost 39 weeks, they still fit! That is how stretchy they are. If you prefer to get the nonmaternity, they will still work with your bump if you get your ‘normal’ pre-pregnancy bottom size. I wear them working out all the time and this is coming from someone who has a large belly and will not wear anything that makes me uncomfortable, especially around my belly. Non of my other pre-pregnancy leggings are able to work with the bump!

In maternity, I suggest sizing down. This brand runs large and I wear smalls in both types of leggings normally. Also I am 5’7″ and both are perfect length on me!

I get a lot of DMs asking what belly band I use and in all honesty, I tried one and it just wasn’t for me! I am the type of person that can’t stand bras or things touching me when I’m home so wearing a band all day wasn’t in the cards for me. That said, speak with your OB or girlfriends to find one that may work for you!

I hope that this post helps you in one way or another through your pregnancy! Xo Mindy