My Pregnancy Favorites For Each Trimester
Keep reading this post to learn:
⋒ My favorite products I used during each trimester
⋒ The books and resources I loved throughout my pregnancy
⋒ Some examples of habits I feel like supported me well during pregnancy and after delivery
Note: some links in this blog post are affiliate links and I appreciate you so much for using them when you purchase!
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was a tad bit overwhelmed with all the things out there, I’ve got numerous DMs and emails asking if I would share what helped me and if I can make pregnancy a little less overwhelming for anyone, I’m happy to help!
I have a disclaimer first – I am not a medical professional and none of this is medical advice. Please check with your healthcare provider before trying any of this stuff. I’m just sharing my own experiences here.
Something else I think is important to add: my health and wellness have been a major priority of mine since I was 23/24… and I’m 33 now. So I’ve been taking really good care of my body for like the last decade and I do feel like having that strong foundation helped make my pregnancy really smooth overall!
That being said, throughout my pregnancy, I prioritized:
~ Exercising 5-6 days a week
~ Practicing the 80/20 method when it comes to nutrition – basically choosing nutrient-dense meals 80% of the time and eating less nutrient-dense meals like 20% of the time
~ Drinking a gallon of water every day
All of those things combined really did help me during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery.
Okay so now let me get into all of these resources and products. I have everything broken down into categories to make it easier:
Books I read during pregnancy:
~ Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood―and Trusting Yourself and Your Body
This was a random find on Amazon! I hadn’t seen it anywhere, but it spoke to me so I bought it. It was a good find because it ended up being my second favorite of all the books I read! I loved how it was like a workbook and book all tied into one. Plus it took a very holistic approach to teaching about pregnancy – as in it included the facts and what you need to know but it also provided tools to help with mental and emotional support, too.
~ Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Ina May is known as the nation’s leading midwife. SO many people told me I had to read this one since my goal was to have an unmedicated birth and it was really great! My favorite part was reading all of the unmedicated birth stories. I had little to no knowledge or experience surrounding pregnancy and birth before I got pregnant and reading those birth stories from real women made me feel confident and empowered. This book is definitely on the more crunchy side so keep that in mind.
~ Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
This was the first book I read when I found out I was pregnant and it was such a solid read. The author, Emily Oster, is an award-winning economist who did a ton of research when she found out she was pregnant and turned her research into this book. She evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening… Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy.
This book helped me to make informed choices (with the help of my midwives and nurses) throughout my pregnancy rather than fear-based choices.
~ Cherish the First Six Weeks: A Plan that Creates Calm, Confident Parents and a Happy, Secure Baby
This was my least favorite of the ones I read. I didn’t even read the whole thing. It wasn’t bad but it felt a little… pushy? Like the author shared a lot of opinions if you know what I’m saying. I still learned some valuable information but I wouldn’t reach for it again.
~ Bumpin': The Modern Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating the Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Journey From Conception Through Birth and Beyond
I bought this book when I was 37 weeks pregnant and I so wish I would’ve found it earlier! It’s science-based yet easy to digest and presents facts without telling you what your opinion should be. I love the layout of this one – it’s divided up into the following sections: Trimester 0 (prepping for conception), First Trimester (pregnancy FAQs), Second Trimester (what you actually need to buy + birth plans), Third Trimester (life after birth + the big event), Fourth Trimester (recovery + transitions) and it’s filled with easy to read charts that help with digesting info. I’d say if you’re only gonna get one, get this one!
Courses I took during pregnancy:
~ Taking Cara Babies First 5 months bundle
Class summary: An online class and ebook for 0-4 month-olds to help you to lay a healthy sleep foundation, set your days and nights up for success, and LOVE this stage
~ Pain Free Birth with Karen Welton
Class summary: Join thousands of women who have transformed their birth experience from fear and trauma to joy and expectation. Our best-selling childbirth course is the only one that teaches the spiritual AND practical keys to having a pain free, ecstatic birth. Birth can be your greatest achievement, not your greatest fear!
~ Breastfeeding class in person at my birth center
Products and resources I used to help with pregnancy and prepping for labor and delivery by trimester:
ENTIRE PREGNANCY:
~ Apps:
There are so many different apps to choose from to track your pregnancy – it’s wild! I used 2 because I liked parts of each one:
01. The Bump
02. What to Expect
~ Belly oil:
I made my own belly oil as soon as I found out I was pregnant (I was like 6 weeks at the time) and started using it every morning and night. I lathered up my belly, my thighs, my lower back, and my booty.
Here’s my recipe:
3 drops rose oil
5 drops geranium oil
10 drops lavender oil
10 drops frankincense oil
5 drops gentle baby oil
5 drops blue tansy oil
Topped with fractionated coconut oil
I used Young Living essential oils and made it in a 2 oz glass amber bottle that I got from Amazon.
I mostly used this to keep my skin moisturized – if my skin was dry, I found it to be itchy. But I will say, I didn’t get any stretch marks during my pregnancy. I know stretch marks can be hereditary but I don’t think using this twice a day hurt either.
~ Babylist:
This is the website I used to make my registry. Highly recommend! I started my registry at like 12 weeks and worked on it until my shower which was around 32 weeks for me. Highly recommend making your registry through Babylist because you can link stuff from lots of different stores all in one place and plus, toward the end of your pregnancy, they give you a 15% off discount code to use one time – I used it to get our Doona carseat/stroller combo!
~ Supplements:
Vitamin B6 - recommended by my midwives to help with nausea
(I threw up 1-3 times a day, every day, during my first trimester)
Magnesium gummies - recommended by my midwives to help with staying regular (which may be TMI but I didn’t struggle with constipation hardly at all during my pregnancy) and helping with calf cramps that I would sometimes get at night
Natural Vitalieies Gummies – don’t buy them from Amazon though – I got mine at Whole Foods
And then the rest of these are supplements I was taking before getting pregnant that I continued to take during my pregnancy:
Fish Oil
Greens powder
Reds powder
Collagen
Probiotic
FIRST TRIMESTER:
~ Preggy Pops – to help with nausea
SECOND TRIMESTER:
~ Buffy cooling body pillow
~ Hiring a doula
~ Baby asprin - I was recommended to take this at around 20 weeks because my blood pressure crept up for 2 of my appointments. When I started taking this every night, prioritizing a gallon of water a day, and significantly cutting back on caffeine (like 50mg a day or less) my BP went back to normal thankfully.
~ Exercise ball
THIRD TRIMESTER:
~ Blanqi over the belly girl shorts (they have leggings too)
Habits and routines I followed to help with pregnancy and prepping for labor and delivery:
ENTIRE PREGNANCY:
~ Therapy
~ Belly oil 2x a day from the day I found out I was pregnant
~ Dry brushing
~ Sit on an exercise ball during work to help open up hips
~ Journaling in the morning and at night (here is my favorite journal)
~ Walking and continuing to exercise
THIRD TRIMESTER:
~ Chiropractor (started going at 28 weeks)
~ Pelvic Floor Therapy (started going at 28 weeks)
~Drinking Labor Prep Tea every night (32 weeks)
~ Perineal massages (34 weeks - 3 times a week)
~ Eating dates every day (36 weeks)
~ Spraying Claraderm daily (37 weeks)
~ Prenatal massages once a week (37-40 weeks)
And there you have it! Products, books and resources, habits and routines and I felt really helped and supported me during my pregnancy! And as always, thank you SO much for supporting me by buying through my links!
Interested in hearing our birth story? 👀 Tune into the full podcast episode below!
