8 Pregnancy Essentials New Moms-To-Be

If you like to keep things simple, you’ve come to the right place! Generally speaking, I like to keep it simple and minimal with the things that I buy, and the same was true during my pregnancy.

Truth be told, you don’t need to buy a ton of things during pregnancy. There are some staples that are good to have on hand, and there are occasionally problems you need to solve. For example, your clothes don’t fit anymore. Or your skin is itchy. Or your hips hurt.

So with that said, my list of pregnancy must-haves is pretty short and sweet. These are my picks for things that helped solve my pregnancy problems, I hope they help you, too!

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Pregnancy Must-Haves for the First Time Mom

1. L’Occitane Shower Almond Oil

Your skin can get so itchy during pregnancy, especially on your expanding belly, but also sometimes on your breasts and arms.

If regular lotion isn’t doing the trick to lock in the moisture, you need shower oil! I started using this product every night starting in my second trimester, and it was an absolute game-changer for me.

It smells so good and is really nourishing on the skin. Personally, it helped my skin stay soft and hydrated in a time where I really needed the extra hydration. Plus it smells amazing.

I didn’t know about the skin oil version when I was pregnant, but I bet the combination of these two products would be amazingly hydrating and luxurious. These two things will be in my bathroom during my next pregnancy, for sure!

I also used Bio Oil post-pregnancy to keep my skin hydrated and help fade a few of my darker stretch marks.

2. Gap Blackout Maternity Leggings

Leggings that support you and aren’t see-through?! Sign me up!

Not gonna lie, leggings were my go-to outfit and I loved this particular brand and style during pregnancy. I started wearing them around 22 weeks pregnant when my regular leggings no longer fit.

If you like a compression-style legging, these are for you! I recommend sizing down for the best maternity fit.

These carried me through the summer and into the fall. They were never too hot in warm weather and were cozy enough for the colder months too.

3. A Soccer Ball

Yes, kind of a weird one, I know! But you know the hip pain you get while pregnant? The kind that just aches and feels like it’s not going to get better?

When my hips were hurting, my doctor told me to put a soccer ball between my knees and squeeze. Doing so helps open the hips up and makes more room for the baby. I did this a lot in my third trimester and it relieved so much pain.

And yes, I was skeptical at first but it really worked! Definitely check with your doctor if this is an ok thing for you to do.

4. Prenatal Yoga

I loved doing yoga while pregnant because it helped me stretch my body out and prepare my muscles for birth. Also there’s a lot changing inside your body and I felt that doing yoga really helped me connect with my baby during pregnancy.

I just searched prenatal yoga on YouTube and did whatever I was in the mood for. There are a ton of different flows out there and they can be adapted to all skill levels.

I aimed to do yoga 3-5 times a week and walked 2 miles every day of my pregnancy. Every now and then, maybe 1-2x a week, I did another type of prenatal workout. I felt like this was the perfect amount of activity me and kept me healthy and active during pregnancy.

A yoga block and a yoga mat were also useful for this activity but totally not necessary.

5. 32 oz water bottle

Pregnancy makes you so thirsty! Your body is literally creating a new human being from scratch, and that’s a lot of work! Having a huge water botttle will make it easy for you to get your water in every day.

A 32 oz water bottle is the perfect size really. It’s not too big that it’s obnoxious to carry around but it’s big enough that you won’t have to fill it up a million times a day.

I recommend this particular one because it’s super easy to clean and has no extra parts to it.

6. Prenatal Vitamins

I feel like this might be a really obvious one but they are super important! If you are struggling with keeping your vitamins down (I know plenty of women who have had this problem!) try your best to find one that will work for you.

Those vitamins and nutrients are essential for your baby’s development. I had no trouble keeping down gummy prenatal vitamins. They feel gentler to consumer and not as heavy in the tummy. Totally worth a shot in my opinion!

I’ve also been taking the Ritual vitamins postpartum. They do have a prenatal vitamin that I plan to try in the future.

7. Pregnancy Body Pillow

As my belly grew I used my body pillow keep my belly, knees, and spine in alignment. I put off buying it for awhile but I wish I had gotten it sooner.

I tried to stack pillows in all sorts of towers every night, but it really made a huge difference for me when I bought a body pillow. If you think you would benefit from one, I think it’s a worthwhile purchase. Rest is important!

8. Sea Bands

I mostly suffered from extreme food aversions and luckily never vomited but I did have times that I experienced nausea. I was trying to find a solution when it hit me: Sea Bands.

A lot of people use them for cruises to overcome motion sickness, which is why I had them in the first place. I had some from a previous cruise vacation and decided to try them out one day early in my pregnancy. Worst case, they didn’t work, right? Well… they did!

Sea Bands are small bands, and almost look like sweat bands! They stimulate the P6 acupressure point in your wrist which helps eliminate nausea and vomiting.

Every body and and every pregnancy is different so it may not work for everyone, but I found them to be incredibly helpful!

Like I said, this is a minimal list of pregnancy must-haves for new moms. I didn’t want to buy too much that I no longer need after I was pregnant. If you don’t either, I recommend starting with this list.

And congratulations on your pregnancy!

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