amanda macy hall

Throughout my pregnancy, I kept a running list of the things that helped make my pregnancy more enjoyable. I’ve tried to really pare it down to the must-haves because of course there were dozens of little tips, tricks, people, and products that helped with each changing week!

I’ve categorized the ‘pregnancy must haves’ into three lists: HEALTH, COMFORT & EDUCATION.

 Pregnancy Must Haves: HEALTH

In 2010 my husband and I decided to adopt a Clean Eating lifestyle. I was coming out of college routines and learning to love cooking and luckily Josh was eager to join me on this journey. We researched and researched, read and read, learning about our bodies, foods, ingredients, and even the government. {Favorite Resources: Tosca Reno, The Eat Clean Diet books, Michael Pollan, and the Clean Eating Magazine} Much of what we learned has stuck with us 6 years later, although without a wedding to ‘get fit for’ we definitely find ourselves enjoying tasty craft burgers, homemade pastas, and take-out Thai more often 🙂 When we found out that we were pregnant we knew it was time to buckle down once again to give our little tiny his or her best possible chance.

Green smoothies gained more ingredients {flax seed, more Amazing Grass supplements, milk with added DHA, etc}, I picked up an addiction to fresh fruits and Greek yogurt, and I tried my best to give my body lots and lots of water, and exercise. The little baby inside my tummy did take over though {hello, bland food, sudden pickiness, and a schizophrenic  appetite} – but these are the items that day in and day out kept me fueled and happy:

S’well Bottle:
It’s not news that drinking an absolute TON of water during pregnancy is crucial. Find a water bottle – or a couple – that help keep staying hydrated easy. I love the S’well bottles for my nightstand because it keeps water super cold all night! Plus, their designs and colors are super fun, and yes, that matters.

Chocolate Covered Raisins & Dried Fruit:
I kept a stash of these simple snacks in my bedside table for those midnight and early early morning bouts of starvationnnnnn. 11 PM, 1 AM, 4 AM, 6 AM… Give me all the food!!!

Drinkable Yogurt or Kefir:
Protein, probiotics, and ease! You could find me chugging one of these just about every morning at 4 AM. #YogurtAddict

MegaFood’s Baby & Me Vitamins:
The owner of our local health food store helped us pick out our prenatal vitamins. All of the vitamins and minerals in the supplement are derived from whole, natural food sources and the process of creating the pill uses the least amount of heat they can helping the ingredients retain as much of their health benefits as possible. Because of these two factors, the body processes these pills as if you were actually eating the whole foods {broccoli, berries, carrots, etc, etc, etc} which eliminates the naseau effect! The pills are quite large and 4 are required per day, I took 2 in the morning and 2 at night. Subscribe & save on Amazon.com to save 20% each month.

AmazingGrass Amazing Meal:
Josh and I have been using this protein powder in our morning green smoothies for years and years. It’s packed full of real foods giving you an abundance of nutrients to kick off your day. Knowing I got this in each day helped me feel better about only consuming Greek yogurt, wheat thins, and cereal for the rest of the day… 😉

Baking Soda:
For everyday cleaning we use the Method and Mrs Meyers products, but for those deep cleaning nesting sessions {you should’ve seen our baseboards!} I used the tried and true baking soda + vinegar method. It works wonders and keeps you and your baby away from harmful chemicals!

Sugar + Coffee Scrub:
As the body grows and stretches pampering your skin becomes more and more important. It felt wonderful to quickly rub my baby bump, legs, back and arms with a homemade sugar, coffee, almond oil scrub a couple of times each week in the shower. Combine the ingredients in a mason jar or Tupperware and keep in the shower.

Almond Oil:
In addition to the scrub, I applied {and still do post-pregnancy} almond oil all over my body each day before getting out of the shower {a quick rinse keeps you from feeling too coated}. It’s extremely moisturizing and nourishing for the skin – plus, totally safe and natural!

Walking:
My husband and I tried to make walking 3+ times a week a priority. A quick Google search or reading of any pregnancy book or website will tell you over and over again that walking throughout pregnancy will make your labor “easier and quicker.” I don’t know for sure about that, but baby and I sure did enjoy the endorphins of a walk!

Workouts & Yoga:
I prefer to workout in the mornings so I turned to YouTube for yoga, stretching, and strengthening routines. Favorites were the Pregnancy Yoga Series by Tonic and various Pregnancy/Prenatal Workouts by PopSugar. At just 10-15 minutes each I was able to sneak them in fairly frequently and combine for longer sessions sometimes.

Snoogle:
Rest is just important to the body as being active. Easier said than done for me… Much too late in my pregnancy I purchased the Leacho Snoogle pillow. While it wasn’t the end all be all that brought instant shut eye, it did help keep me from sleeping on my back, gave much needed support to my growing belly, and kept my swollen feet elevated. All with one pillow as opposed to the 5+ that I was attempting to use before…. Ugh. {Available at Bed, Bath and Beyond if waiting for it to be delivered is more than you can take…speaking from experience here}

Support:
More than any food, drink, or product, the daily {sometimes hourly….} support that I received from my husband, mom, dad, co-workers, friends, mommy friends and mommy-to-be friends was the #1 thing that kept me going {mental health and self care advocate!!}. My ‘tribe’ provided me with hugs, words of encouragement, silly stories, ears to calm my fears, and help preparing for the daily unknown. MJ and I thank you SO MUCH!
There ya go – my Pregnancy Must Haves: Health, look for a must have list on Comfort {what to wear} and Education {favorite resources for pregnancy, labor, development, and nursing} soon!

What are some of your favorite health related must-haves for pregnancy?

Also….. It should really go without saying, but I am not a medical professional, so let’s just all keep that in mind 😉

//  Amanda Macy