I have been wanting to post this for a while, just in case anyone reading this blog wonders what I felt was very useful to have and do. As I have only 4+ weeks left, I think I can say it now!
The thing you probably want to know most: maternity clothes! I have had a few pairs of work pants with the magic panel, and started off with those pants and some of my own looser tops. The tops will work until you pass the 20-week mark and then things start to get a little snug. Outside of work, I relied on black workout/yoga pants. I’m still wearing them now! If you’re like me, the lower body doesn’t change, so you roll them down and carry on. Around the 30-week mark I invested in two pairs of maternity jeans and two pairs of maternity pants (khaki and grey casual pants) from Destination Maternity (the Motherhood line) while they had a buy one get one free or 50% off sale. I also went to Kohl’s on a coupon + sale weekend and got a few cute tops from the Motherhood Line for Kohl’s (like the polka-dot top below).
 [I don’t feel this big…and this was a month ago!]
Now I’ve outgrown a lot of the tops I bought which were so cute before, like this one:
The tops that had seemed even TOO long and dress-like are too short now, and that leaves me with one great item of clothing:
Tank tops. These Old Navy tank tops, which are really hard to find, are shirred down the sides, so they are long but fitted. I’ve decided that this is a lot more flattering now … instead of just looking huge and tops feeling blousy, I think a nice fitted look is more flattering. I wish I had ten of these because I wear them under shirts and cardigans basically every day. They ensure that close-to-fitting tops don’t show any skin and are nice enough to wear with an open sweater on chillier days. Who am I kidding, though, I’m still boiling and rarely can wear anything heavier than a half-sleeve sweater. 🙂 Stock up and don’t tell me that other long tanks will work, they don’t! I know! Even the other Old Navy tank tops are too short and don’t fit well.
See what I mean? Great tank top.
Sweatshirts. The next useful item would be a large sweatshirt and/or maternity sweatshirt. Josh bought me a men’s large sweatshirt for my birthday, and I bought a maternity sweatshirt at Macy’s and have used both extensively. Other ones aren’t cute or comfortable. Trust me.
Tylenol cold. It sucks but it’s the only thing you can take for a cold!
Prenatal yoga. Oh I could sing its praises all day. The stretching has seriously helped with my back and hip pain, and even in the second trimester it really quelled the round ligament pain that I had relentlessly. I think my days are coming to an end now, as yesterday’s class left me breathless and nauseated…but it has been a lifesaver. You really work your leg muscles, and most of all, you relax. It is so relaxing that I leave there feeling like I have a clean slate for the week and all my stress is gone. It also teaches really important breathing techniques and how to breathe through searing, thigh-burning pain from chair pose without focusing on it. I just love it!
Other exercise. Otherwise, for exercise, I’m still trying to walk once or twice a day, or I ride my beach cruiser, which is much more comfortable than walking (and at this point, it just feels great to be moving so quickly! haha). It is safe as long as you don’t fall down, so don’t do this if you are not very comfortable on a bike, and I don’t recommend a bike on which you cannot touch the ground with your feet or have to step over (women’s beach cruisers have a step-through frame.) In general, I try to stay active, then rest. When I’m not resting, I try to move as much as possible, and engage as many muscle groups as I can, especially those upper leg muscles. Squats are your friend! As you get heavier, you’ll know if you didn’t do enough of them as you struggle to stand from a crouched position. Use any excuse to squat down and pick things up in a safe and controlled manner.
Shoes. You all know that I love my heels, and have worn them much longer than I should have, but definitely as you approach the last 10 weeks you MUST wear flats. Despite everything I’ve done in the exercise and yoga paragraphs above, I did eventually succumb to clumsiness and start to lose my balance. Heels are not safe. Plus, your feet will hurt! So plan on wearing a really comfy pair of sandals and have good walking shoes on hand. At this point, once I expend the energy needed to get into lace-up sneakers, I intend on leaving them on all day (it’s a trial) so I rely on sandals in between. Don’t worry, your feet won’t get cold. Haha!
Epsom salts and baths. Showering is another time you’re on your feet with your aching back! Take a bath! I have relied on the warm water and the muscle-relaxing properties of epsom salts multiple times a week for a few weeks straight now. (Before that it was much more sporadic). I bought a ton of epsom salts and added a few drops of lavender essential oils to them for the added relaxing quality of lavender. It’s nice to get the weight off of your lower back at a time when even laying down involves some sort of gravity-related pain. It calms the muscles and can reduce round ligament pain, and it calms your mind and body, which will be a necessity as you get close to all the unknowns…Tylenol doesn’t do much for the pain, and you can only use ice and heat sporadically, so a bath is a great way to calm all those muscles and feel better. Plus it’s very cost-effective, as epsom salts cost nearly nothing and one bottle of lavender oil is less than $10 and goes very, very far. I’ve also used it on my temples before bed to help me relax and sleep.
Bio-Oil. I’ve been using bio-oil on my stomach area for months now (bought it at Costco!) and I like the way it smells and moisturizes my skin. I don’t believe any hype about preventing stretch marks, but for the record I don’t have any yet (knock on wood!). What I DO know is that it has really prevented the itchiness of dry, stretching skin.
Apps. I can’t say I have a ton of awesome baby-related apps…but one is pretty sweet! My Baby’s Beat enables you to listen to your baby’s heartbeat with headphones! I think it cost 99 cents and it’s really cool! It’s also incredibly hard to find the heart beat (which is why I am so glad I didn’t invest in a home doppler!) but for 99 cents it can’t be beat. That is pretty amazing for a smart phone! And my phone is old and not so smart anymore! I have the Baby Bump app which is pretty cool…it gives daily and weekly information and tips, and when the baby is born I can send a mass email with his picture and vital stats, which is pretty cool. It also has a kick counter and contraction timer, a baby name picker (IMO you shouldn’t use any apps for baby names, they all kind of suck), journal, weekly photo function, and a community of posts. [Someday I’ll post on why you should, by all means AVOID the heck out of those online birth month communities! Just say no! The internet is evil in this regard.] Lastly, I have a highly recommended and free app called Baby Time that was made by Vanderbilt University. It has a contraction timer, you can link your doctor’s number to the app to quickly call when prompted, and if you load your hospital’s address, when you’re ready it will give directions there from wherever you are with one click.
Good luck!
I might add to this, but I suppose you could call this my maternity “essentials kit.” I promise you that you won’t have anything to wear after a certain point (shirt-wise) because the front will be too short. Don’t think you can squeeze into your old clothes. You’ll need XL men’s t-shirts to sleep and lounge in, and plenty of yoga pants!
Josh and Korey 