Pregnancy Favorites From a Third-Time Mama
I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while! Since I’m 39.5 weeks pregnant with our third child, I figured now would be a good time to share what I’ve been loving this pregnancy!
So, without further adieu, here are my pregnancy favorites. Some of them are favorites from my past pregnancies, while others are new this third time around. Some may surprise you! Regardless, I hope this post is useful to you, whether you’re currently pregnant or planning ahead for future children.
Pregnancy Favorites From a Third-Time Mama:
Dr. Teal’s Lavender Epsom Salt Soaking Solution // I took exactly zero baths during my pregnancies with Sophie and Soren – I’ve always been more of a shower person. This time around, though, baths have become a daily ritual! (Especially during the third trimester.) I look forward to a bath every night. Maybe it’s because I’m busy with two children during the day, but my body has been extra achy this pregnancy. By suppertime, I’m really looking forward to my evening bath! I’ve enjoyed Dr. Teal’s body scrubs for a long time now, but the epsom salt soaking solution is definitely a step up! It’s highly rated on Amazon, and I agree with the reviews! I feel I sleep much better when I have a bath with epsom salts. The lavender scent is wonderful, too. (Always check with your own doctor and make your own decision regarding what’s wise during pregnancy; I’ve clarified with my obgyn and we feel that these baths are okay.)
8 Sheep Organics Sleepy Body Lotion // I discovered this company during my first trimester, when I had some crazy pregnancy dreams and insomnia. 8 Sheep Organics makes some really nice products, and once I started using their lotion, I was hooked! Even before I started taking nightly epsom salt baths, I was seeing a difference in my quality of sleep as a result of using this body lotion! Their sleepy body lotion has magnesium in it, which has been known to help with both sleeplessness and muscle cramping. I’ve gotten leg cramps in my past pregnancies, but none during this pregnancy! A little bit of the lotion goes a long way. It lasts a long time. I love the Vanilla scent, although they make others. **Use the code HANNAH11231 for $5 off!** (Side note: they also recently came out with a kids’ sleepy lotion, and my kids love it!)
Blanqi Maternity Leggings // This is another new-to-me product this time around. I’ve heard about Blanqi leggings for years but never jumped in and tried them. I’ve never been much of a leggings person in the past, preferring instead to wear maternity jeans or jeggings. But this pregnancy, I was getting uncomfortable in my maternity jeggings and finally decided to give Blanqi leggings a try. Since they are pricey, I purchased a pair of black Blanqi maternity leggings secondhand on Poshmark (a site where you can buy and sell used clothing). And they have been amazing! Even though my pair of leggings is used, they’re very high quality, supportive for both your back and belly, and comfortable! I wanted to buy more than just one pair, but I decided to hold off and just get through the rest of this pregnancy, and then buy a couple pairs of new Blanqi leggings that were on sale from their Postpartum collection! I’m excited to continue to wear Blanqi leggings during my postpartum season!
Quiet Time // This might sound like an unusual pregnancy favorite, but it definitely deserves to be on this list. I’ll explain. 🙂 Quiet Time is our “rebranded” naptime for our family (because our kids – age 3 and 5 – don’t often nap anymore). Sophie does her Quiet Time in the master bedroom and Soren does his in the kids’ room. It’s a non screen time, quiet independent playtime. We’ve worked our way up to 60 minutes. Each child has a visual timer they can look at so they know how much time is left. I am seriously so thankful for our daily Quiet Time routine. It took some effort (and takes continued intentionality) to have a daily 60-minute Quiet Time but it is SO worth it. It gives everyone a little space and peace…and I’m especially thankful for it in seasons like early and late pregnancy, or even other times I need to get computer work done. My husband has had a very busy work schedule these past couple of months (aka most of the third trimester), many days being gone around 10-12 hours, so it makes a huge difference for me as a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom to have Quiet Time built into our day. I share more about Quiet Time and how we manage it/set it up in my online motherhood course, The Present Mama Playbook. 🙂
LMNT Hydration Powder // I’ve been loving LMNT drink powder in my water this pregnancy! I would say I’ve always been rather mediocre about hydrating, and hydration is so important, so I wanted to have a way to encourage myself to drink more water! I’ve tried Liquid IV in the past, but it’s higher in sugar – plus I had a friend recommend I try LMNT, and I like the taste of LMNT even more! LMNT is an electrolyte drink mix. It’s quite salty (kind of like Gatorade) so you can add as much water to a packet as you want. I usually have one packet per day, and combine it with 4 cups of cold water in a big thermos. I like to tell myself that my goal is “over-hydration” at this point (although I know I’m definitely not over-hydrated)! 🙂 You can look up the research/info for yourself, but I personally don’t feel that sodium is necessarily the “bad guy.” I am a fan of having some extra sodium in my diet, because I have a family member who’s been recommended drinks with sodium/quick snacks like pickles with sodium to help with dizziness, etc. from the Mayo Clinic. LMNT is sweetened with stevia and also has potassium and magnesium. I love it. I plan to keep drinking it while breastfeeding. My favorite flavors are Watermelon, Citrus, and Raspberry. If you like the salty taste of Gatorade and you’re looking for a good way to hydrate, you may want to give LMNT a try!
TrueGrapefruit // Another way to hydrate is with TrueGrapefruit (or TrueLime or TrueLemon) powder! These are tiny packets and aren’t actually sweetened at all! (They’re not like CrystalLight or lemonade mixes or anything like that.) They’re simply crystallized grapefruit, lime, or lemon. One packet is basically like squeezing one wedge of that fruit into your water. I’ve enjoyed TrueGrapefruit for years!
Iron Flask Water Bottle // Speaking of hydration… This water bottle has been a staple for me this pregnancy (and beforehand, too)! It keeps water so cold! I gave my brother-in-law one of these for Christmas and he’s loving it, too! I also have a simple large thermos from Walgreens that I enjoy drinking my LMNT drink mix from.
Yoto Player // I have a YouTube video AND a blog post published where I go into tons of detail about the Yoto Player, but it deserves a spot on this list of pregnancy favorites! I love having a screen-free entertainment/educational option for my kids, especially on days when Mama isn’t feeling the greatest. We actually don’t use the Yoto Player as a “babysitter,” but it has been such a great option for our family to use instead of turning on the TV. It’s beneficial in so many ways, and I know it’ll be great for us when we have a newborn baby! Be sure to either read my blog post or watch my YouTube video about the Yoto Player if you want to learn more! **Get 10% off your order of $69.99 or more with this link!**
This Energy Balls Recipe // Especially during the third trimester, I’ve been making these energy balls every week! It’s one of my favorite recipes that I have here on the blog. I actually triple the recipe, and then I refrigerate half of it and freeze half of it. (They freeze really well, and thaw so quickly when you pull a few out of the freezer!) Although the ingredients are amazing for pregnancy and especially for breastfeeding (oats, ground flax, peanut butter, etc.) we enjoy these energy balls in all seasons of life! 🙂 Easy and delicious, and they’re perfect for snacks or breakfast on the go! I’ve been enjoying them as a healthier and more filling snack option, which helps because I’ve been craving sugar so much this pregnancy!
Berry Overnight Oats Recipe // This is another recipe that I’ve been whipping up every week! It lasts at least several days in the fridge and it’s such an easy breakfast! My recipe uses steel cut oats, which make for a “chewier” or more distinctive texture, which I prefer over “softer” cold overnight oats recipes. (You can still make this recipe with rolled or old-fashioned oats, though.) It’s so easy to make. I like to spend 10 minutes or so throwing all the ingredients in a large bowl and then we have another healthy and filling breakfast option ready for us!
Mental Preparation // This pregnancy, I’ve focused extra hard on preparing mentally, not only for childbirth, but also in terms of general mental resiliency, expectations, and streamlining routines. It seems like pregnancy is solely a physical thing, but it’s really not. So much of pregnancy and even motherhood in general isn’t just physical demands – it’s such a mental game, too. So I’ve been focusing on and practicing things like relaxation techniques and managing reasonable expectations. We’ll see how it helps as time goes on! **I go over lots of mental resiliency and mindset strategies in my online course, The Present Mama Playbook! **
Mane Label Hair Curling Ribbon // I haven’t used heat on my hair in at least a year and a half now! I love the look of curled hair – I just feel more put together that way – but as a busy mom of little kids, I don’t want to be standing in front of the mirror with a curling iron every day. (Plus I don’t want to damage my hair!) So this hair curling ribbon has been a huge game-changer! It only takes a couple minutes to put in dry hair at night, and a minute to take out in the morning. I add a bit of dry shampoo if needed, brush it out only a tiny bit, and then we’re good to go! I’ve found it works even better on hair that isn’t freshly washed every day. 🙂 This product is something I wish I had known about back in college (when I used to get up early to curl my hair before student teaching), and it’s also something I wish I’d had as a new mom!! It’s great that it doesn’t damage already-fragile postpartum hair, too. A heatless hair curling ribbon is a great way to feel more ready for your day with very, very little effort! **You can use the code HANNAHBEEOLSON10 for 10% off! **
Knee Pillow // I’ve had this knee pillow for years. It’s one of those favorite items in my “maternity collection” that I pull out when I’m pregnant! It’s only about $20 and I sleep with it every single night. I actually don’t use one of those big pregnancy full-body pillows – I’ve tried several over the years and have never found one that I like – but this knee pillow makes all the difference for me! (The knee pillow, combined with our beloved Nectar mattress, is all I need to support my body during pregnancy!) It’s great for pregnancy, postpartum (when all your joints are achy and looser), or just plain any season of life!
That’s it! Those are my top pregnancy “essentials” or favorites at this point! I hope this post was helpful to you!
What pregnancy must-haves do you have that aren’t on this list?