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My Top 10 Pregnancy Must Haves

I want to focus on the things that have really been a game changer throughout my pregnancy.

I’m not going to talk about obvious things like the vitamins you should be taking – ask your doctor for the best ones for you. I want to focus on things that have made my life so much easier.

  1. Cuddle Up/Pregnancy Pillow from Granny Goose. Life saver. Game Changer. Wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably without it. Click here to go directly to the pillow.
  2. Bra Extensions. I originally bought new bras because my boobs swelled, my rib case enlarged which made my back bigger and by the end of a busy day, I’d have the cotton seam embedded into my skin. Beautiful. They cost me R69.90 from Woolworths and saved me a fortune in buying new bras as my bust size increased.
  3. Mama Mio Tummy Oil. I love every product in the range to be honest, but the tummy oil or body butter (depending on your personal preference) is a must!
  4. Multiforce Alkaliser or Gaviscon. In my previous YouTube video about 11 Things I Did Not Expect in Pregnancy, I spoke about how Gaviscon was saving me from fiery heartburn hell. I received a few messages from Mom’s in the know and suggested I use this: It’s safer and it works even faster. Thanks Moms!
  5. Cariwell Seamless Preggy Belly Bando. Look, they don’t exactly suck things in, but they smooth things down under dresses and they’re wonderful to put on over jeans. Some of my tops were just a bit too short but they still fit, so this served as a brilliant top extender and if you can’t exactly button your pants up completely and you’re using the hair-tie trick, this hides it too. I bought the white and the black.
  6. A journal. I have kept a diary (almost daily) of my entire experience and I’m really glad I have. I read back to my first Trimester the other day, and I had already forgotten about the funny things that have happened, my early cravings and other experiences. I will be giving this to Baby G one day and I really hope he loves reading it and seeing what his Mom went through and how loved he was before we had even met him.
  7. Reading material. There are 1000s of books and it can be somewhat overwhelming. I often think there is actually too much information out there. However, the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book is the one book I have turned to often. I find it has been so useful and less scary than turning to Google (which can make you feel like you have 2 weeks to live with xyz symptoms.) Often I’d wonder why I was getting a certain symptom and then when I’d read the month/week I was on, there it would be, explaining it all. Relief. I also have the book Pregnancy Sense from the Baby Sense range and I’ve loved this too. I’d definitely suggest either, if not both.
  8. Apps. Pregnancy+ and What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I’ve loved reading each week and discovering what’s happening to baby each week. It also gives you links to online articles daily.
  9. A pregnancy massage. Treat yourself while you still can, because once the baby is here, your time is going into your newborn and not into a spa. Your back is going to get really sore with the extra weight in and around your bump and to have someone do a wonderful pregnancy massage and iron out all the knots and aches, is delightful. 
  10. A maternity photo shoot. I’m so glad I have captured my bump throughout my pregnancy because as excited as I am to meet my baby boy, I think I’m going to miss the bump. It might feel like you are pregnant forever, but it’s such a short, special time in your life, so capture the moments. Even if you don’t do a professional shoot, get your friends or partner to take photos of you and do the side profile growth of your bump. I did outfit shoots for my blog posts with Tegan Smith and our maternity shoot (pics below) with Veronique Mills Photography

What are some of your pregnancy must-haves?

Transparency disclaimer: Some of these products were sent to me, but some were not. This is a genuine list of mine, regardless of whether they were sent or not. I just don’t want it to seem like items are on my list because of some form of sponsorship… they’re on my list because they have genuinely been a must-have for me.

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7 Comments

  • Reply Leigh Nightingale

    Another really great app to download and get ready before he arrived is ‘ The Wonder Weeks’ will save you life in the beginning. Will tell you when baby is going through leaps / growth spurts, what to expect etc etc etc . . . I also used rescue drops in my water when I was in hospital ~ it really helped to keep me calm through all the new things happening and emotions. I got the baby blues on day 8 and every now and again I would hand Matthew to Paul and ask him for a 5min gap, to which he would find me crying in the bathroom corner. The clinic sisters at Dischem told us to try ‘Sedatiff’ all natural ~ worked a charm. And I only took when I felt overwhelmed and by week 5 I had stopped taking them.

    May 17, 2017 at 11:14 am
    • Reply BaileySchneider

      Thanks for the comment Leigh 🙂 I’ll definitely have a look at that app and I’ll keep that in mind if the baby blues hit me too – nice to know there is something natural to take 🙂 x

      May 17, 2017 at 2:36 pm
  • Reply Caley

    LOVE all of these and I couldn’t agree more!!!
    Love that cute bump under the towel in your massage 🙂 And those maternity pictures are stunning x

    May 17, 2017 at 11:25 am
    • Reply BaileySchneider

      Aw thanks Caley 😉 How are you and your 3 angels? x

      May 17, 2017 at 2:39 pm
      • Reply Caley

        Sorry Bails, I don’t get these replies via email so I never see them!!
        Our 3 angels are all good, keeping me busy but so precious x

        May 19, 2017 at 10:52 am
  • Reply Elana Shaw

    When you going in for C section? Isn’t it soon?

    May 17, 2017 at 11:39 am
    • Reply BaileySchneider

      It could be anytime from next week (34 weeks) – 36 weeks!

      May 17, 2017 at 2:39 pm

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