Happy Monday! The theme of this week is shaping up to be motherhood based on my drafts folder right now, ha! I have been trying to do a lot of baby prep, mentally at least to get us all ready to meet this little one in a few short weeks that I am sure will feel much much longer as we get closer to our due date.

Today I wanted to highlight some of the products and items that have been helping me through this pregnancy. There have been a handful that have been wonderful additions to my daily routine and a few others that are long haul favorites. Every pregnancy is so different, but if I can help another mama to be in some small way by introducing you to something that helps make life/pregnancy easier in any way I think it is worth chatting about.

Hatch Belly Oil – If you’re reading this for recommendations chances are you have already been introduced to this belly oil. It’s on every list I have read but I am a newer convert. During my first pregnancy I used Bio-oil out of an abundance of caution to a potential almond sensitivity. It worked wonders but has a more medicinal scent and does not absorb into the skin as well. This pregnancy, having sorted out the almond sensitivity, I switched to this belly oil. It has a beautiful citrus scent and absorbs so much better. I feel like I can get dressed quicker without waiting for it to dry. So far it has done a good job at keeping my skin moisturized and preventing stretch marks.

CeraVe Eye Cream – I’ve been pretty minimal when it comes to wearing makeup since the start of the pandemic. So far there has come a point in both of my pregnancies where the dark circles come and I start to look a bit hollow. This eye cream (which also contains sweet almond oil by the way) has been doing wonders. I feel more refreshed on days I remember to apply it and it has helped lighten and brigthen the area around my eyes.

Lululemon Align Leggings – I live in these leggings. I lived in them when I was pregnant with Eleanor too. They do a spectacular job at stretching along with you. I go up one size for pregnancy and was able to wear them through the entirety of my first pregnancy. I am currently 32 weeks and still going strong with one size up! Recently I picked up a pair of the ribbed aligns, also one size up, but should have gone with my regular size. They seem to run a bit looser.

Ritual Prenatal Vitamins – Another thing I’m sure you’ve already heard all about, as they are very popular. I started taking these before we started trying to get pregnant with Eleanor and had selected them because I liked that they contain folate vs. folic acid. It’s also a nice touch that they tell you where each of the ingredients are sourced from. I can’t say I have ever had an issue with these stomach wise, but there were a few touch and go moments early on in the first trimester where occasionally the Omega-3 DHA would sneak up on me and make me a little nauseous. Luckily those moments were fleeting, but back in the day pre-pregnancy when I would take a fish oil supplement the very same thing would happen so take this very small complaint with a grain of salt.

Be Well by Kelly Protein Powder – I have been adding a scoop of protein powder to my smoothies to help up my protein intake. This pregnancy has been tough for a multitude of reasons, but with a toddler running around I’ve been slacking on prioritizing healthy, balanced meals for myself. When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes my doctor recommended I add more protein to my diet and okayed protein powder so I started making smoothies and am now completely hooked — on smoothies in general right now, ha! It has been the treat I look forward to each afternoon. I ordered the sample pack that has chocolate, vanilla, and unflavored to test before committing to the full size and ended up liking the vanilla best. The chocolate is good too, but I thought vanilla would be more compatible with the other flavors I was planning to mix with. This protein powder is a bit pricey, but I like that it is only three ingredients and feeling good about something that is new to you during pregnancy is important.

O’Keefe’s Healthy Feet Cream – This cream is my secret weapon. My skin does not like winter and I wash my hands a lot throughout the day. A lot. Many years ago I started using the hand cream version of this lotion and decided to try the foot cream as well. I quickly discovered that the foot cream worked so much better with my skin and started using this as hand cream for my very dry winter skin. It worked wonders and I still order a pack each winter. It’s been saving me this winter as well so I wanted to include it on this list as pregnancy hormones can dry out your skin too and every little thing helps.

New Balance 574 Sneakers – Sometimes I think about how much I debated purchasing these sneakers and laugh. It was a week long process where my husband and sister were inundated with messages about whether I thought I would wear them enough to justify adding another pair of sneakers to the mix. I can confidently say they are worth it. If I’m not in my favorite Freda Salvador boots I am in these sneakers and if I can still get my feet into them when I go into labor I will probably wear them to the hospital. My feet got pretty swollen the last few weeks of my first pregnancy so who knows where we will be this time around. I am trying to be relaxed and reasonable about these things that I cannot control.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Please share if there are any things that have helped you throughout pregnancy, I am all ears!