And if you’re not as superstitious as I am, let me add two items to your list:
- Expecting Better - by Emily Oster. This book actually helped calm some of my nerves. And I am sure if you’re reading this, you know the dreaded first trimester nerves. This is the first and so far, only pregnancy book I have read and I have told about three people in the last three hours about it. Emily is an economist. She craves data. She craves answers with a pretty high degree of precision. And when she was pregnant herself, the data and precision she was given did not meet her bar to make informed decisions about her body and her baby. So she looked into the data herself to share it with all of us. Bless her. The book will cover topics like caffeine, alcohol, sushi and tougher topics like epidurals, inductions and Down syndrome. At the end of every chapter, there is a quick summary too.
- Hatch belly oil. I didn’t realize how quickly stretch marks can come on. Nor did I realize how itchy my tummy would be. Maybe that is just a me problem, but it felt very nice to treat myself when this arrived in the mail. The packaging is beautiful and the little note will make you feel like the queen that you are.
Let me start by saying I am not a pregnancy pro. Nor am I a doctor. In fact, science was by far my worst subject in highschool. I am going through this whole pregnancy thing for the first time myself, and learning as I go.
I have a team of supportive women trying to give me all their recommendations. And I appreciate alllll the recos. But I didn’t want to buy very much before ten weeks or so - superstition, I guess.
So, with the gift of hindsight, here are the things I do wish I bought earlier in my pregnancy.
The first things to buy as a first-time soon-to-be-mama
let me find that
When you first find out, buy these three things right away:
- Fiber supplement (just, trust me). I prefer the gummies because they taste like candy :)
- Unisom (if you have trouble sleeping or any nausea at night, this is doctor-approved and did help me catch better Zs).
- A prenatal vitamin. I am obsessed with Perelel. They tailor your vitamins for each stage of pregnancy including while trying to conceive and post-partum/breast-feeding. That is in addition to first, second and third trimester when your body does need various levels of key supplements like folate, folic acid, calcium, etc.
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PS: If you’re feeling nauseous or are actively pukey, I am so sorry. I do have a different list of tips for you.
PPS: If you’re feeling ready to shop for clothes, check out my series called Dressing for the Bump.
PPS: If you’re feeling ready to shop for clothes, check out my series called Dressing for the Bump.