My maternity must haves:

What I Love Maternity and Pregnancy:

I thought I’d do a pregnancy related post talking about ‘my maternity must haves’, what items I’ve been loving; or that I would recommend.

Clothing:

Starting with clothing – there are so many different maternity brands, selling a wide amount of ‘maternity wear’ which all range at various prices; some suiting a higher budget, some a lower budget.

For me, my style has changed since becoming pregnant; I settle for a laid back comfy outfit! My wardrobe is filled to the brim with basic simple pieces – not all maternity, that create a style that suits me.

What maternity clothing would I recommend?

Basic, simple pieces are what I would recommend…having items that fit perfectly; providing maximum comfort.

Purchasing a pair (or two) of maternity leggings, jeans or trousers is a good place to start – as most maternity bottoms are made with a bump in consideration, providing you with room to grow!

Personally I love the ‘mother care’ jeans, they come in numerous styles, lengths and colours suiting everyone – and not to mention how great the prices our!

Depending on your budget you may not want to purchase maternity tops or dresses. Speaking for myself I have bought several maternity tops, a percentage of them are from mother care – in their multipacks including a few shirts here and there; but I tend to stick with regular tops from high street shops, specifically ‘cami dresses’ as these are long enough to ensure that my bump is completely covered…they’re pretty cheap and amazingly comfortable! I purchase mine from primark or H&M.

Shoes! Going back to my style – I love to be comfortable from head to toe, as my pregnancy progresses ive noticed my feet swell move frequently and much more than before…since the weather is starting to brighten up, I practically live in flip-flops; possibly one of the few shoes I can wear that do not make my feel swell. Another great thing about flip-flops is they come in loads of colours and are cheap !! So aren’t going to affect you if you are on a tight budget.

However, as I live in the UK there doesn’t tend to be a great deal of sun so I have two other pairs of ‘go to’ shoes – these consist of grey sketchers and Nike roshe runs, which are amazingly comfortable.

Lastly, theres underwear….as mentioned in the last few paragraphs it all comes down to comfort for me; finding the perfect fitting bras and knickers, that do not cut into the top or bottom of my bump. The underwear i always wear I purchased from mother care; specifically made to for pregnant ladies, preventing any discomfort whilst wearing them– I purchase the ‘under bump briefs’ and their standard maternity bras…..let me tell you, my underwear has never been so comfortable! Haha..

my maternity must haves!

Bump care:

I use the cussons ‘mum & me – bump’ products. I have extremely sensitive skin, I’ve tested several different products and brands finding that this particular brand with these products are the only ones gentle enough on my skin.

Throughout my pregnancy I have already completely used 3 tubs of their stretch mark cream; it works wonders; it prevents any itching or irritation, making my bump soft and moisturised, this product helps to soothe stretch marks.

I also use the cussons bubble bath when i feel like pampering myself – I pour a small amount of the product, less than a cap full (that’s all you need) and end up with a luxurious bubble bath, which makes my skin super soft, and smells divine!

Count the kicks:

I have recently purchased a – count the kicks band, for the monitoring of baby’s movements. The product is a simple band that you wear on your wrist, every time baby wriggles or kicks there is a ‘slider’ that you move along the band; enabling you to keep track of baby’s movements – this helps with ensuring that you can keep an eye on baby. I bought this product for my reassurance… the company also has an app that you can use along side or separately from the band.

The app calculates your days total, creating an average result, helping you to discover your baby’s movement pattern- allowing for accurate monitoring.

Maternity pillow:

Buying a maternity pillow is defiantly a recommendation, and they can be found in almost every baby shop out there, or online. They provide amazing comfort, supporting your bump as you sleep or lay down. A maternity pillow can also help you to maintain the correct posture whilst sleeping.

Fetal doppler:

Some professionals are strongly against home Fetal dopplers, due to you not having medical training or being taught how to use a Fetal doppler properly.

I love having my fetal doppler and personally think it is a great way for you to bond with your baby, and a way for your partner to feel closer, developing a bond to. Along side movements I love to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

However I DO NOT recommend using a fetal doppler for your reassurance…if you have not felt your baby move it is always important to get checked by a professional!

April 13th 2016: original post date.