When I got pregnant, (a few years ago) I felt like there really weren’t very many helpful resources out there for me. Of course, there are TONS of sites and blogs talking about the “best” pregnancy and baby items but I never really felt like any of them spoke to me the way I needed them to.
I kept searching and searching for a website to tell me the truth about pregnancy and while they were at it, tell me which leggings are the best maternity leggings before I bought a million pairs only to end up hating all of them. ANYWHOOOOO. Here is my real talk about my real pregnancy and the items that I personally loved (and why). Maybe this will help you (or your friend or sister) find some happiness while your hormones are going berzerk.
Leggings
These are the leggings I have been wearing for years. I personally HATE any legging that doesn’t fold over, I always feel like they dig into me or if they are high-waisted they roll down. Maybe I haven’t found the right pair (I have tried a million) or maybe I just hate things being tight around my stomach because I have enough stomach discomfort in life, but these foldover leggings are the best. They are cotton/spandex and don’t give a camel toe AND they come in different lengths so shorties like me can still get ankle-length leggings in our size.
Tank Tops
I am not someone who wears tight clothes. So when I got pregnant, that really didn’t change. I didn’t suddenly start showing off my belly. BUT, there came a point around 6-ish months, when my belly popped and it looked better to wear a tight top rather than hide under a loose one. That is when I found these tanks at Target. They are so soft and they stretched with me. I sized up and got a medium because, as I mentioned before, I hate feeling things super tight around my stomach, and I could not have been happier. They were form-fitting without being tight if that makes sense.
Heating Pad
I could not have lived without my heating pad. Of course, I had my doctor’s approval to use it (for no more than a few minutes at a time) but it really kept me comfortable for most of my pregnancy (and after). I have had hip pain on and off for years and of course during pregnancy it showed up a lot and fun fact the only safe pain reliever during pregnancy is Tylenol (which, no offense, does nothing for this type of pain). So my heating pad literally saved me.
Workouts
Ok, I could write an entire blog post just about pregnancy workouts and how there is a complete lack of information out there on safe workouts. I ended up becoming certified as a group fitness instructor while pregnant (the timing of that was not on purpose) and soon after realized I needed to specialize in pre and postnatal movements because the lack of science-backed information is very frustrating especially if you were very active before getting pregnant. I knew if I was desperate for trustworthy information on what was safe then there were tons of other pregnant people out there searching for that same info. I have linked to my Pinterest board where I saved all of the workouts that I found online that are safe to do while pregnant. Always get cleared by your doctor before performing any exercise, if ever in doubt or feel any pain or out of breath skip that movement, and if all else fails just go for a walk, walking is awesome.
