Friday Favorites: My 5 Essentials for Pregnancy

This post is brought to you by Forte Elements.

Happpppppppy Friday!! Yessssss. We made it to the weekend my friends. Whoot! It was actually a pretty darn good week around here. No one was sick, I got a ton of things checked off my to-do list, and I had a really great visit at the baby doctor. It did snow (a lot) yesterday and it’s still snowing today, but I’m not going to complain. Nope, not gonna do it. Instead I’m just going to pretend it’s not happening and move right along. For Friday Favorites today I want to mix it up a bit and share my 5 essentials for pregnancy. Seeing as how this is my third (and final!) pregnancy, I’ve learned a few things in my time as a pregnant mama. And boy, how things have changed from the first time I was pregnant. I was an absolute nervous wreck about every little thing the first time, which I’m sure many of you can relate to. But with this third pregnancy I’m much more more laid back. I mean, I still worry about things that could go wrong (that’s just my nature) but this time around I’m more trusting of my body to do what it needs to do. It’s like I know that my body is capable of getting this done and I respect the process much more than I did with the first pregnancy, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I thought it would be fun today to share my pregnancy must-have’s–things I recommend every pregnant mama have in her arsenal. Now I realize this probably does not interest some of you, but I know there are quite a few pregnant gals in the mix, so this post is for you my friends!

Really, Really Good Maternity Jeans

Every pregnant mama deserves good-fitting jeans. End of story. There is nothing worse than wearing maternity pants that are too baggy or somehow make you look even heavier than you really are. I don’t need any help with that! It actually wasn’t until this pregnancy that I finally decided to splurge a bit on a few pairs of nice jeans. And let me tell you–it was well worth it. In fact, I completely regret not doing this for myself with my other two pregnancies. My absolute FAVORITE pair is the Luxe Essentials Denim Side Panel Ankle Pant. These are awesome. I love the stretchy side panel and the fact that they fit exactly like regular jeans. I also feel like these are going to be great for that weird postpartum period when I’m too big for normal clothes.

V-Neck Tee: Old Navy // Blazer: Nordstorm // Jeans: Luxe

I snapped this photo of myself (and little miss Allie in the background) just a few days ago–so around 32 and a half weeks. These are the Luxe jeans and they’re definitely my favorite. I also have a pair of these Jessica Simpson maternity jeans, which I love too. Here are a few other great options:

Comfy Maxi Skirts

Aside from a good pair of jeans, I think it’s 100% essential to have at least one good maxi skirt throughout your pregnancy. I bought one from Target for myself during my second pregnancy and it’s still holding up like a champ. I LOOOOOOVE it and wear it at least 2-3 days a week. Not only is it crazy comfortable, but I just feel pretty when I wear it. And I need all the feelin’ pretty I can get when my hips are widening by the milisecond. This exact skirt doesn’t seem to be available anymore, but I found this one that is very similar.

Denim Shirt: American Eagle // V-Neck Tee: Old Navy // Skirt: Target–Similar Here

I’m actually going to miss wearing this skirt after the baby comes. It’s just so comfy and soft. Definitely a must-have for any pregnant mama. Here are a few other awesome maxi skirt options:

Stretch Cream, Obviously

I think it probably goes without saying that having an amazing stretch cream on hand is incredibly important during pregnancy. I mean, things are growing and widening and getting bigger every day, but especially in the third trimester. For each of my pregnancies I’ve relied on a good belly cream to help keep stretch marks away. I love this Mama Bee Belly Butter. It isn’t super greasy like some belly creams can be, so it absorbs quickly and soaks right into the skin.

A Great Prenatal Vitamin

This one seems obvious, but getting all the proper nutrients you need in pregnancy is super important. And it can be hard to do when you’re craving loads of sugar and not exactly eating all your veggies like me. So taking a really high-quality prenatal is key. I was so excited when Forte Elements reached out to me a while back and asked if I’d be interested in trying their prenatal vitamins, which are made with super high-quality ingredients. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and so far I’ve been really impressed with the quality of these vitamins. Plus it’s so comforting to know I’m getting the very best nutrients possible for the baby. They come in these pretty individual little packets for each day, which somehow makes the whole vitamin-taking-process feel really glamorous and fancy.

They also have an anti-nausea supplement and an advanced prenatal booster. I’m telling you, this stuff is amazing.

A Great Body Pillow

I can’t talk about my pregnancy essentials without mentioning a body pillow! Now all my fellow mama’s know how hard it is to get a good night’s rest during pregnancy, but especially during the last 4 months or so. Having a good body pillow has been essential for me in every one of my pregnancies. I love this mini Snoogle pillow for a few reasons: 1) it’s not too big, so it’s easy to move around in the middle of the night. 2) the smaller size means it can pull double-duty as a nursing pillow after baby comes, which is awesome. There is of course the full size version, but I just love this little guy.

I could go on and on about random little things that have helped me along the way in my three pregnancies, but these 5 things are definitely my go-to, must-have items. Pregnancy ain’t easy and I’ve learned over time that it’s important to do what you can to make the process as smooth as possible. This is especially true if you’re just getting started with this season of life and know that you’ll have more pregnancies in the future. I highly suggest investing in things that you will love throughout each pregnancy. It’s definitely worth it!

Have a good weekend my friends, I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Other pregnancy posts you might want to check out:

Pregnancy Update & Gender Reveal!

30 Week Pregnancy Update!