Today marks week 38 of my pregnancy with our first baby! So I wanted to collect some of the resources and products that I’ve been loving during pregnancy and put them all in one place to share.
Disclaimer: Some links included in this article are affiliate links, which means I make some money when you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. Win win!
Documenting Your Pregnancy
One of the first things I started searching for when we found out I was pregnant was a pregnancy journal. There are so many options out there, but I finally settled on the beautiful Growing You book by Korie Herold. I have loved using this journal to document my first pregnancy journey. It touches on all the main things I would want to document, has room for photos of ultrasounds and a pocket in the back for any other misc. things you want to save. I use this mini printer to add some photos to make the documentation even more special! This same artist/author has a baby book, As You Grow, that is just as beautiful and special that I’ll be using to document Baby E’s first year or so. You bet I’ll be using that photo printer like crazy for this book too! I’ve already filled out her shower pages!
Speaking of documenting your journey, I also found an amazing app that I have LOVED using to document my pregnancy even further with photos and captions. It's called Qeepsake. I started out with the free version, which allows you to answer all their pregnancy questions (up to two a day I believe) and add a few of your own entries, but decided to upgrade so I could add as many of my own entries as I wanted. I haven't even really used their prompts, I prefer to add my own special moments that I want to remember later on. I will then be able to turn those memories into an easy book to save forever and ever! There are so many app options out there, this is simply what I found to work best for me so that I actually used it.
I also love using google photos for saving all my photos. I created a couple different albums to make it easier to access the photos relating to pregnancy and baby things, like “bump pics”, “precious moments” etc.
Books and Resources for Pregnancy
Here are some of the books I’ve loved for pregnancy and birth prep (disclaimer: I’m not much of a reader and had much better intentions of reading a lot, but these are the only ones I actually got to lol):
Nurture - By far my favorite pregnancy and birth book! I didn't crack it open until later in pregnancy, so I focused more on the birth part of it. But it is full of wisdom and helpful tips for your pregnancy and birth experience and all in a tone that is reassuring and easy to digest.
The Whole Nine Months - This book is very practical when it comes to knowing what you should be eating and where to get the nutrients you need month by month. Highly recommend having it in your collection to reference when needed!
Before Your Were Born - This e-book has been my absolute favorite. It is full of prayers to pray over your pregnancy, birth and baby and even has a section with helpful resources and verses/affirmation for birth. Such an amazing book to help use your pregnancy to intentionally prepare for this big life change. I got it printed at the local print shop to make it easier to use and tag pages I knew I'd want to refer back to.
If you want to save some money on all the books you’ll be stocking up on, I highly recommend Thriftbooks.com for great options for buying used and getting some great deals! Follow this link for 15% off your first order! This is also a great place to find kids books!
P.s. the adorable Mama Bear mug is from Chalk Full of Love! Use this link to save 15% off and treat yourself! They even have a Papa Bear mug to match it!
Two apps I've used to track my pregnancy are What to Expect and BabyCenter. They give those fun weekly updates that tell you what fruit/veggie your baby is the size of (super important part of pregnancy) along with some really helpful info for the stage of pregnancy you are in! I used both hand in hand to give a wider range of info. If you want one for your man, my hubs loved this one!
Misc. Products I Found Helpful
- Belly butter and belly oil for dry skin and stretch marks. I have loved using the Earth Mama brand, knowing that it's more natural and it smells so good!
- I used pregnancy as an excuse to finally update my underwear collection (let's just say it's been a while...). I fell in love with the brand Kindred Bravely. They have all kinds of great maternity and nursing friendly clothing. My favorites are their Bamboo Hipster Undies (I bought one pair and ended up buying 3 more pairs because I love them so much!) and their Sleep Nursing Bra. Get 20% off your first Kindred Bravely purchase when you order through my link: kindredbravely.com/miscdelightsco or if you follow any linked item above (discount applied at checkout, some exclusions apply)!! Believe me, you'll want to check them out!
- Prenatal vitamins. I started out with some yummy gummy vitamins, but that pregnancy nausea and sensitivity quickly made those become a chore to eat every day. So I ended up settling on NatureMade vitamins and never looked back!
- Maternity Leggings. I found a few pairs of leggings that I really loved. I love these full panel, plain black leggings from Old Navy. They are definitely a staple! I also got a pair of comfy leggings from Motherhood Maternity. They are a nice light material, super stretchy and gentle on your growing tummy.
- Trello App. From the moment you get that positive pregnancy test, your mind starts swimming with all the things you want to learn, you need to do and just random things that you need to keep track of. My favorite way to manage all of this has been with the Trello phone app! You can create boards and even add a cute photo background to give you all the baby fever. You can also share boards with your partner to make things simple. You can access it on your phone app and on your desktop making it super practical. My main lists within my baby board have been my Doc Questions, To Do Before She Arrives, Thank You Notes to Write and some misc. lists for ideas I'd find online for things such as what to pack in your hospital and diaper bag, what you'll need for postpartum, etc.
There you have it! Some of my go-to things during pregnancy. I hope this can be helpful to you wherever you may be on your pregnancy journey! What are some go-to items and resources you loved during pregnancy?
