Amy's Abode

There are many different nursing bras on the market (at least in the online market). While several breast pump brands will have bras that claim to work the best with their pumps, I found these to be not only amazing during pregnancy but also amazing while pumping with both traditional plug into the power outlet breast pumps using an amazing nursing bra hack, as well as wearable breast pumps.

These bras are by the brand "HOFISH" (weird name, I know) and you'll see them in basically all of my bump photos. They're all I've worn since late in the first trimester once my regular bras started to feel very uncomfortable on my ribcage. They come in a few different colourways, but the picture above is the exact set I purchased. I did use the extenders that came with the bras as my belly and ribcage expanded, but I had no use for the clips to change the straps, however, it's nice that they're also included. These bras have a clip that folds down for easy access while breastfeeding, which is kind of a given but I thought it'd be best to mention it anyway.

This is my second favourite because it's something I've relied on every single day of my pregnancy and postpartum life! I was decent about taking my medications most days before, but with pregnancy, I wanted to make sure I never missed a day, especially because there were (and still are) certain vitamins and medications that needed to be taken multiple times a day. Most people who use an organizer will have the one-week version, sometimes with an AM and PM option, however, no one has time to refill them constantly so I purchased this monthly one that has individually closing containers, which also makes them travel-friendly. The containers are large enough to fit all of the medications and vitamins you'll need. To paint a simple picture: I currently, at three months postpartum, take ten pills every morning and another four in the afternoon, with three more at night. The ones I take at night I keep on my nightstand because there's no way in hell I'm risking forgetting to take them downstairs and sneaking out of my room with a sleeping baby, but those last three would easily fit in this container as well. I simply leave the four pills I take in the afternoon behind and keep the pod in my cart during the day so I'm near it when my alarm goes off.

This took the third spot on my list instead of the second because I didn't start using it from the very beginning and for a while, I wasn't a huge fan, but a few months in I figured out a different way of using the pillow that made me fall in love and I continue to sleep with this pillow every night. And no, my husband does not hate the pillow. He actually loves it because it keeps us separated at night so I don't elbow him in the head in my sleep (yes this is an actual concern of his because it's happened far too many times over the last ten years). There is a detachable section, but I never separated it because I used the entire pillow every night.

Instead of using the pillow like you see in the image above, I flip the pillow completely upside down so the part you're supposed to put your head on is at the bottom. I like my regular pillow way too much and found this far too bulky and soft so having the solid part between my legs so that my thighs never touched is beautiful. It still allows me to snuggly the sides and I would wedge the opposite side slightly under my back so that it'd keep me on my side comfortably while providing some support. I wouldn't have been able to sleep nearly as well as I did without this. I honestly attribute my sleeping well for the vast majority of my pregnancy to this pillow. In the last few weeks, I woke often, but it was mainly due to having to pee or the baby kicking me in the ribs especially hard.

Number four will come as no surprise as it's really a common sense item that everyone and their mother has shared on their pregnancy must-haves list. There are hundreds of different options out there from a decent variety of brands, but I always saw the same ones being recommended and for the most part they weren't actually maternity leggings, but a larger size from popular brands. I already had leggings one size up and while I agree that it can work for a little while, I knew I'd have a belly on the larger size due to it being a thing that always happens in my family so I opted to get real maternity leggings. These ones from RW&CO had good reviews, despite me only seeing them one one recommended list after I purchased them, so I chose these ones and my mother graciously bought them for me along with a few other maternity clothing items.

When I tell you that these are my favourite leggings of all time I'm not exaggerating. These are SO soft and I'm hoping the brand sells the same leggings but in the regular non-maternity version. These leggings fit me until the very end and I have zero complaints. I will 100% buy a new pair for my next pregnancy because I honestly wore these most days, washing them every time we put the laundry on. If there's one thing I recommend (despite them not being the most affordable at $50 when not on sale) is getting two pairs. Skip the maternity jeans altogether, I rarely wanted to wear mine and they didn't fit in the last two months anyway. These are worth the money in my opinion, but if you can't afford them I'm sure there are more affordable options out there that might not be as great, but will still be way more comfortable than leggings that aren't meant for pregnancy bellies.

Number five is a belly band! I didn't need this until my second trimester for two weeks while my belly went through a rapid growth experience, and then for most of my third trimester, but I still highly recommend it because it really came in handy whenever I knew I'd be walking for a longer period of time. The bigger image is of the band I purchased for pregnancy, but I realized after the fact that since I knew I was going to be purchasing a postpartum girdle that I could've skipped this altogether and simply purchased the girdle early on since the one I got includes a belly band as it has three separate pieces.

I wore this band every time we went grocery shopping once my belly really popped. I had a decent amount of round ligament pain because of how my baby was positioned. For a few weeks in my second trimester, I was very uncomfortable when doing a simple Costco run and this band made it possible for me to get through the trip without having to stop to rest. Thankfully the pain disappeared for a few months and it wasn't until the middle of my third trimester that I brought the band back out. I always kept it in my purse backpack just to be safe. Even though this isn't an item I needed most days, I still highly recommend it because there's nothing worse than having to physically hold your own belly up while trying to run errands because you need the support. It's what led to me buying this in the first place.

This is sixth on my list is another product I've never seen on any of the pregnancy must-haves lists, which is surprising to me because while it's something I only needed to use maybe five times total, it's the only thing that worked for me. This is going to be a little bit TMI, but I'm not the type of person that gets constipated easily. In my first trimester, I remained extremely regular, but in the latter half of my second trimester, I started noticing that I wasn't as regular as before and before I knew it several days had gone by without a bowel movement. This is very abnormal for me so I'm not used to the feeling. I did not like the feeling one bit. I went to my midwife and asked if there was anything I could take and she recommended trying Metamucil first since it's very mild and safe for pregnancy. Psyllium Husk Powder is the same ingredient used in Metamucil and it's much more affordable so I went for this instead. If it didn't work she'd prescribe something for me, but thankfully this worked magically. It is disgusting to be honest. I tried it a few different ways and found that adding it to a half-full cold water bottle and chugging it as quickly as possible, and then chasing it with the other half of the water bottle was the easiest way to stomach it.

I only needed to drink this three times before my bowel movements returned back to an acceptable level for the remainder of my pregnancy. I did need it twice in my third trimester and my pelvic floor therapist recommended it and said that the majority of her clients found a lot of success with it during pregnancy as well as post-partum. I did use it once postpartum at the very beginning when I was afraid to poop since I wasn't able to the day of or the day after giving birth. Thankfully this along with the laxative the hospital provided did the trick without causing pain so this is why this very gross powder made the cut!

Number seven is another one of those items that you've probably seen on most pregnancy must-have lists. I only purchased this in my third trimester after starting pelvic floor therapy (which I highly recommend if you have benefits that cover it) and did several exercises to help with back and hip pain, and helping strengthen my pelvic floor, or in my case, helping me learn how to relax it. I don't have much to say on this except to make sure you figure out which measurement you need. The ball I've linked is what I bought for me, but there are several sizes available and it's important that you select the size that works for you based on your height. I happened to get lucky where the size I got covers both my height and my husband's height range (despite there being a six-inch difference) so it's something we'll continue getting use from.

I'll talk more about this ball in a later post about inducing labour, but I did use it to do those exercises as well, and even a few times to help calm my crying baby down. Overall I highly recommend it!

Numbers eight through ten are things I used and recommend during pregnancy, but their purpose is mainly labour-related. Evening primrose oil is something my midwife recommended (please talk to your midwife or OB before taking it) once I entered my third trimester as it helps soften the cervix. She had me taking this orally up until 34 weeks, and then inserting it after that. Yup, you read that right. I'd poke a hole with a sterile needle and insert this directly into my cervix. A small warning: If you use this, don't get freaked out and think your water may have broken early or that you're leaking. I forgot about the oil one morning and thought I'd been leaking amniotic fluid because the scent is slightly sweet, but at my appointment that day my midwife reminded me that I was using this and it likely took longer to dissolve that day. oops. I do feel like it helped because my cervix was soft pretty early on, but we'll talk about that more in my inducing labour post.

The second last item on my list is Rasberry Leaf Tea! I'm sure you've heard of this in several pregnancy videos, especially near the end. A common misconception is that this helps induce labour. It does not. What this is supposedly supposed to do is make your labour easier. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I did find my labour fairly easy until certain interventions were required, so this is something I'll be using again in my next pregnancy. I started drinking this daily at 32 weeks with the approval of my midwife.