I will be celebrating my first official Mother’s Day this Sunday. I was about 8 months pregnant last year at this time. So to commemorate my first year as a mom I wanted to share my favorite  pregnancy products.

1. Boppy Pregnancy Pillow

Somewhere around the second trimester the doctor tells you that you can no longer sleep on your back or your stomach. I am a back sleeper so this was extremely difficult for me. Thankfully, my Valentine’s gift last year was this awesome pillow.
What I loved:

This pillow separates into three pieces so you do not need to use more than you want. I personally never slept with the “head” of the pillow, I preferred to use my own. Also, after my stomach got HUGE, the belly support piece got in the way. One of my favorite features is that it is machine washable. This is awesome because the night sweats were no joke!

2. Gummy Prenatal Vitamins

Before I got pregnant I started taking prenatal vitamins. I took these Nature Made PrenatalMulti + DHA 200 Mg Softgels. These were great for the first month or so but somewhere around the 8-10 week mark I started gag just at the thought of swallowing the pill. I wanted to continue taking vitamins, so I started to look for other options. Enter gummy vitamins!

What I loved:

These were seriously like eating candy. You have to take two but that was no big deal. They have all of the same important vitamins in them but without activating my gag reflex. The only downside was that sometimes I have sensitive teeth and the more sugary portion of the gummy made my teeth hurt now and then.

3. Tums Smoothies

I was blessed not to have morning sickness during my pregnancy, but what I did have was heartburn. All. The. Time. You seriously don’t know heartburn until you’re pregnant. I finished off my regular chalky Tums that I’d had before getting pregnant around month 3. When I went to buy more I knew I didn’t want chalk anymore. I tried the candy coated one and they were pretty awful. But the Smoothies? They were seriously the best thing since sliced bread.

What I loved:

They aren’t chalky! Seriously, you really don’t mind having to eat them after every meal. And in between meals. And before bed. You get the point. They are very smooth and melt in your mouth. I don’t even recall a bad aftertaste. From now on they are the only antacid I will buy.

4. Filtered Water Bottle

One of the number one things you will be told when pregnant is to drink water. While I’m no tree hugger, I just don’t feel right going through multiple plastic water bottles each day. And unfortunately school water fountains aren’t the most fresh.

I have used several different filtered water bottles since I started teaching. My first was the Brita Sport Water Bottle. I used this for years but I never really loved it. I didn’t like having to keep track of the little plastic cap that covered the mouth. I also did care for having to either squeeze or suck the water through the filter.

While I was pregnant I realized I needed a water bottle so I got this Brita Hard Sided Water Bottle. This was an improvement on the sports bottle because it had a straw the flipped down to protect it during travel. But you still had to suck the water through the filter. Also, about a month after baby girl was born I dropped my bottle on the top and it cracked open. It had a disgusting amount of gunk built up inside. That was not cool at all.

I was once again in the market for a water bottle and I finally found this ZeroWater Bottle. When we got married, we invested in the ZeroWater Pitcher and my hubby told me all about how great the filtration was on it. I figured they had to have a personal size version and I found it.

What I love:

This has a filter chamber so the water filters before you drink it. It holds up to 28 ounces, more than the other two bottles. Plenty to get me through my teaching periods if I don’t have time to refill (or trusted students to refill for me). The downside to this one is that it does take a few minutes to filter so you can’t fill it completely and be ready to walk out the door. Also, it has a tendency to leak if you tilt it while it is still filtering. Aside from that I love it and I have not had any problems.

What were your favorite products during pregnancy? Feel free to share below. I would love some tips before my next time around.

Martina

Note: I am not a doctor so if you are pregnant you should always consult your doctor before taking any vitamins, antacids, or other medications.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. While I may receive compensation, all thoughts and opinions are my own.