Six Products That Saved Me During My First Tri-Mester

Pregnancy is tough man, your body is changing, your mind is changing (goodbye memory!), and you're preparing for a whole new person to join your family and soak up all of your attention for essentially the rest of your life.

That said, it's the little things that have been life savers. Things like green & pink jolly ranchers to help with nausea, keeping a banana next to the bed for middle of the night hunger pains, and accepting that climbing 5 stairs is the pregnant woman's equivalent to Mt Everest.

Besides that though, for reals, there have been a few things that have really saved me and I wanted to share them with you guys in case any mommas-to-be needed some help or re-assurance as I sure do.

My List of Favorite Pregnancy Products:

Olly Gummy Vitamins: Ok so I started taking these last may (we got pregnant in December) and at that point a few friends had told me I was silly for thinking gummies could give me what I need and that I really should switch to other prenatals. So I did and they were fine. Then a friend told me (my Dr actually didn't think it was necessary) that I should take an extra DHA supplement, so fish oil pills were added to the daily routine. At about 10 weeks the two pills were making me so nauseas (gagging from trying to swallow the huge one and burping up a fishy taste from the other) that I called my Dr and spoke to a nurse about switching back to the gummies. She said it was TOTALLY FINE. As long as they had 800mg of folic acid and 200mg of DHA I could definitely take them if they made me feel better. And they do. So guess what, I know some people turn up their nose at gummies but for me that's what works and my Dr office is ok with it. SO cheers to these delicious little nuggets that I actually enjoy eating everyday.
Olly Protein Powder w/DHA: speaking of DHA. Again my Dr wasn't concerned with it but once someone tells you it's important it's hard to not think about. Additionally I haven’t been eating a ton of salmon which is one of the best ways to get it in, but I have eaten a lot of eggs and they're high in DHA as well. Anyways I wanted to up my intake and didn't want to take more vitamins (because as my Dr said, the best way to get all of these nutrients is from your food). So I started a routine of a little protein shake - 2 scoops of Olly Protein Powder + 10oz of Horizon Organic DHA 2% Milk. I drink it after my workout and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
BetterLife Produce Wash: I have been a HUGE fan of their products for a while now but the produce wash is new to me. I have been even more careful and aware of the raw fresh produce I eat because as pregnant lady if you get sick from some bacteria it's a lot worse. This produce wash is natural and organic and works wonders.
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: Truth is, I have used this product since I was barely a teen getting my first pimple. My parents owned beauty supply stores so I found this ointment early on and it has been my go-to forever. I never had bad skin growing up but the occasional zit for sure. When I went off BC in May my skin was fine for a few months and then took a turn. Ever since my skin has never been the same, zits every week it's so sad. But this stuff works like a charm and zaps those suckers asap.
Palmers Body Oil: I have always been a Palmers fan. I use their swivel sticks as chapstick and adore their regular cocoa butter lotion. So when it was time to start oiling the belly and all those other spots that expand it was a no brainer to turn to them. I like the scent so that's a huge plus and so far so good. I'm still pretty early so time will tell but I enjoy the routine of it and compared to others (see below) it's inexpensive.
Clarins Body Treatment Oil: This was a splurge but the first bottle was bought with a gift card I happened to have, WOO WOO! My sister-in-law was the one who recommended it. She has 3 kids and avoided stretch marks using this particular oil the entire time. She swears by it. The only tricky part is it has a really strong smell and I'm not quite ready for that yet. I still think I will use it but I want to run through my Palmers first and see how it goes then try out the Clarins. It's also pretty pricey, but I mean who can put a price tag on avoiding stretch marks??