If you’re pregnant or have ever been pregnant, you know that anything that makes your life easier is very welcome! For that reason, I’ve decided to let you all know about some of my favorite pregnancy “hacks.” These things were so helpful during my pregnancies and I’m happy to pass them along to you!

Pregnancy Pillow

Sleeping while pregnant is, well, difficult to say the least. It gets increasingly hard as your belly grows and there are “rules” about which positions to avoid and which are best. I guess it’s preparation for the lack of sleep you’ll get once your little one arrives. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating. So my first recommendation is a pregnancy pillow. The pillow gives you something to put in between your knees which keeps your spine aligned and it supports your back so you can sleep soundly on your side. I’m a belly sleeper so staying in my side wasn’t easy but my pillow helped so much! HERE is a link to the type I used.

Chiropractic Care

Another thing that may help with your sleep and comfort is chiropractic care! I swear by this not only for comfort during pregnancy but also to help prep your body for the best birth. During my second pregnancy, I saw a chiropractor once a week and I have no doubt that is why my little bubs was in the perfect position and his birth went so smoothly. I can’t exactly say the same thing about my first son’s birth. So find a Webster certified chiropractor and make an appointment!

Ginger Candies

The first trimester can be so rough. Exhaustion and nausea knock you off your feet. Add a toddler into the mix and it seems like you’ll never get through it. So THESE ginger candies (or tea or any kind of ginger) were my best friend. I kept them in my car, my purse, and all over my house. When the nausea would hit they’d give me a little relief so I could continue my day. Now, if you’re having full blown morning sickness, you may need something stronger to help so talk to your care provider!

Taking Baths

These were my little treats throughout the week. In the first trimester, they were my saving grace. During my second and third trimester, they were my alone time with baby. I had time to talk to baby and imagine my ideal birth. I had to MAKE time for these. Whether that was after Finn was in bed, during nap time, or once Vaughan was home from work, I worked in time for a couple baths per week. Your self care may look different and that’s okay – just find something that will help you relieve stress. And I cannot recommend taking time to imagine and “plan” your birth enough!

Non-maternity clothes

During both of my pregnancies, I loved finding clothes that were loose and flowy so I could wear them now and later. Luckily there are a lot of styles that work. Search for comfortable, loose fitting, long tops and stretchy leggings. I had to mix in a few maternity pieces but the majority of my wardrobe was made up of items I still wear now! And you’ll appreciate the loose fitting items when you’re newly postpartum!

Labor Playlist

Now, I started creating this playlist pretty much the day after Finn was born. I had a little one created for his birth, but never ended up turning it on during my labor (which is funny because we had SOOO much time to do so). After his birth went very different than we’d imagined it, I immediately started thinking about how I’d hopefully have a better experience in the future. This included a great playlist. So whenever I heard a song that “spoke” to me, I’d add it to my Spotify playlist. Mine ended up being mostly worship music, but of course whatever works for you is perfect! I photographed a birth this year where momma wanted to hear pop music to keep her energy up and it was perfect for her! Find your jam and create a playlist – I loved enjoying this music while pregnant and as soon as my labor started, I turned it on. It created such a sweet atmosphere for my labor and birth!

Bralettes

Let’s take a minute to talk about boobs. When you’re growing a human, your boobs inevitably change. They grow while you’re pregnant then they grow once your milk comes in. Then they shrink back and may not look quite the same…but that’s a whole other story. While your girls are growing you may not want to buy a new bra in each new size. I’ve found that bralettes are the perfect solution! I wore mine during pregnancy, I nurse in them, and I even wore one during labor! I have a few from THIS SHOP and love them.

Go easy on yourself

Growing a life is hard work. Read that last sentence a few times before proceeding. Go easy on yourself, momma! If you need to nap instead of cleaning up, do it and don’t apologize! If your toddler needs to watch a bit of extra television so you can rest, it’s okay! Make yourself the priority every now at then (at least)! You’re doing something incredible and you deserve to be happy and comfortable!

I hope these “hacks” were helpful to you! If you tried any of them, let me know in the comments!

*All images on this post are by Radian Photography