My Maternity Must-Haves

Now, this list is what I need.  You may hate them or adore them just as much as I do.  But, since this is my blog I get to be "all about me" when I want to.

1. Boppy Wedge Pillow - I have the whole huge maternity body pillow, but this wedge is really all I need.  When were on vacation, at camp, out of town it's what I take with me.  I don't know that I would sleep a wink without it.  Plus, it's only $15.  Not too bad for a good night's sleep.

2. Supportive Footwear - If I wear fun, cute shoes I get back aches and pains.  So, not only do I have maternity clothes, but maternity shoes.  When I was pregnant with Tillie it was mostly through the winter/early spring and I had these ASGI mary janes in gray.  I literally wore them every day.  This time around it's mostly spring/summer so I live in Chaco flip flops and Teva wedges.  I've tested this theory on Sundays or at weddings.  If I wear any other of my cute shoes it's hard to walk by the end of the night.  When I wear these three pairs of shoes I walk like a normal person.  Win.

3. Camelbak Water Bottle - I drink tons of water when I'm pregnant.  I do even when I'm not, but my water consumption goes way up during these 9 months and any amounts of breastfeeding I get in.  I adore this water bottle(mine is pink!) and use it all the time.  Tillie steals it from me often though...

4. White Maternity Tees - There are some weeks when I feel like all I wear is denim capris and white tee shirts.  I've not found many maternity tops that I like this time around.  Everything is either a style I don't like, ruched on the side or an ugly color.

5. Necklaces - Since I'm wearing white tees all the time, I need bright colored and fun necklaces to spice them up.  My favorite right now is a Mommy Necklace(Yes, the name is kind of dumb, but they're handmade in Holland, MI!) that has since been discontinued in blues and greens.  I wear it excessively.  Plus, necklaces are something I buy now that will always fit and I can wear later.

6. Belly Band - A lot of people like to use these with "regular" pants before they really need maternity pants.  Not having my pants zipped all the way kind of weirds me out, so I only use them with maternity pants.  They're awesome though.  A lot of maternity pants just don't stay up right and using these as a "belt" works wonders.  Plus, they give a little extra support to that growing belly.

7. Demi Panel and Back Panel Jeans - My favorite style is the demi panel.  They're super-comfortable, stay up pretty well and lay nicely under shirts.  The back panel is nice(The link I have is actually a pretty ugly pair of pants, all my jeans are from when I was pregnant with Tillie.) because you still get a zipper and button in the front so you feel like a normal person.  I think these fit nicer when you're 8months+ because they're low in the front and don't make you feel like your belly is suffocating in a panel.  However, I do always have to wear a Belly Band with them or else they don't really stay up on me.  I did buy a pair of full panel pants(mine are white denim) this year and they look great on, but they're so annoying.  They slide down just like all other maternity pants, but are harder to pull back up because of the panel being at the top of your belly.  You basically have to pull your shirt up to pull up your pants.  Klassy.

8. Skirts  - I really find maternity skirts to be the most comfortable thing to wear.  There's also the added bonus that I feel more pulled together and not schlumpy which is an easy rut to fall in while pregnant.  There are also some knit skirts that aren't even maternity that work well.  Buying new clothes that don't have a time limit is awesome.

9. Chafing Gel - This isn't something that most people want to talk about, but this stuff is awesome.  I've worn skirts for most of the summer, but inner thigh chafing is a problem for me while pregnant.  I know, way more than you wanted to know.  But, someone shared this product with me when they were pregnant and I'm so glad they did.

10. Granola Bars - Particularly in the first few months, but even know, if I don't eat enough protein I don't feel too great.  Granola bars are perfect to keep in my purse, car, the diaper bag, etc. for when I need a quick pick-me-up.  The first week at camp is "nut free" and it was a little hard for me!