Pregnancy can be exhausting, uncomfortable, stressful, but also exciting and magical. Now having been through two of them, Dear Hayden founder Nicole, put together a list of some of her favorite things that she used during her pregnancies.
Melissa Wood Health prenatal workouts
I’ve always loved exercise and working out. Throughout the years I’ve gotten into everything from crossfit to hot yoga to kickboxing. I discovered Melissa Wood Health during the pandemic when I transitioned from working out at a gym to working out at home and have been a huge fan ever since. Her workouts are a take on pilates with a splash of yoga. She has workouts that involve light equipment like a pilates ball, ankle weights, or a band but also many that just call for body weight. Her workouts vary in length from as little as 8 minutes to 45 minutes. I love that you don’t need to carve out a big block in your day so on super busy days you can still get a quick workout in and feel like you’ve accomplished something. During my pregnancies, I loved her prenatal friendly workouts. I found that even when I was my most tired from pregnancy and chasing around a toddler all day, I was able to convince myself to do one of her workouts and I always felt amazing after.
Get a free 7 day trial of Melissa Wood Health HERE
Lululemon Align Pants
You have probably heard of these leggings and maybe even own a pair and are wondering what they would be doing on a list about pregnancy when these aren’t a maternity item. While these aren’t maternity leggings, they were by far my most worn item throughout my pregnancies, postpartum, and beyond. They have a ton of stretch so they do a great job of adjusting to your body as it grows throughout pregnancy. Even now, 19 months postpartum, these are still my most worn pair of leggings. They are buttery soft, stretchy, and extremely flattering. These are great for day to day wear as well as low intensity workouts like yoga or pilates. I sized up one size for my third trimester to have a little more give in the belly.
Hatch The Ultimate Before, During, and After Legging
I loved these HATCH leggings particularly in the second and third trimesters of my pregnancies. I found them to be extremely soft and I loved that the waistband didn’t put any pressure on my growing belly. These don’t have any compression so they are great for days that you want to feel like you aren’t wearing anything. Unlike the aligns, I wouldn’t wear these for any type of athletic activity. I paired these with sweaters or long sleeve tees and boots.
- Birkenstock slippers
True & Co Adjustable Strap Triangle Bra
During my pregnancies, my favorite underwire bras became unwearable because I couldn’t tolerate the underwire digging into my ribs where the baby was situated. I found THESE amazing bras from target. They are lightweight, unnoticeable under t-shirts, and most importantly incredibly comfortable.
If you are looking for a bra that you can wear during pregnancy but will also function as a nursing bra, I cannot recommend THIS ONE enough. I ended up with 4 of them because they were all I wanted to wear while nursing.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
The last thing you need when you are pregnant is chapped, dry, uncomfortable lips. I loved the smell and feel of this lip butter balm. I kept one in my night stand and one in my purse.
Yogi Tea:
As someone who lives for a glass of wine or two, I had to find alcohol free substitutions during pregnancy that I would look forward to enjoying. I loved drinking this tea at night during my pregnancies. If you’ve ever been to an Aveda hair salon, it tastes almost exactly the same as the aveda tea. It’s a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet.
*I am not a medical professional. Please consult with your healthcare provider to make the best decisions for you and your baby.
HATCH Belly Masks and Summer Fridays Babymoon Belly Balm
During the third trimester of my pregnancy with my son, my belly really popped and I ended up with itchy stretch marks all over my belly. I must have bought ten different belly and stretch mark creams trying to find one that had a consistency and smell that I liked and that actually worked. While I wasn’t able to get the stretch marks to go away completely, these products really helped to soothe and relieve the itch and gave my belly a mini spa experience.
Eberjey pajamas and CUUP underwear
During my pregnancies I was all about being comfortable. I had zero tolerance for anything that itched or put pressure on my belly and I only wanted the softest fabrics on my skin. I fell in love with Eberjey pajamas because they were incredibly soft and they didn’t cause me to overheat at night. As a bonus, they were perfect for newborn days because the buttons made for easy access during middle of the night feeds.
These CUUP underwear are the best I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried a lot. The modal fabric is incredibly soft and they don’t show underneath clothes. These are amazing during pregnancy but you definitely do not need to be pregnant to enjoy these!
Vuori Performance Joggers
Similar to the lululemon aligns, these are not a maternity item but I wore them at least twice a week during my pregnancies. The material is amazingly soft and they give you the cute jogger look without the frumpiness of a sweatpant. These are one of my favorite things to gift others for birthdays or holidays because everyone loves them.
Saranoni Bamboni Throw Blanket
We are absolutely obsessed with THIS blanket from Saranoni. I loved snuggling with it on the couch during my pregnancies. We loved it so much we ended up getting the receiving blanket for my son when he was born and the toddler size for my daughter. My daughter takes hers everywhere and it’s her most treasured possession.
Heating Pad
When I was pregnant with my second child, Julien, I had really bad back pain so I loved using a heating pad throughout the day when I was sitting and at night watching tv or reading before bed.
