Pregnancy: First Half Favourites

There is a tonne of stuff you could run out and buy when you find out you’re pregnant – and I’ve certainly treated myself to some new bits and bobs – but I’ve discovered there are some things worth your pennies, and some things you just don’t need.  Here I’m sharing my first half of pregnancy favourites – the things that got me through the first and second trimester (yeah I know that’s more than half – so sue me).

New bras

Nevermind my tummy growing, my boobs pretty much blew up in the first trimester, and those bad boys grew quickly!  I only had one bra that even covered them, and that was not a comfortable option.  I booked an appointment at trusty Debenhams and got re-fitted.  I’d gone from a 32DD to a 34FF.  Yikes.

I decided not to buy maternity bras, given I was still wearing underwired bras comfortably, and wanted as much support as possible for my new, enlarged lady lumps.  I got two balcony bras from the Gorgeous DD+ range because I still wanted to feel like I could pull off a bit of sexy underwear, rather than going full on mumsy from the off.  I picked up black and white in the same style.

I love the bra fitting service at Debenhams, and would always recommend getting fitted regularly!  I wrote a whole post about it here.  My boobs don’t seem to have had another growth spurt and the bras I bought are still comfortable, so I’ll be getting another fitting closer to my due date, which is when I’ll pick up some nursing bras.

Comfy pyjamas

I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my pregnancy asleep.  It’s a tiring business, this whole growing a baby thing.  So you can’t go wrong with a comfy and cosy pair of pyjamas.  I’ve been living in these Hunkemoller beauties*, because they’re soft and have an elasticated waist (similar bottoms here and similar top here).  I am a size 10 and I went for a medium, which is listed as a 12-14.  I like my pyjamas loose and comfy and I’d say the bottoms were true to size, but for a lady with quite big bosoms, the top came up a little small.  Take that into account when ordering!

Now I’ve got a big bump – and it’s got considerably warmer – I’ve moved onto oversized nighties to keep me a bit cooler and to give baby a bit more room.  I’ve got my eye on a couple of these two for £22.50 numbers, but I’ll maybe get them in XL!

Palmer’s cocoa butter / Bio Oil

I have NO IDEA whether stretch marks can be prevented, whether they’re genetic or what the craic is with them, but I decided I’d moisturise as often as possible to give my skin a fighting chance.  I started off with Palmer’s cocoa butter for stretch marks, which smells lovely, is easily absorbed and is not tested on animals.  Top tip from me – buy the bottle with the pump, because it’s very difficult to squeeze out when your hands are all slippery.

After my first trimester, I then moved onto Bio Oil, because for some reason, it said not to use it before 12 weeks.  Bio Oil is a frustrating one for me, because on the one hand I LOVE IT: it’s made my skin feel SO much better, easing any itching I’ve had from my expanding skin, and I’m not sure I can survive the rest of pregnancy without it.  On the other hand, I can’t seem to find whether it’s cruelty free or not and that is causing me moral angst.

Pregnancy pillow

Oh mumma, this has got to be one of the best things I’ve been given in my entire life (it was a V Day pressie from the husbear – top marks to him).  I had no idea that you’re meant to sleep on your left side when pregnant, but I used to sleep on my front, and that soon became v. uncomfortable.  I kept rolling onto my back (which is not recommended when pregnant) so I needed something to help me.

The pregnancy pillow I got is the Summer Infant Maternity Body Support Pillow (top rated by IndyBest dontcha know) and it is my new bae.  It’s £40 from JoJo Maman Bebe and it’s worth every penny (even if it is a total cock blocker).  It wraps all around my body, supporting my neck and bump, then tucking between my legs to keep my spine straight and curving around my back to stop me rolling over.  It’s like spending the night spooning a squishy, soft, lovable snake.

It works really well at keeping my neck, bump and spine straightened but I’m not sure how effective it is at stopping me from rolling onto my back because I can still do that.  Still love it though.

Maternity jeans

I talked about these a little bit in my first trimester post, but I can’t recommend them enough.  And I can’t recommend getting them early on enough.  I got an under bump and over bump pair, but can now only really get away with the over bump pair, which I have in blue and black.  They’re both from ASOS and I think they’re great value.

I’ve kept fairly true to size in pregnancy – I’m still wearing mostly a size 10, just in maternity fit – but I’ve noticed that maternity sizing is all over the place, so order a few pairs and work out what feels comfortable.  The ASOS ones have a bit of give – so don’t be alarmed if they feel a bit tight at first.  I ordered a size 12 and kept them, but really now they’re worn in, they fall down all the time.

BabyCentre app

Those first 12 weeks of pregnancy feel like they drag for years, and normally, if you’re keeping things secret, you’ve got hardly anyone to talk to about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through.  I decided to download a pregnancy app and ended up checking it every day.  BabyCentre shows you the size of your baby, how it’s developing, what symptoms to expect, and includes loads of other helpful articles, like what foods to avoid.

It is a bit of a double-edged sword though, because it also gave me access to a forum for people whose due date is the same month as yours.  I found myself scrolling through this as well, but after a while, I realised it was making me much more anxious than I needed to be.  I was hearing other women’s anxieties, and there was no one to reassure me or dispel any of the myths people were sharing.  I decided to step back from the forum, and now don’t really look at it – that was a really good decision for my mental health during an already pressured time.

So there you have it, my pregnancy first half favourites.  Let me know if there’s anything that got you through, or whether you have any of the bits I have!

♥ JH

My cosy Hunkemoller pjs were kindly gifted to me, but all opinions about them are my own.

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