pod ep 13 - pregnancy must-haves
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[00:00:00] Welcome to this sleep by Alex podcast. I am a certified pediatric sleep consultant and a mom of three, and I will be bringing you quick science backed sleep advice to get you and your baby or a toddler sleeping well.
Hi. Hi. Hi everybody. How's it going? I am excited for this episode because it's going to be fun. It's a little different.
I get to talk about everything that I love and that I need throughout my pregnancies.
So if you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant at some point, then you should definitely listen up because I picked my top level things that are my must haves . That helped make my pregnancy maybe just a tad bit enjoyable.
Actually, enjoyable is not the right word. I am not a very fun, nice, pregnant lady. I don't enjoy being pregnant. If you do kudos to you. But these things at least just give me a little sparks of joy and help me get through it a little bit better.
And this is my fourth baby. So by now I've tried [00:01:00] many of the things, and of course you figure out what you actually need and you don't actually need. So these are like after four pregnancies, my must haves that I truly, truly love.
I've also put together a super simple list for you linked in the show notes. If you wanna check out any of these things, click that link. I've put it all together in one place for you. In case you hear something that you wanna check out or order, go check it out in that link
and let's get started. I am starting with my number one thing that I need in pregnancy. If I was gonna pick anything on this list that I could not live without, if I could only pick one thing, this is going to be it. So if you're gonna get yourself anything today, it has to be this.
I don't care who you are, even if you're in your first trimester. You need a pregnancy pillow, but not just any pregnancy pillow. A huge ass pregnancy pillow, one that goes like all the way around your body on both sides. The biggest one you can find. I don't care if your partner doesn't like it in the bed, my [00:02:00] husband doesn't enjoy it.
I don't care if your dog needs to be moved to the side because you need to fit it in your bed. Whatever is the case. Sorry. Partners and dogs and children, if they sleep in your bed, you're getting one of these. Okay.
This thing is the only way I can sleep and it doesn't need to be when you're like huge in your third trimester. I break this puppy out by like eight or nine weeks. I am not even kidding. Just trust me on this. It snuggles me to sleep every single night. It makes me feel supported on every side. , it helps me not end up like flat on my back and uncomfortable all of the time, and it just keeps me nice and propped up.
I can have half of it behind me, supporting my back with the other half in between my legs, and I'm snuggling up to it. It's just divine. I literally pack this thing in the car if we go on trips because I can't be without it. Got a new one this time around because of course I got rid of like all my baby stuff after having Cal.
Um, this new one I got has a super [00:03:00] soft cover, which I really like, and of course you can take it off and wash it, which we need. Um, I got this one on Amazon, so super easy to get. Not very expensive. Just trust me on this. You need one of these. However far along you are, it is worth it. 1000%.
Okay, sorry, my pregnancy pillow rant, but moving on from that, but staying in the realm of comfort.
This I use in combination with my pregnancy pillow every night when I go to bed, and it is truly magical. Is my heating pad? Yes. Just a simple heating pad that you plug into the wall. This one has different levels of heat. I think it has like six different levels. You can have it lower or higher, and then it has a timer on it, so you don't need to worry about falling asleep while you're using it.
I think that's like thirty, sixty, ninety, a hundred twenty minutes, whatever you wanna set it for. It's like a rectangle piece of fabric, and I snuggle up into my pregnancy pillow. I turn that sucker on. I place it on my lower back, and it is so helpful. If you're pregnant or you've been pregnant, you know that feeling, especially by the end of the [00:04:00] day of your lower back, just feeling like so tight and sore and exhausted.
This is almost instant relief for that feeling. The warmth just like soothes the muscles and really takes away that discomfort and pain as I'm trying to go to sleep.
I even will use it throughout the day, like I'll grab it and plug it in at my desk and I'll prop it behind my back as I sit at my desk and work.
, it's just such a simple purchase. I got it from Amazon. I think it was 15 or 16 bucks, totally worth it because I use it every single night. , and then I'm also gonna be using it postpartum. So. Sometimes after you have a baby, you can often have some intense cramping, especially when you're feeding your baby, if you're nursing them.
I found that the more babies I have, the worse those cramps get by my third baby. The last one that I had, I was in a ton of pain every time I fed him, , I wanna say it was for the first week or so, at least. Holy moly. The heating pad was the only thing that helped give me some [00:05:00] relief, so I would make sure it's turned on.
If I knew he needed a feed, I would prop it right, like, you know, on my belly where my uterus is, and then I would feed him and it would help with those cramps so much. So what's nice is you can use it throughout your pregnancy. You can use it postpartum. The first two, I really didn't need that postpartum.
Um, but by the third I definitely did. I think they just got worse as I had more and more babies. And the cramping was just more intense. So I'm glad that I have this for when the fourth one comes.
And of course, once you get your period back and maybe you start having cramps again, like you can always use it for that as well. It's just been a nice little thing that adds some comfort for me by the end of the day, and I'm really glad I made this purchase.
Now moving on, but still staying in the comfort category. Of course.
I found the most amazing pajama pants, and they're just from Target. They're nothing fancy. They're a random find. I got them before I was pregnant and when I found them before I was pregnant, I was already like every time I put them on, these are [00:06:00] the best things I've ever owned in my life.
I do not like tight things on me when I sleep. I don't want it to be tight like a legging. I don't even wanna feel like I'm wearing pants, but I still want to be wearing pants. Does that make sense? And especially while I'm pregnant. Oh my gosh. There better not be anything tight around me while I'm sleeping.
Right. These pants are the iest like baggiest, stretchies pants I've ever owned in the best way possible. And what's nice is they fit you when you're not pregnant. So it's an investment that you're gonna be able to wear them forever, but they will stretch all the way until I am 40 plus weeks.
They feel like a cloud on my legs and I can move and twist and turn and they're just like flowy . And wide lagged. And I am just obsessed with them. And they're also cute. They're like a little ribbed design. They have cute colors. I have three pairs of course. Um, I have the gray and the cream and the pink.
I think I only linked the cream and the gray for you. I think they were sold outta the pink. But maybe if you go to your local store, you [00:07:00] can find the pink. I don't know, they're really cute. But I find myself like reaching for these anytime that they are clean . And if all three pairs are dirty, I really sad that night and really upset.
I should probably just get more, maybe I should just order more. Yeah, I should. Okay. I just convinced myself to order more so I can have them seven days the week. Because why not? We deserve to be comfortable. Right, and like I said, they're not maternity pants, so you can wear them after the baby is born.
You can hang on to them. You can buy them if you're not pregnant.
Staying in the realm of clothes a little bit. I hate maternity clothes. I don't like maternity leggings. They. Feel nice the moment that you put them on.
And then as the day goes on, they're like falling down around your crutch. They don't look cute. They get stretched out and baggy.
They like fall down around my butt. They just don't stay upright, and they're so uncomfortable and they feel nice for a little bit until I realize that no, these aren't comfortable. These don't feel nice. I just don't enjoy them. I also don't love the maternity stuff that goes like all the way up [00:08:00] to my boobs.
I mean, some things if they fit well, are fine, but most of the time I just don't want that bothering me all day long. So pretty much the only thing I wear when I'm pregnant is the Lululemon, a align pants and shorts. And yes, these are not cheap. I totally understand. But I did not buy these for pregnancy.
These are just things that I've had over the years that I happen to wear through my whole pregnancy because the Lululemon pants, the Align ones specifically, they're super stretchy. I can wear them my entire pregnancy and postpartum and forever, right? So it's really worth my investment.
They are not see-through. When I bend over, they stay up. I don't need to like pull them up all day long. They're super comfortable. They're nice fabric. They don't feel cheap because they aren't cheap, but like I said, these are just pants that I wear on the daily anyways when I'm not pregnant. So for me, they're worth the [00:09:00] investment.
My maternity pants, I end up just like throwing in a closet, giving away whatever it may be. I wear them for a couple months and that's it.
I specifically like the Lulu line pants that are, I think 28 inches. And then I love the Lulu line, um, biker shorts. I think they're the six inch ones. I like the biker shorts as well because they don't like. Roll up. I don't have my thighs chafing all day long. They're long enough so that my thighs aren't rubbing together.
And if you're pregnant, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And I'm not needing to pull them down all day long. They just sit there nicely on my legs. And like I said, they grow with me. I can wear them when I'm not pregnant, when I'm first, second, third trimester postpartum. Amazing. One downside, of course, is like as your belly gets really, really big, you know, you're 30, 35, whatever, 40 weeks pregnant, they're not necessarily gonna go up all the way over your belly, right?
So right now, they might be up over my belly button for the most part, [00:10:00] but as time goes on, they're getting lower and lower as my belly gets bigger and bigger. So if you're wearing like a cropped top or something, it's probably not gonna cover your whole belly.
So either rock the cropped top and show your little belly, which I like to do sometimes. Or you're gonna throw on, you know, a maternity tank top or oversized tea or something in order to cover the rest of your belly. They're not necessarily always gonna go up and over your whole belly all the way to your like rib cage, right?
Like some maternity leggings would go.
I also totally understand if you like the maternity leggings and you like the maternity shorts that go all the way up over your belly. And I get, if you don't wanna pay, you know, 70 bucks for a pair of shorts, completely understand that. So I actually did order some from Amazon as well that are maternity biker shorts, and they ended up being really cute actually.
They're super, super soft. They're only like 10 bucks a pair. I got a two pack for 19 99, 1 black and one dark pink. I linked them for you in that little list that I made in the [00:11:00] show notes from Amazon. So they'll come quick and yeah, of course the feeling is not like the Lulus, they're not as thick and they're not as like, they don't feel as luxurious, but they are really, really soft.
They're really comfortable. I was able to wear like a cute little crop top because it sort of covered my whole belly, which was kind of nice.
And I'm perfectly fine reaching for these if the Lulus are in the wash. So these are definitely a really good like budget friendly sort of option. , if you could just want some quick, cheap pairs to order and be comfortable and know that like you're only gonna use them for a few months and that's fine.
Okay to finish up in the sort of clothing realm, shoes, this is no joke if your back hurts while you're pregnant. I really hope to God you are not wearing flip flops or converse or something like that. You need some supportive shoe.
I cannot live without these three pairs of shoes while I'm pregnant. Okay. The first and number one is my [00:12:00] Birkenstocks. I'm a Birkenstock girly. You need the real deal. Arizona ones. I love the soft, like suede ones. I have the tan. Those are my favorite. I have three pairs of Birkenstocks, the rubbery kind, the um, not the soft sway, but the more like hard kind.
And then I have the Arizona soft footbed suede tan ones, and they are my number one shoe. I've had them for literally years, and throughout my pregnancies, I have to wear these every single day. If it's like, of course, weather where I can wear sandals,
if I don't wear supportive shoes like these, my whole body hurts, my feet, my back, my legs, like everything. So if you're not wearing supportive shoes all day, please, please try and find some that work for you.
Even while I'm walking around the house, I have to be wearing shoes, so I prefer not to always be wearing my shoes inside, of course. So what I need to wear most of the time when I'm inside are some supportive slippers. The only slippers I will wear are the U slippers with like the really thick bottom.
I love those and I have to be wearing those [00:13:00] all day as I walk around my house. If I am barefoot, my body once again is going to hurt. Much worse. This is the same when I'm not pregnant as well. Like I have to be wearing these in the house or else I'm uncomfortable. The only downside to the U slippers is they're hot.
So right now it's fine because our house does have air conditioning, and my U slippers are a couple years old, so all of the fur inside basically is gone. But if you get a fresh pair, they're gonna be really hot and warm. So either wait till the winter, or if you have air conditioning, you might still enjoy them.
I definitely love them so much, but if you're gonna be hot, especially while being pregnant. And I'll even get hot during the day, even with my like fur list slippers. So I will just end up wearing my Birkenstocks around the house 'cause I have no other choice.
But they're always an option if you want a slipper rather than a shoe. And finally, as far as like tennis shoes or running shoes. I have the Hoka Iraqi seven, I think they're called. Um, I don't know if I'm saying that right. The running shoes, they're white with like a really cute rose gold sort of logo, I [00:14:00] guess.
They look really nice and they are so supportive and comfortable for going on walks. I have these little like slip on. Adidas tennis shoes, which were great when I wasn't pregnant and they were totally fine and you just slip 'em on. You don't need to tie them. And they're just like lightweight and thin and it was great for me to pop them on and go for a walk or like wear for the day.
But when I got pregnant, they got more and worn comfortable and I realized how much I hated them and they sucked. And so I went and bought some hokas and these ones that I got, they weren't super expensive and they're really cute. And they look good with everything 'cause they're white and that just goes with everything.
I feel like.
Okay. Moving out of clothes and into kind of beauty slash skincare slash that sort of realm. Is the ritual. Prenatal vitamins. So this is actually the first pregnancy that I've used, the ritual vitamins. I just happened to try them because I heard like, you know, you need methylated folate or whatever they were saying.
Now, of course. Um, and the [00:15:00] prenatal vitamins I was using with my previous pregnancies didn't have that type of folate. So I was like, oh, interesting. Let me try these other ones. And so I happened to just pop on Amazon and order one bottle of the ritual vitamins and. They have been so enjoyable. This sounds really weird, but I feel like if you're a girl like me, you're gonna know what I'm talking about.
I just like the look and feel of them. First of all, I think the bottle looks nice. It's like a nice clear bottle. You can see all the vitamins inside. The vitamins have this like special look to them. They look almost like golden or something. And then this is the best bit. They're minty Now I think you can get a citrus flavor too, but I have the mint.
And at first it was so surprising. It was weird to get used to that. They were minty every time I swallowed them. And now like I really enjoy it. I like look forward to taking them. 'cause they have this like minty esque flavor to them, which is so strange. But it's so much better than tasting like a vitamin and you know what I'm talking about?
Or tasting like fish or something. So. These are really nice. , they have the type of folate that you want and [00:16:00] need and they have a flavor. I haven't tried the citrus, I linked the mint for you 'cause I've tried the mint and I love the mint. But if you're not into mint, maybe try the citrus and see how you like that one.
They also just go down easily, which is nice.
Now another sort of beauty related thing that I really enjoy during pregnancy
is the OEA body oil. Okay, wait, hold on. Let me see exactly what it's called. Oea Aria, algae body oil. I guess that's what it's called. I don't know. Anyways, this body oil, I did not get this for pregnancy. I've had this for a while. It is not something that's meant specifically for like stretch marks or anything like that by, I just find it so nice to use.
It smells really good. . It feels really good going on. It dries nicely. You don't feel oily or anything. They say you can put it on dry or damp skin. I prefer to put it on my damp skin. So what I do is I take a shower and then as I turn off the water, I sort of like shake myself off so I'm not [00:17:00] dripping wet as sort of like squeegee myself off with my hand and then I just keep it in the shower with me.
I find this is the. A way that I can use it most consistently and then I'll rub it all over my whole body and especially like I'll put a couple extra pumps on my belly. It's just nice for just a regular moisturizer, regular body oil, and you know when your tummy and your back and your sides, they just start to feel a little stretched and dry and like itchy as you grow.
It just really helps with that feeling. I don't get that feeling when I use this when I get outta the shower. And once again, it's not necessarily meant for pregnancy or stretch marks or something specific like that. I just really enjoy this as a body oil and it seems to work really nicely with my belly.
Okay. Now I have two other skincare products that I'm obsessed with. Once again, I did not get these while being pregnant. I have been using these for quite a while, but the reason that they're my MVPs during pregnancy is because they work so well and they're safe for pregnancy, which makes me so happy.
So I love [00:18:00] Dime Beauty. Anything from Dime Beauty, I love, I have super sensitive skin. If I try new things, I instantly break out. Dime. Beauty has been the only thing that I can consistently use over time that does not break me out. And I know everybody has different skin, so it may not work for you of course, but for somebody who breaks out really easily, it has completely changed my skin.
My skin feels like baby soft, which is so nice. Specifically, my two MVPs for during pregnancy are the Dime Beauty TBT serum, and TBT cream. I use like six or seven dime beauty products, so I'm not gonna list all of those other things. I'm just gonna pick these two because what they are is they're a natural retinol alternative, so you can still use them even when you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
They're safe to use.
And of course, like I said, I use this instead of retinol even when I'm not pregnant. But the TBD serum is just a nice little serum that you drop a couple drops, put it on your skin, I swear it [00:19:00] makes my face, feels like a baby's butt, and then the cream is just a nice way to finish it off. I love these two things.
I love that I can get the feeling of using retinol without actually needing to use one.
And like I said, I'm just obsessed with Dime Beauty, if you ever wanna chat about that. I have, you know, six other products that I love to use, but these are my two favorite, being that you can get the same sort of results that you would with other things, but you can keep doing it, be even when you're pregnant.
Okay. These next two things are very important. If you experience reflux during pregnancy, I get this really bad and
oh my gosh, my cat is eating her kibble like right next to me. Boo boo. Hopefully you can't hear that. Come on girl. We're trying to work here. Come here. Gimme that. Thank you.
Okay. If you have reflux during pregnancy it is so uncomfortable, especially if you're trying to sleep. So I use these two things together and it completely makes it go away. [00:20:00] First is papaya enzymes. So I get, I think they're the American health ones.
Once again, I've linked it.
They are just like little chewable, tastes like candies. You chew three of them after your meal or whenever you're having reflux. They work super quickly. They taste way better than like the chalky tums, and I just really, really rely on these After my meals. But not just those. I have to have a glass of almond milk.
That sounds so, so strange. And I don't normally just drink almond milk for fun, and I don't like cow's milk, so I'm not sure if cow's milk works the same or another type of milk works the same. Probably does,
but all I do is chew three of those papaya enzymes and then I pour a small glass of almond milk. You don't need too much. I chug it down and instant relief like a minute later. I'm not even kidding. So this is what I always have to have in my house, and when I'm feeling crappy and I have that refluxy [00:21:00] feeling.
I just go grab these, chug the almond milk and we are good to go.
Okay. I have two more things for you before I let you go. And these last two things are actually not things that I could link. So just listen up.
The first thing I need during pregnancy, even though sometimes I really don't want it, is movement and exercise. I hate to say it, but it truly, truly does help
as much as you just want to like veg out on the couch all day long. I completely understand and I have days like that as well. But I feel so much better when I continue with my daily workout routine, especially first thing in the morning. You have to do it first thing in the morning before your body is already tired from the whole day by the end of the day.
Sometimes I can barely walk, so it's gotta happen right when I wake up after I have some coffee.
And this movement actually helps me feel physically better throughout the rest of the day. Don't get me wrong. I am not moving anywhere near in the same way as I do when I am not pregnant. Okay? Not even close, but I am continually moving. Slow and steady wins the [00:22:00] race a little bit.
Each day is better than nothing at all.
What I specifically prefer to do as my exercise is strength training,
so I'm using dumbbells and I'm lifting weights. That's the primary thing I focus on during my pregnancy and outside of my pregnancy is strength training.
Now, of course, if I'm feeling a little crazy, I wanna go to a little extra. Lately we've been going on more walks, so I'm trying to get myself to take the kids on more walks, especially now that we're on summer break and we have more time. And so if we're going somewhere like the park or the library, we're gonna walk there.
Even though of course I would love to just drive,
but the more I keep myself moving in these ways, the better my body ends up feeling in the long run. Lately. I've even been trying to pop back on the Peloton bike here and there. This is tough and few and far between. It's probably happened like less than 10 times this whole pregnancy, but I'm trying to do it more and more, especially the last couple weeks.
So some days it's just a 30 minute strength workout, and some days I'm doing all three of these things. Like I do the strength workout and I help on the Peloton and we take a walk. But this is not every single day. I [00:23:00] mostly like at least 30 minutes of strength, if not 45 or 60. And then if I get anything else in there, great.
Amazing, like kudos to myself.
And finally the thing that you need and that I need is sleep. Of course, you wouldn't think I'd make it through a whole podcast without emphasizing how important your sleep is. I mean, come on, you're growing a freaking child. Your body needs to rest and recover. Your body needs sleep. I go to bed early. I do not scroll on my phone after the kids are in bed.
Every once in a while I'll watch a show before bed, but that's like once or twice a week because I don't sleep as well that way I sleep better if I read before bed or if I listen to a podcast before bed and then I watch my trash TV early in the morning.
I'm usually hitting like seven and a half hours of sleep at night. Sometimes I'll get up to eight. It just depends. I wake up really early at like 4 45 or five o'clock, so sometimes it can be hard to fit eight hours in if I don't like make it to bed right on time. But for the most part, once the kids are in bed at that sort [00:24:00] of 7 30, 8 o'clock mark, I'm making sure the dishwasher is running and I get straight in my pajamas and do my skincare, and I go to bed.
I am gearing up for having another baby. I am getting all the sleep physically possible. And my body is working hard. It's doing a lot of things right now, so my body needs the sleep to rest and recover and feel okay for the next day, especially when I have a really active lifestyle.
If you're not getting great sleep, or maybe you are still dealing with a toddler that's up in the middle of the night and you're about to welcome a newborn, then I highly recommend you shoot me a message and reach out to me because you need some sleep, especially if you have another baby on the way.
It's one thing to be taking care of one child all night long. It's another thing to be pulled in multiple different directions all night long. So I'm happy to help you make sure sleep is on track for yourself and of course, so that you can give your all to your newborn baby in the middle of the night and not have to worry about anybody else needing you.
Well, I hope you enjoyed , this episode. Before I let you go. I [00:25:00] do just wanna let you know that my next group sleep coaching session is starting this week. So we start at the beginning of each month.
This one is starting Thursday, July 3rd at 12:45 PM Pacific Time. I. If you have a four to 24 month old who is not sleeping well, who is hard to get to sleep, who requires a lot of help to fall asleep and stay asleep, who needs contact naps, or who takes 30 minute naps, or who wakes up frequently in the middle of the night, whatever it may be, that you're struggling with your four to 24 month old, this is the group for you.
You're gonna be able to join for only $17 if you use the code podcast at checkout.
You are gonna have me and a group of supportive parents to go through this process together. You'll have a whole course to guide you through it. You can send me your questions all day, every day if you want to. And there's no time commitment.
You can stay for this month's group sleep coaching, and then you can cancel your membership. Or if you'd like to continue, of course you can stay for as long as you want, but once again, you'll get 50% off your first month if you use that code podcast.
So [00:26:00] for 17 bucks, you can join our group and check it out and see if the Sleep by Alex membership is for you. And we can get you sleeping, especially if you have another baby on the way and you're pregnant and you're tired. We've gotta get you sleeping. Okay, everyone, I hope you enjoyed this episode. I know it was a little different than the other ones.
Let me know if you wanna hear more like this. I'm of course gonna go into my newborn must haves at some point as well. I hope you have a lovely week and I'll see you next week.
