Raisingkids.co.uk's Baby Blogger takes a look at some of the most useful purchases any pregnant woman can make.
The 'Me' List
When you're pregnant, you find yourself sitting on the bus, in the bath or on one of your increasingly-frequent trips to the toilet making lists of things that you really, really need for when the baby arrives.
But, what about the stuff you need before that? You know – the stuff for you. And I'm not just talking about ever increasingly unflattering maternity bras and stuff for the 'hospital bag'. (Which incidentally has an iconic status among expectant parents. 'You've packed how many maternity towels?' etc.)
Where's My Waist?
I was one of those people who chunked on weight around my belly almost as soon as the little blue line said 'yes, indeed, you're duffward bound'. Consequently I could hardly do up any of my trousers from about nine weeks. But then, a miracle of modern invention made itself known to me – the Belly Belt. This little marvel allowed me to get an extra few months-wear (Yes, really!) out of my favourite jeans. I never progressed further than the littlest one as after that my thighs and bum were so huge I couldn’t get my jeans past my knees. But £12.95 versus a pair of maternity trousers is definitely worth it. And you can still wear it after the baby's made its appearance and you're progressing from nighties into 'proper clothes'!
Deep Sleep Another great buy for me was this double-sided pillow from Blooming Marvellous. Ha! I hear you cry. All pillows have two sides, so what's so special about this one? Well, this little number has two wedge shapes that fit under your bump when you lie on your side, so whichever way you sleep, there's always a pillow under you. No more intricate balancing and rebuilding your bump support pillows every time you get up for your thrice-nightly wee.
Smoothest Skin One of the worst things about pregnancy for me was the dry, itchy skin. If you suffer from itchy skin during pregnancy, it's always wise to get it checked out by your midwife or GP, especially if it's your hands or the soles of your feet as this can indicate liver problems. But it's likely to just be dry skin driving you mad. Most new mums I know got through gallons of moisturiser, and the one we all swore by was plain old E45. It's great value, does the job (well) and is unfragranced, which matters when you're pregnant as some smells make you want to hurl up your breakfast, and that's not really the effect you’re after.
A really gorgeous bodycare set for mums-to-be is the Sanctuary's range. It smells beautiful, and really moisturises your dry skin.
Pedicures And Yoga I asked my fellow NCT-ers what they found invaluable during their pregnancy, and here are some of the answers: 'buckets full of moisturiser and a paddling pool to put my swollen ankles in'; 'a pedicure for when you can’t even see your toes without the aid of a mirror'; 'a leg wax'; 'a fan in the summer facing me in bed and lots of strawberries and clotted cream'; 'pregnancy yoga'; 'hot chocolate with extra cream'.
