I’ll be the first to tell you that for a lot of people, myself included, pregnancy is not easy. While some might have a great, lovely experience… a lot of us have a really hard time. Pregnancy is such a beautiful concept, but (for some) it can be very physically difficult, full of nausea, headaches and back pain.
While I was pregnant, I found it very hard to believe and almost irritating when people would tell me that one day I’d realize it was all worth it. It was… but I didn’t find that advice very helpful and it definitely didn’t help me in the moment AT ALL.
What I’m here to do is tell you that sometimes it does suck and it’s OKAY to hate it. Don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel like there is something wrong with you for not loving it. One day, it will be over and you will get that cute baby, but it won’t take away from the sacrifice you’re making with your body and energy.
I’m also here to tell you about 17 pregnancy must-haves that do help, and the first nine are listed below. While they didn’t completely take away all of my pain and nausea, they each helped in some degree and I was so sick that I would take ANY help I could get.
Related Post: 8 More Things You Need to Survive Your Pregnancy!
Pregnancy Must-Haves:
Ginger
This one can come in different shapes and forms. Personally, I tried ginger gum and ice cold ginger ale. I’ve also heard great things about ginger lemon candies, Preggie pops and ginger tea. They’re all super affordable and worth trying out to see what works best for you.
For me, it was really easy to keep packs of the gum everywhere and switch out to a new piece frequently. The carbonation from the ginger ale was also very helpful on my upset stomach. Next time around, I definitely plan to try some more of the ginger candies.
Vitamin B6
Initially, my doctor prescribed Diclegis for me. Unfortunately, Diclegis wasn’t covered under my insurance and would have cost me over $400 for one fill. Instead, he suggested taking Vitamin B6 and Unisom (see below) as those are the same two active ingredients.
Vitamin B6 is known for helping to improve mood, prevent anemia (which is pretty common in pregnancy), help treat PMS symptoms, help treat nausea during pregnancy, etc.
Unisom
This is the second ingredient or medicine that my doctor recommended in place of Diclegis. However, it’s super important to get the one with the correct active ingredient. There are two different options, but you want to look for the active ingredient doxylamine succinate while you’re pregnant.
Unisom worked wonders for me. It did help with nausea AND it helped with my sleep. I started taking half of a pill at right before bed at around 20 weeks and took it for the rest of my pregnancy. A lot of pregnant mamas complain about being up half the night, especially towards the end of your pregnancy when you’re very uncomfortable and waking to pee so often. Taking Unisom helped me to go right back to sleep after those bathroom breaks!
Magnesium
At some point during my pregnancy, I started experiencing weird leg cramps when laying in bed. I also experienced a LOT of headaches and migraines. After a lot of research, I learned that magnesium was recommended to help with both of those. Once I started taking magnesium daily, I stopped experiencing the leg cramps and my headaches did lessen.
Iron
Low iron is something I’ve always struggled with, and that didn’t change during pregnancy. A lot of women struggle with anemia, or low iron, while they are pregnant, but it’s important to have enough iron for your health and your baby’s. Low iron can increase your risk of postpartum depression, heart failure, premature birth, baby having a low birth weight, etc.
However, it’s hard for our bodies to absorb iron in supplements, so I found that blood builder iron pills made with real food are absorbed best in our body. I still take this one daily!
Belly Moisturizer
While I was pregnant, I used both a belly butter and a belly oil. Personally, they didn’t help with my stretch marks and I’ve been told by doctors that most of that has to do with genetics. However, they did help with the itchiness while my skin stretched!
Safe Motion Medicine
I already tend to get motion sick, but it was much worse while I was pregnant and already feeling nauseous and over-heated. I had my doctor check these non-drowsy, natural pills and he said they were totally safe for pregnancy, as the main ingredient is ginger. These were helpful for motion sickness in the car and out on the boat during the summer. They definitely helped and I noticed a HUGE difference when I didn’t take them.
Chiropractor
This one was LIFE-CHANGING for me. Not long into my pregnancy, I started having the worst back pains and by the end of the day, I literally couldn’t walk to the bathroom from my bed. My chiropractor is certified in pregnancy and I ended up getting help for my migraines and my back and it seriously made all the difference.
Prenatal Vitamins
This can be a hard one sometimes when you’re feeling nauseous. I took prenatal vitamin pills before trying to conceive (recommended) and for the first part of my pregnancy. However, they started making me more nauseous and I usually ended up throwing them up until I switched to gummies. Gummy prenatal vitamins are definitely not the best option available, but for me it was that or nothing!
These are all the essentials for a pregnancy gift basket for your pregnant mama friends, if you’re looking for a way to help! Be sure to check out part 2!
I hope you’re able to find some relief from the difficult pregnancy symptoms. Let me know in the comments if you try any of these things and find them helpful, and check out part two with 8 more must-haves for pregnancy.
Be sure to check out my pregnancy and baby tabs for more helpful information as you get ready for your new baby. Two of my favorites are about the 15 things I wish I would have done to prepare before my baby arrived, and postpartum must-haves and recovery secrets I wish I’d known.
For my other favorite products and tons of discount codes, see my Favorites tab above.
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