Mama & Baby Essentials
This is a list of essential tools and/or products that I highly recommend based on my personal experience through my motherhood journey. They are not created by me. I just love them and found great relief in their existence, and I think you will too! (I am still adding to the list below)
Pregnancy Essentials
OOFOS
These are the softest most comfortable shoes / slippers!! These saved my soles after getting bruises on the bottoms of my feet from wearing thin grounding flip flops while being on my feet for hours during our move to our new home. It is like walking on a cloud. These shoes will reduce the impact on your feet and joints, once you start getting really heavy with baby weight.
Belly Butter
Reduce the potential of stretchmarks by generously applying “belly butter” or “belly oil” to your baby bump, butt, thighs and breasts atleast once a day. The more the better! Ingredients I look for are Calendula, Castor Oil, Jojoba (Vitamin E), Coconut Oil and ofcourse, ideally all organic. I stuck with Badger’s Organic Belly Butter & Belly Oil.
I used Belly Oil right after showering to lock in moisture and had the Belly Butter in my purse to apply anytime throughout the day.
Wedge Pillow
I discovered the benefits of the wedge pillow during a check-up my midwife. She ofcourse had one. I used it while she had me on the table to check the baby and used it to support my belly when laying on my side. This subtle support of the weight of my belly brought me so much comfort while in a side lying position. I had to get my own! I still use this wedge pillow to support my arm or the baby while breastfeeding. I have also used it as a safety barrier while co-sleeping with baby and my beloved. It can also be used to support knees while sleeping on your side. Here is a link of the one I purchased. It has removable cover for washing and a bag incase you are traveling and want to take it with you (which I have done multiple times).
Belly Belt
There is a way to wrap a peice of long fabric to create a little extra support for your growing belly when it starts to get heavy but there are some companies out there that are producing specific belly belts that makes it easier to put on quickly when you’re on the go. I personally found one that could also be used to compress my belly after birth.
Postpartum /Baby Essentials
Huckleberry
Huckleberry is an App designed to track baby’s sleep timing, feeding, and much more. I primarily used this app for keeping track of my baby’s sleep timing and feedings. I am an artist and definitely have more of a right brain dominant mind, with not the best memory… so this app has been SO HELPFUL in keeping track of my baby’s nap times. This allowed me to follow the wake window philosphy of getting my baby to sleep within a certain time for a graceful experience. In the beginning of my motherhood journey I used this app primarily to keep track of how long I was nursing baby. She is a distracted eater, so I would have to presistently encourage her to nurse longer then her attention span to get a full feeding in. This was essential to her growth and development after diagnosing a tongue tie.
Tushbaby
This might not fall into the “absolutely need it to survive” category but this carrier has taken some significant weight off my back and prevented me from developing excessive pain in my body from carrying my baby for longer periods of time. This carrier specifically is designed to eliviate excess weight of your baby, while using one arm to hold them in place. It straps on around your wast and is like a little seat for your baby. This design is great because it’s quick to put on / take off and allows you to turn baby in any direction effortlessly. This is for babies that can hold their head up or toddlers. I personally wish I found out about this carrier sooner when my baby needed to nurse constantly in the beginning, as it can carry baby’s weight while you nurse.