I am by no means an expert at this whole pregnancy thing, seeing as how I haven’t even made it all the way through, yet. But I’ve always really enjoyed when other bloggers & photographer friends have shared their “must-have” items – several of which are what introduced items to me that became my own favorites. So, I just thought I would go ahead and share some of the things that have made this pregnancy easier and more enjoyable for me!

01. Burt’s Bees Belly Oil – I’ve been using this stuff regularly in the hopes of avoiding stretch marks. I still have two months to go, so I’ll let you know if it was completely successful, but so far so far! And I just like how soft and moisturized my belly feels after applying.

02. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – I’m not an avid reader and knew that the likelihood of me getting through more than one book about birth was probably not super realistic. So, after my birth class instructor and several friends recommended this as their #1 book, I decided to start here. And I definitely feel like it contains everything I need to feel prepared for going into natural birth. Even if you don’t plan to do a natural birth (or you don’t end up getting it because of emergency reasons), it’s so informative and helpful in understanding all aspects of labor and delivery and helping you decide which decisions will be best for you and your baby.

03. Maternity Leggings – In my opinion, these are a wardrobe staple, no matter what season you happen to be pregnant. I got mine from Motherhood Maternity and they’re just basic leggings (similar to what you’d get at Target or Old Navy) but they’re super comfortable and have been very versatile from early on in the pregnancy. I got two pairs and both have seen lots of wear, and have held up well.

04. Lucie’s List – Ohhhh, friends. This was a huge game changer and life saver. I was SO overwhelmed when I was trying to start our baby registry, and my friend Karen recommended this resource to me and I’m so grateful! It took so much of the stress away and actually made figuring out the registry a lot more fun. Seriously, don’t waste anymore time trying to do it on your own and check out this website ASAP!

05. Maternity Shapers – I got a pair of these a couple months ago, and they are actually really comfortable and have made it possible to keep wearing a lot of non-maternity dresses, while getting the belly support and smooth lines that I want. I found this brand to be much more reasonably priced than a lot of others, as well.

06. Boppy Body Pillow – I scored this pillow as a hand-me-down and have definitely gotten a lot of use out of it since about 22 weeks. I like the customizable options so that it doesn’t always have to be a full body pillow, which can be a little overwhelming to try to rearrange in the middle of the night.

07. Suzanne Bowen’s Prenatal Workout – I’d seen this posted about by several other pregnant women, so when I got tired of trying to tweak my regular workouts as my belly grew I knew I wanted a good, pregnancy-specific workout. I’ll admit, I was skeptical that it would be “wimpy”, but let me tell you – it’s far from it! This has great and challenging workouts and it’s nice to not have to worry about the safety of any of the moves since they’re geared towards pregnancy.

08. June Jar Tumbler – I already loved my June Jar before, but considering how much water I’m trying to drink on a regular basis and that I always want to take some with me when I got out and about, this has gotten even more use during pregnancy. It’s a great size, fits easily in my car cup holder, is BPA-free, and looks cute on top of it all!

So there you go! Hope this list is helpful to someone else out there in the midst of their pregnancy! And if you’ve blogged or shared your own pregnancy must-haves, feel free to post the link in the comments! I’m always up for finding out about other great products that make this season of life more enjoyable and comfortable. :)