I’ve now hit the seven month mark of pregnancy and technically…that makes me an old hat now, right? But in all seriousness, I do feel like I’ve settled into pregnancy quite well and have had a pretty good groove. Because I’ve been one of those annoying women who has had a really easy pregnancy with no sickness and no real negative symptoms, I haven’t added too many things to my daily routines that are pregnancy-specific, BUT there are a few really great products/items that have definitely helped. So I compiled this list of my Top 10 recommendations in case it’s helpful for anyone who may need it!

1. These maternity workout leggings have been amazing! I’ve continued my workout routine throughout my pregnancy, training three times a week and switching between Pilates and strength training. At about the 5 month mark, my pre-pregnancy workout leggings stopped working for me and I needed to make the switch. My husband actually picked these out and ordered them for me in a few different colors and man did they save my bacon!
2. I completely gave up bras with wires well before pregnancy with the exception of strapless bras, but for obvious reasons during pregnancy, wireless bras have been even more of a necessity. I got these to carry me through my pregnancy, but they’re also nursing bras I can use afterwards as well and I love them.
3. I’ll preface my stretchmark cream by saying that it is most likely totally up to genetics on if you get stretchmarks during pregnancy or not. And it also depends on how rapidly your stomach skin stretches. I have used Palmer’s Cocoa Butter since the day I found out I was pregnant just to provide my skin some extra ingredients that it would need for elasticity – at first once a day and now I use it usually twice a day. So far I have not developed a single stretchmark. But I also have gained very little weight and “average” weight gain at the point in pregnancy that I’m at is about triple what I’ve actually gained so I’m well under average. Slow weight gain and an active lifestyle might contribute to the lack of stretchmarks or it could be the cocoa butter or it could be a combination. Who really knows. But I say skip the expensive/trendy oils and go for this $6 option that has been tried and true for decades.
4. I did very specific research when choosing my prenatals and didn’t just grab whatever was on the shelf at my local grocery store. So you can trust these recs! I have loved taking Mamabird and Care/of prenatals and I have a very healthy and very active little one who seems to be getting the exact nutrients and vitamins that she needs.
5. Maternity jeans are a serious dilemma in pregnancy because I found that I liked mostly none of them. For instance, side panel maternity jeans are an actual joke. But I LOVED this pair from Target. Cute, on-trend, comfortable, great support. 10/10 would recommend.
6. Lesser known fact about pregnancy (and bodies in general), but you lose heat out of your extremities. Pregnancy exacerbates it though and so, during your 9 months, your feet are – and I cannot stress this enough – FREEZING. All of the time. Plus they ache a lot. I have plantar fasciitis and on a good day my feet still hurt. While carrying a watermelon, I have found myself needing a little extra TLC. These house slippers have been a daily necessity for me!
7. One of the only negative symptoms of pregnancy I have experienced has been super dry skin. Like very dry. As in, no amount of moisture seemed to help until I found this squalene oil. I would moisturize my face and use the oils I had at home and my T-zone would still flake up every day as if I’d been lost and wandering in a desert. This oil literally saved my skincare! Bonus: all ingredients are clean and safe for pregnancy.
8. Ok, also another negative symptom for me has my body odor. I mean, let’s just be real for a minute. It’s most likely due to the fact that I’ve continued being physically active but I literally shower more than I ever have and am constantly reapplying deodorant. That doesn’t speak to the ineffectiveness of my deo, it literally just speaks to the fact that I smell pretty bad. Because I reapply often, it has been important to me to have a compact deo I can take with me everywhere that has clean ingredients.
9. The further along I get into my pregnancy, the more difficult a full night’s sleep is becoming. Not only do I wake up usually at 4 am and 6 am to go pee, but I also struggle with falling back asleep once I’ve woken up. This unfortunately results in darker under eyes than I would like. And truly, listen to me when I say this product has been actual wizardry. There’s no other way of explaining it. I usually put it on under tinted moisturizer or even on top of my foundation. Either way I do it – under or over – it’s magic. I’ve never had a product work so well on my under eye area. I use the shade “salmon” which seemed like a terrifying shade until I put it on. Trust me on this.
10. Even my most forgiving pajamas and sweatpants started to not work for me around month 5 of pregnancy and the last thing I want is to constantly constrict my belly and put pressure on little one in there. So I got this lounge set and have literally lived in it. The waistband of the pants is stretchy, but also adjustable so they continue to grow with you. Genius.

And there ya have it! I always try to make Down in the Hollow a one-stop-shop resource and I hope this one is helpful for whoever has found themselves on this page. You’ve got this, little mama!

XOXO,

Thessali