First Trimester Essentials

Monday...Monday...you've come far too soon. As usual! I have some fun non-pregnancy related posts coming later this week (plus an awesome giveaway), so I wanted to touch on some of my essentials for the first trimester today!

At the risk of all of you hating me, I have to be honest and say there isn't much I could complain about when it came to the first trimester. A day hasn't gone by that I haven't thanked my lucky stars about this, and I'm sure Billy has too because things could have got real scary for him. Let's be serious.

With that being said, that doesn't mean I didn't have any must have items that helped me make it through the changes because I definitely leaned on most of these for those first 12 weeks. Pregnancy does change you, in many ways, and these things made my life SO much easier! You all need them in your life for when your time comes!

La Croix: Buy it in bulk when it's on sale. I have all different flavors stocked in our refrigerator at all times! Since you're so limited on what you can drink when pregnant and normal water can get really boring, this stuff tricks me into thinking I'm drinking something really fancy. ;)  Put it in a cute tumbler or wine glass to fool yourself even more. (the lime and grapefruit flavors are my favorite)

Earth Mama Body Butter: It's never too early to begin using it! This one has been a favorite of mine, but any stretch mark cream will do. Try a few out to see which you like best.

BeMaternity BeBand: Since you're not showing that much in the first trimester, you can get away with wearing this band with your jeans and shorts. This band holds your pants up and comes in black, nude, and white. Lifesaver, trust me! (I'm wearing mine today...)

Mrs. Meyer's Cleaning Products: This comes down to personal preference, but when I found out I was pregnant I wanted to switch to using less harsh everyday cleaning products. I fell in love with this line and will never go back to using anything else. They are always on sale at Target so you aren't paying much more than the regular cleaning product prices, and these clean better than anything I've found with less chemicals. Win/win. (I especially love this countertop spray and this surface scrub)

Prenatal Vitamins: A must! You should begin taking these before you start "trying", but once you get pregnant they are that much more important. I researched a lot of them out there (none of them are 100% perfect..) and after trying multiple brands, I use NaturMade's the most often because they don't make me sick. I also love the gummy prenatals, but they don't have iron in them so you will need to take an extra iron supplement.

Sleep Mask: If you don't have one already, don't walk, but run to get one. This helped me sleep longer and better, especially when I was on say, a girls bachelorette party weekend.

Pull On Shorts: Any shorts with an elastic waistband will be your best friend. These were my personal favorite and are super comfortable.

TUMS: I keep one small pack in my purse at all times and one at home. You never know when you'll get heartburn, or just when your food won't settle right.

Old Navy Vintage V-Neck Tees: I wore these ALL the time! These are my favorite because they are so soft and flattering, even if you have to size up a size. Buy in multiple colors (or all colors!)

Pregnancy Apps: So you can track your baby's growth every week! If you're not big on getting hundreds of emails everyday, the apps are nice because you can check them when you want to and it won't fill up your inbox. You can also take notes (like how you were feeling during a certain week, put a doctors appointment note in them, etc.)  I like BabyBump the best.

Pregnancy Journals: These make excellent gifts for new mama's! (thank you to my parents, Steph, and Billy) for each buying me one...I think they knew how important journaling would be to me ;) All of the journals are a little different, but essentially they're perfect for tracking your pregnancy, writing down your thoughts/feelings, and they even have spots to attach your ultrasound photos. I love writing in mine every week and know that they'll be fun to look back on (for both baby and myself!)

Not pictured: A good support system of family and friends!

What are/were your first trimester must-haves?