2nd trimester essentials

As a follow-up to my 1st trimester essentials post, I figured I would share (and document for my own future reference) some things I found helpful as I navigated the second trimester of pregnancy.

 

Earth Mama Angle Baby: Natural Stretch Oil & Body Butter

 
Starting at week 10, I have applied this oil to my belly religiously every single night before bed.  I absolutely love the smell and it really does a great job of moisturizing without being too oily.  I liked it so much I decided to try the body butter, and while I wouldn't say it's anything close to the viscosity of other body butters I have tried (it's more of a lotion) I still really like it.  I use this in the morning and it has been especially helpful for the itchy skin that started mid-way though the 2nd trimester.  I choose these products because they are completely natural, certified zero toxin, vegan and cruelty free.  So far they have worked against stretch marks as I don't have a single one, but I am getting to the point where my skin is really starting to stretch so we will see what happens at we get closer to the end!  I will report back.

 

Belly Band

obviously not me...

I picked up my belly band gently used at a yard sale for something close to $1.  It was money well spent I tell ya!  This thing worked great as I started to outgrow my pre-pregnancy clothes but was not quite ready for maternity wear.  I thought for sure it would be hard to keep in place or that my pants would eventually start to slide down being unbuttoned, but I found that not to be the case at all.  It gave me an extra few weeks out of all my jeans and shorts, but eventually I outgrew the band and was ready for...

Maternity Clothes

Silly thing to add to this list?  Maybe so.  But I am here to tell you that it's not hard to put together a decent maternity wardrobe for very little cost, if you know where to look.  Baby/maternity consignment stores, thrift stores, yard sales, and even the sale racks at Target & Old Navy have been my primary shopping locations for my "new" wardrobe.  I couldn't see spending a fortune on new clothes I would only wear for a few months, quite honestly I hate paying full price for non-maternity clothes that I plan to wear for a long time!  For work, I picked up some plain black maternity shirts and these awesome scrub pants.  Highly recommended if you wear scrubs to work.  They are so comfortable you just might want to wear them at home too... 

Favorite Water Bottle

I admit it, I am a terrible water drinker.  I almost never get thirsty and so it's very easy for me to forget to drink.  Carrying a water bottle with me wherever I go has helped me be better at getting in my daily fluid requirements.  I happen to love this water bottle by Lifefactory.  I know you have seen them around.  It's made of glass so it's BPA free, and you don't have any weird plastic water bottle taste with this.  Plus it's cute with the silicone sleeve and pretty much screams "drink me!"

DHA Supplement

So, technically I didn't start taking this until the very beginning of the 3rd trimester.  But I wish I would have started it earlier, so I am putting it on this list.  Around the beginning of the 3rd trimester is when the baby's brain really starts to go crazy making it's neurological connections and all that, and DHA is important for that brain development.  Since we follow a plant-based diet and don't consume any fish products, there is not much opportunity for us to eat foods that naturally contain DHA.  Fish and fish oil contains DHA because they have a diet high in algae, which is very high in DHA.  (As a side note, cows milk contains so much calcium because they eat leafy greens all day long, which are a great source of calcium.  You can cut out the "middle man", and save an animal, by going straight to the source - leafy greens for your calcium and algae for your DHA!)  After a lot of research, I decided upon this supplement which is made from algae, completely vegan, and carrageenan free.  In case you haven't heard, carrageenan is a food additive that is on the list of potential carcinogens.  A lot (and let me tell you A LOT) of pills and products contain this additive.  Until more is known about it, we have decided to avoid food that contain it.  As far as this DHA supplement, it is in liquid form so it has a bit of a "fishy" taste if you take it plain.  Funny enough though, I learned it's actually fish that smell like algae, not the other way around.  Mixed in a little OJ, the "algae" taste is masked and it goes down quite easily. 


So those are the things I found to be most helpful as I went through the 2nd trimester.  There are a few things I have started to use recently as I started the 3rd trimester, so plan to see one last "pregnancy essentials" post, hopefully before our little guy arrives!