8 Pregnancy Essentials for the health conscious mama.
Lindex were a great discovery when I was pregnant and they have a great range for maternity clothes that are excellent quality AND stylish, which don't always go together when finding maternity clothes. I love their flared leggings linked here and their tops are really comfy too. They use a lot of organic cotton, perhaps this is why it feels so comfortable on your skin.
I drank this from around 6 months but then again I am really into herbal teas so I was actually drinking this pre conception. There's a lot of controversy around when you can actually start drinking it, but I studied a pregnancy herbal course with Katia LeMon, clinical herbalist, and she confirmed from 6 months for me but please do your own research as I am not qualified to give out advice. Anyway, it's a very nourishing herb for your lady parts. I paired the red raspberry with oat straw, nettle and alfalfa. This combination is a true reproductive tonic. It improves uterine tone and blood supply and increases milk production ready if you breastfeed. My favourite one to buy is this one because it's the raw herb, nothing else and it's organic so no sprayed pesticides!
3.Best Baby Book Ever - The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care
This is by far the best book I've read on conception/pregnancy/birth and beyond. The author, a doctor or medicine herself, talks through the ideal diet and nutrition for pre conception, pregnancy and feeding your baby when they are ready. It's an extreme eye opener if you're new to nutrition. One of my favourite books if you're looking to go down the natural and pharmaceutical free route with your pregnancy and baby. Linked here.
Date Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) has been traditionally used to help women go into labor in the Middle East for centuries. Eating 60-80 grams a day can increase cervical ripening, reduce need for a medical augmentation and shorten labour time. I ate 5/6 dates a day from around 8 months, again please do your own research and consult your doula/ holistic midwife as every BODY is different. Make sure you find organic Medjool dates because they are DELICIOUS, gooey and sticky mmm. Favourite ones are Linked here. However you should probably avoid if you have gestational diabetes!
I bounced on this ball every day from around 5-6 months, whilst watching tv and sometimes at my desk when working from home. It helped to relieve some of the pressure and feel less uncomfortable in those last few weeks. It is also a great exercise that can help strengthen your back and stomach muscles and improve your posture to prepare your body for delivery. I've also heard there are some exercises you can do on the ball can help change your baby’s position from posterior to anterior, which also helps relieve back pain that you may be experiencing. I also used the ball a lot in labour, different positions and just bouncing/rolling can relieve some pain and help the baby lower into the canal. Here's one that's the perfect size for women.
I discovered this luxurious cream after my tummy getting bigger and bigger and my skin becoming more intensely dry and somewhat itchy! I tried lots of different high-street body creams but they contained so much synthetic fragrance/perfume and added chemicals, I thought about how our skin is the largest organ and everything you put on it, sinks in...Which means it could effect the baby! So pure shea butter without any added fragrance was my best bet. And this handmade stuff is beautiful. I actually learnt how to make it myself now so I no longer need to purchase it but this one was the best I found on the market.
Hands down one of my favourite purchases. I started using this pillow quite early, just because I found it so comfy. I found shopping for one of these quite overwhelming, there are so many different shapes! But after reading lots of reviews, this U shape one was the best! I really like how there's a flat part to put your arm under/over too. The cover is removable to wash and part of it unzips if you just want to use just one side in the bed. It's like two pillows in one!
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