On My Mind: Everything That Got Me Through the First Half of Pregnancy
I’m 20 weeks pregnant today and have now reached a state of constantly feeling uncomfortable. Despite being in my second trimester, I haven’t quite gotten past the constant morning sickness, and the medication I was prescribed to keep the nausea at bay, Unisom, makes me extremely tired. I’m still waiting for the second-trimester energy burst my friends rave about, but in the meantime, I’m doing the best I can to find things that keep me comfortable as I try not to puke on my morning commute.
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A friend who recently gave birth recommended these bras to me the second I told her I was pregnant, so this was one of the first things I bought. They’re extremely soft and comfortable and have been a lifesaver so far.
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Maybe slightly embarrassing to admit, but this is the first pair of “actual” pajamas I’ve worn to bed. Sure, I’ve worn loungewear or PJ-esque clothes around the house, but in the past I exclusively wore an old pair of gym shorts and a band tee to bed. The first few months of pregnancy during peak summer caused me to majorly overheat, though, so I was on the hunt for something light and nonrestrictive. I stopped in the Hatch store back in September for its Labor Day sale and bought this set. I love it!
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Although I was still in the bloated phase, I also picked these up from the Hatch store. They have now grown with me as my bump has “popped” a bit more and remain equally as comfortable as they were in my first trimester. The best part is that the cropped length hits right at my foot, making them great for petites. I also got them in black.
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TheraICE Headache Hat
One of the things I miss the most is Advil. I’m sadly allergic to acetaminophen, which is the only pregnancy-safe pain reliever, so when I get a headache, I’m basically on my own. This headache hat that I’ve been testing is a surprising solution to help alleviate some of the pain.
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My local bodega recently started stocking these, so whenever I feel a wave of nausea about to start, I pop one of these bad boys. Is it healthy? Absolutely not. But it sure tastes good.
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Since I basically disappeared for most of the summer, I spent a lot of time inside reading. As a result, I’ve read a whopping 14 books in the past five months, which might be a new record for me. There were a lot of bangers, but this was by far the best. I’m usually more of a thriller/fantasy/horror reader, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The prose was beautiful, and I was really captivated by the multigenerational story. Everything I read before and after is now filed under B.E.E and A.E.E.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
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Wildbird Aerial Newborn Buckle Wrap
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I recently made two trips to the new Babylist showroom in Soho, the first being a preview with my colleagues and the second with my husband for the store’s first Registry Weekend. As a short mom-to-be with a particularly short torso, being able to test carriers in person was extremely helpful. I liked being able to feel the fabrics in person and try each carrier with a toy baby to see how it would actually feel 4.5 months from now. I wasn’t surprised that some were too tall; a few of the BabyBjörns I tested rode up past my chin, which I found too uncomfortable and limiting for me, especially as the baby grows. I also found the Artipoppe to be a little long for my torso. My favorites were the WildBird Newborn Wrap and the Mabe Monarch carriers.
My husband and I have a significant height difference (he’s six-foot-one, I’m four-foot-11), so it’s important that we find a stroller that works for us both. We live in Brooklyn and don’t have a car, so we were looking for a stroller/car-seat system that we can easily pop in and out of Ubers and a light full-size stroller that can easily collapse and that we can both carry up and down the subway stairs.
For quick trips and car rides, we are currently drawn to the new Doona X, which goes from stroller to car seat; my husband liked the storage-backpack attachment on the newer model and the taller handle.
As for our main stroller, we quickly decided that the ever-popular Uppababy was a little too bulky for our needs. And I found many of the stroller handles were too high for me.
A Babylist employee pointed us toward the Nuna Swiv, which ended up being our favorite stroller so far. The 360-degree swivel wheels were a highlight for my husband; they made the stroller really easy to maneuver, and he felt it had a significantly smoother glide than the other models we tested that day. The handle also swivels rather than raises, so it felt lower and more comfortable for me. I also love that the bassinet comes with a stand so we can use that at our bedside instead of buying yet another thing we’ll use for only a few months.
We’re still researching but feel better knowing that we have some front-runners now.
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Sleeping is getting to be uncomfortable, so I’m researching a few pregnancy pillows to try and bring some nighttime comfort. Momcozy had a big pop-up at Babylist, and although the original full-size pillow on display in the store is a bit too large for our queen-size bed, this half-size one looks like a nice alternative.
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