Pregnancy is one of the most magical and bizarre experiences I have ever been through. Not only did my body grow a human, but it also rendered me nauseous, addicted to banana smoothies and needing to use the bathroom multiple times an hour. It’s been 11 incredible weeks since Astrid was born and I am still so smitten by her and you’ll often catch me staring at her while she sleeps.
I am by no means an expert in all things pregnancy, but I have been sharing with friends and family (and even a woman in Target looking for the perfect gift for her daughter-in-law) my fave products I used pre and post-pregnancy and thought, why not write it up into a blog?
Of course, every woman’s experience with pregnancy and postpartum is unique to them, so take what you will from the below. These are just a few products that worked for me and I hope they help shed some light on my own experience.
For my growing belly
I had heard from loads of women how stretched out and itchy the skin on their growing belly felt, especially towards the end of their pregnancy. I have pretty sensitive skin at the best of times so the thought of having irritated skin on my stomach made me pretty diligent with using a skin oil every night. I’m a huge fan of the Organic Spa range and thought I’d add their Nourish Oil to my nightly skincare routine.
Just a few pumps after my shower every evening left my skin feeling hydrated and I never felt dry or itchy and I didn’t walk away from this pregnancy with any stretch marks. Was it the Nourish Oil or luck? I guess we’ll never know.
It’s gon’ burn for me to say this, but it’s coming from my heart…
My heartburn was NEXT LEVEL. If I wasn’t getting up six times a night to pee, you’d find me pacing around the bedroom trying to settle the Mount Vesuvius lava that was burning my insides. One of my late-night Google sessions revealed during pregnancy, the hormone progesterone relaxes the valve that separates the oesophagus from the stomach, which means stomach acid can leak into the oesophagus. Plus you also have the uterus expanding, putting pressure on the stomach, which makes it even worse- apparently, sharing your body with and growing another human being just wasn’t enough, so your body decides to leak stomach acid into your throat.
I had a bottle of Gaviscon next to the bed and would drink the chalk-like syrup (followed by a full body convulsion at the revolting taste) and then head to the fridge to skull a glass of almond milk as a chaser. I was so relieved to find a few days after Astrid was born, the volcano returned to its dormant state once more.
Game-changing singlet
Wearing a maternity bra when your boobs are enormous and falling out when you lay down does not make for a comfortable sleep, so when I found these maternity singlets from Bonds and Kmart are game changers. With built-in cups to help you feel supported but not restricted, you’ll want to grab a few of these goodies. I prefer the Kmart singlets over the Bonds as they are made of bamboo making them softer and lighter to wear, but I’m sure as the weather cools down, the Bonds material will be just as comfy.
Put some silver on them
Those first few days and weeks of learning to breastfeed can send chills down your spine with every painful latch and you wonder if it will ever get better. Well, I can tell you, it does and the process can be sped up with two silver domes. A couple of years ago, I heard about Silverettes from podcaster and all-around cool girl Alison Rice as a must-have item for any nursing mum, and boy was she right! These little silver cups are crafted to promote the soothing and healing of nursing nipples. Made of silver ions, these little beauties bring with them loads of benefits, including antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties. They may be a little pricey, but if you think about it from the perspective of cost per use, they are totally worth it.
Since we’re on the topic of boobs…
Another saviour on my breastfeeding journey is Lansinoh HPA Lanolin cream. I would alternate between using the Silverettes and breastmilk with freeing the nipple and lathering on lanolin to help ease some very tender nips. Next time you’re at the chemist, be sure to add this product to your basket.
Your new breast friend
Let’s keep the good times (and milk!) flowing and stay on the topic of breastfeeding with my lifesaving product, the My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillow. This pillow stands apart from the others I’ve seen as it clips around you and won’t twist as you feed. Plus it’s made of a firm foam so your bub won’t sink into it as you’re trying to keep them close.
You don’t know what you don’t know
You’ll quickly realise there is so much to learn when it comes to having a baby and my best advice is to try and learn as much as you can. For me, the more info I have, the more confident I feel to make informed decisions. Florian and I decided to enrol in birthing and parenting classes with our hospital, and we also listened to the Welcome to the Womb podcast on my road trip to Mudgee, and these helped facilitate conversations on what we wanted from the experience as well as have an idea of what the heck was happening to me and the baby over the nine months and beyond. Be sure to seek out advice from those with experience in the medical or birthing space and not an influencer who is pushing a product for a quick buck.
My biggest recommendation of all is to do what feels right for you and to take time to reflect on what you want. There is SO much conflicting information and unsolicited advice out there it can become overwhelming.
You do you, mumma!
-tgfs x
That Girl from Sydney 