Top 5 Must-Have Creature Comforts for Pregnant Moms

Top 5 Must-Have Creature Comforts for Pregnant Moms

Pregnancy: truly the best of times and the worst of times. Though a well-understood, biological process, we use words like “wonder” and “miracle” to describe it. As one of the oldest natural processes available to living organisms, it is neither full of wonder, nor is it a miracle in any sense of the word. When it comes right down to it, pregnancy is a lot of inconvenience, pain, and pickles.

What is needed for the woman going through the pregnancy is less talk of miracles and more foot massages. Why should miracles make us nauseous in the mornings, irritable during the day, and bereft of a comfortable sleeping position at night? During the third trimester, a woman does not need your fawning adoration of the miracle of birth. Here are five practical things she could really use:

Supportive Clothing Accessories

During pregnancy, your body is doing things and taking on shapes that you will spend a lot of time trying to reverse afterwards. There’s more… Let’s just call it, “stuff” to support when you are walking, sitting, standing, and pretty much everything else. A set of maternity compression leggings can go a long way towards dramatic improvements. Benefits include:

• Increased circulation
• Prevention of swelling
• Energizing tired legs and feet

Fashionable Clothing for All Occasions

It is not just important that maternity clothing be supportive. They must also be fashionable. The misogynistic portrait of a woman being barefoot and pregnant harkens back to a time when a woman’s place was thought to be in the home. She didn’t need fashionable clothes even when she was not in the family way. When in full bloom, throw a potato sack on her and call it a day.

Thankfully, those caveman days are behind us, and the fashion industry is starting to get hip to that reality. Maternity clothes range from business formal, to night on the town. There is no aspect of life not covered by modern maternity wear. Do not deprive yourself of this windfall when you find yourself eating for two.

Pedicure

Here’s a fun game: Stuff a couple of pillows under your shirt, bend over and try to reach your feet. Hint: It is no easier with a baby filling your belly. Those toe nails are going to suffer. Say goodbye to the lotion for a while. You are not even going to get the faint soothing that comes from rubbing your tired feet.

A pedicure takes care of all that, at least for a while. Get clipped, washed, exfoliated, smoothed, and polished as often as you like.

Massage

Pregnancy is quite literally a pain in the neck. And if you do nothing about it, the pain can be quite severe. You have a lot of extra weight to manage in a place that is not well-supported by the skeletal and muscular structure. It drags on all the muscles in your upper body.

This is probably not the time for your significant other to fumble around making things worse. A good masseuse will be trained in maternity massage. Any effective treatment that keeps you from reaching for pill bottles is worth looking into.

Time Off

If you are the type of woman who is always busy and on the go, cooking, cleaning, working a full-time job, and participating in social activities and community projects, you probably need a break anyway. When pregnant, that is even more true.

It is perfectly okay to drop out of a few electives, and get help with domestic chores. It’s the miracle of birth, after all. You should take the time to appreciate the moment. Regardless of the pressure you feel from society to get right back to work as if nothing life-changing just happened, something life-changing did just happen. The most important thing you have to do is to see that your child gets a good start in life. You cannot do that very well if you are too busy with other matters.

Can a woman have a baby without support clothing, fashion, foot care, massages, and time off? Of course. It happens everyday. But why would you want to do without these things? You’re a mom, now. Take care of yourself.