Gifts your pregnant friend will appreciate
A very close friend of mind recently found out she is pregnant and I could not be more thrilled. For the first time I found myself feeling nostalgic about my pregnancy (which I never thought I would be!), and actually went back and re-read all my pregnancy posts. It got me thinking about the items that I relied on to get me through the 40 weeks. Even though it’s been almost 2 years (whoa!) since I was where she is, it sometimes feels like it was just yesterday. While everyone’s experience is different, here are a few items that I really appreciated while I was pregnant.
1. Body pillow
A body pillow was the first pregnancy related gift I received and I immediately loved it. Once my belly was too big to sleep on (I’m a total stomach sleeper!), the body pillow was my saving grace. It contorts to your body in a way that makes it possible to sleep comfortably, which is something I never thought possible at 38 weeks pregnant! Admittedly, it’s been a whle since I gave birth but I’m still snuggling up with my pillow each night. Recently Aaron’s mom told me she also started using a body pillow when she was pregnant with Aaron and she still has not given it up!
2. Filtered water bottle
I’m terrible at drinking water and probably operate at a semi-dehydrated state most of the time. When I was pregnant, Aaron bought me a filtered water bottle to carry around and it served as a reminder to drink more water. We even started tracking our water consumption with our fitbit apps and turned it into a friendly competition. Find a small sleek water bottle that is easy to throw into a purse and your friend will get a lot of use out of it. A few others I love are the S’well bottle and the Element for their sleek design and that they can hold hot or cold things for hours.
3. Glow Nurture Pregnancy App.
This isn’t a new pregnancy app, but in my opinion it is one of the nicer ones and isn’t cluttered with ads. While you are trying to get pregnant it tells you when you are ovulating and once you are pregnant it gives you weekly updates on you and your growing baby. I loved reading the updates and talking to Aaron about our little pear that just became a mango. In the early months when I wasn’t feeling the obvious signs of being pregnant it helped Aaron and I feel more connected to the experience.
4. Comfy Pajamas
At some point pregnancy can become extremely uncomfortable and soft comfortable pajamas are a must have. Depending on the season you either want something lightweight, breathable and airy such as this or flannel and warm.
5. Pregnancy massage/pedicure
Give the gift of pamper. I got a pedicure and my eye brows waxed the morning I went into labor. It was 2 days before my due date and I was at the point where I desperately needed a beauty boost. Your friend will appreciate a gesture like this, probably even more so if you make it a girls outting. An at home alternative is a pedicure set, bottle of bath salts and a couple girly magazines.
6. Coloring Book
Nowadays there are coloring books for adults everywhere, including the check out isle at the grocery store. The intricate designs are surprisingly therapeutic to fill in. Even if you don’t have much free time, it can be a nice break to mindlessly color instead of stressing over new parent jitters. If your friend isn’t into flowery scenes, she might appreciate this humorous mindless violence colouring book. Not to be taken too seriously, each page is filled with ridiculous scenarios of crazy, yet pretty funny, circumstances.
7. Baby onsie from her favorite sports team
Gifting your friend a onsie/pacifier/bib with her favorite sports team can temporarily alleviate new parent anxieties and remind her of fun times to come when she can share her interests with her little one. I’m a big UNC basketball fan and I loved receiving this onsie and pacifier while I was pregnant.
8. Pinhole press board book
Create a board book with pictures of close family and friends. Pinhole press makes beautiful and durable books that your friend will love flipping through and the baby will love once he/she is a little older. I love the idea that the baby will be able to familiarize him/herself with all the faces that will be important in his/her life. It’s a sweet and personal gift that is unexpected.
What gifts did you like getting when you were pregnant?