Oh Happy Day! It’s finally warming back up here (what was that little cold spell??) and I’m craving a beach trip and a little vitamin D! This week was Keith’s spring break and everyone around us (mostly college students and professors) headed off on fun mission trips or sunny vacations. Unfortunately the impending arrival of a certain tiny, money-sucking princess has our budget looking tighter and tighter. Not to mention the tiny diva’s mom has very expensive taste in furniture and decor…
So we celebrated spring break with a Saturday breakfast pancake date instead. It didn’t quite give me a tan or smell like salt water and sunscreen, but it was a lovely date.
We also made quite a bit of headway on the nursery this week. We painted the crib, bought a faux tree, got the glider in, and ordered the rug! This momma-to-be is feeling quite accomplished right about now. I’m really starting to FEEL pregnant these last few weeks and my bump is definitely noticeable now! With the third trimester within my grasp, I’m feeling all kinds of excited and a little overwhelmed!
My pregnancy has been pretty easy so far (compared to some stories I’ve read), though I won’t venture to say for a moment that pregnancy is easy for ANYONE. I’m bloated, I’ve gained a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and everything aches. All of these necessary but dreaded pregnancy side effects are draining both physically and emotional but I’ve found a couple of things that have made the last 6 months just a bit easier on my body and my vanity! So, today I’m sharing my secrets to a look good, feel good pregnancy. Because just because I’m growing a human, doesn’t mean I don’t get to feel and look great!
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My Secrets to a Look Good, Feel Good Pregnancy
The Ultimate No-Bra Bra. Belly Bandit has easily become one of my very favorite maternity brands. They have a solution to all of my pregnancy problems. This month’s problem is growing boobs. I actually hate this symptom, even though I know a lot of women really love it. I’m a pretty loyal Nike Sports Bra girl, but the more my body changes, the less comfortable those bras are getting. Since I work from home, I could argue that I don’t have to wear a bra at all but since the girls have grown, support is NECESSARY.
The B.D.A Bra is my #1, ya’ll! It provides great support in the most comfortable fabric. The cross front design means that it will be great for breastfeeding and the comfort level mean that it will be fantastic for sleeping while I’m wearing breast pads. My favorite part is the full coverage back… bigger boobs mean bigger back fat too! Excuse me while I order it 52 more times and never wear another bra around the house as long as I live. I honestly can’t recommend this enough.
Full Coverage Pregnancy Undies. ‘Full Coverage’ has become my mantra in the last trimester. The old underpants aren’t cutting it anymore. They’re either riding up, sliding down, or getting a little snug. Having something comfortable has been my #1 priority (hence the full coverage back on my favorite bra above) and I’m loving these Jessica Simpson Lace Trimmed Undies. They’re made for maternity and the lace trim is so comfy.
Who knew Jessica Simpson had a maternity line. Not me, but I actually really like it! I ordered some jean shorts that I can’t wait to share with you guys!
St. Tropez Express Tanning Mousse. Someone much more eloquent than myself once said, “If you can’t tone it, TAN IT.” I live my life by this truth and if there was ever a time when ‘toning it’ wasn’t an option, it’s pregnancy. I’ve talked a bit about my struggle with weight gain in this post about my maternity shapewear, but it’s really taken it’s toll. Physically, my body is struggling to keep up and emotionally, the rising scale is difficult to stomach even though I know it’s perfectly healthy and in normal range. Keeping myself tan and glowing has made the transition much easier.
I’ve been a long term user of the St. Tropez Tanning Mousse and recently decided to try the ‘Express’ formula. Well, I’m loving it. I’ve always tanned before bed and slept in it, but I haven’t been planning my sheet washing days to coordinate with tanning days lately. Plus, I don’t want to get my pregnancy pillow covered in tanner and I’m not about to sleep without it! So the 1, 2, 3 , hour wait is much easier than an overnight 8 hour wait to shower. The coverage is flawless (if you take your time to do it right) and the Tanning MITT is 100% the most important part! If I can’t make it to the actual beach, it helps that it looks like I’ve been there recently.
The Infamous Pregnancy Pillow. I was honestly not going to get one of these because we only have a queen sized bed and more often than not, 2 dogs in that bed already. After reading about sleeping positions and pregnancy and some encouragement from my AMAZING Husband, I caved. I’m typically a back sleeper and I know that isn’t the best way to sleep when it comes to the baby. They encourage sleeping on your side, but the belly makes that more difficult as well.
So I checked out several different styles of pregnancy pillows and decided on the U-shaped one. It allows me to sleep on my back but tilted slightly to the side which is better for both me and the baby. I can also sleep on either side and use the ‘arms’ of the pillow to tuck between my legs and under my belly. If I switch positions in the middle of the night, I don’t have to move the pillow at all. The C-shaped pillow seems to be the most popular but I definitely the the U-shape word better for me! And I sleep like a baby. And sleep is KEY, you guys!
Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. Say that 10x fast. They say that you’re pregnancy will probably be similar to your moms and since my mom and I are so similar in all other ways, I figure this will be too! She didn’t have an stretch marks, but I’m not about to take any chances. Plus, when your skin is stretching out this much, you’ve got to keep it moisturized! I love the gently texture of this. It’s like a thick cream that goes on smooth and absorbs quickly. I tried a few other kinds as well but didn’t like the waxy feeling ones at all and I felt like it rubbed off a bunch on my clothes.
I typically put it on every time after I shower. A hot shower can dry out your skin and I like my showers HOT. So I lather this on my belly, boobs, and even booty after I get out to make sure that my skin is healthy and happy and doesn’t get itchy or start showing stretch marks.
Becca ‘Vanilla Quartz’ Highlighter. Faking that pregnancy glow since day 1! I actually just picked this highlighter up a couple of weeks ago and shared it on my insta-stories, I’m obsessed! I’ve gotten so many comments about my ‘pregnancy glow’ and I’m the only one who knows that it’s just fake tanner and the best highlighter on the planet! This highlighter comes is a ton of colors if you’re much darker complected than me, but I honestly think that this shade would work on anyone. It’s translucent and FABULOUS! The guy at Sephora had me sold in under 5 minutes! Can’t recommend it enough!
The Rose Water Spray that Everyone is Obsessed With. And rightly so. I’ve been using these for over a year and I can’t get enough. Hence my half empty bottle (probably my third). It’s so affordable ($7 for this size, $12 for a big one) and it’s the perfect make up setter or just refreshing spray. Pregnancy has also brought some weird smells and a lot more sweat than usual. I mean, lets just get real, here. I use this as a beauty mist for everything. It’s smells like heaven and is so refreshing on my skin. I spray it on my hair, face, body, dogs, husband, etc. After a day of working, a fresh mist of this will instantly make my skin look and feel better.
A little secret, when I’m doing my makeup, I’ll spray it on as a finisher. But, I do it right BEFORE my highlighter. That way, the highlighter has something a little damp to stick to and my skin look so bright and dewy! Run, don’t walk for this one, guys!
When you look good, you feel good right? Looking good and feeling good are a bit more challenging when your hormones are raging and you’re growing a human. Pampering myself and making sure I feel confident and beautiful has never been more important to me. You’ve got to take care of yourself in order to take care of those around you and I’m about to have a little (a lot) more to take care of in a few months. Staying happy and healthy is just as important for the baby as it is for me. I hope you guys loved my tips and make sure to pamper yourselves a little whether your pregnant or not!
Drunk elephant virgin Marula oil has been amazing throughout my pregnancy to keep my face moisturized and glowing.