The Belly Diaries | 19 weeks & My Pregnancy Essentials

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Welcome to The Belly Diaries! We’re following pregnant mama Lindsey as she navigates pregnancy #2. If you’re just tuning in, you can read previous posts by Lindsey as well as earlier Belly Diaries mamas here

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Stop what you’re doing and celebrate with me. We’re having another boy!

I’m going to be honest with you and tell you that I am relieved. I’m terrified to have a daughter. Mostly because she would be half of me and I wasn’t exactly a poster child growing up. I gave my parents a run for their money. But boys? Boys are easy! Just throw them around and they do whatever you want. Okay, maybe it’s not that easy, but does anyone else understand what I’m saying? There is a certain stress about bringing up young women, and I would like to leave it to the pros. I’ll be in charge of raising good young men. God knows we need more of them in this world.

Now that I’ve poured out my heart and soul to you all, I thought I’d share my pregnancy essentials with you. Having been through one pregnancy already, I’m probably an expert on all things prenatal. No, definitely not. Regardless, if you are pregnant or have friends with rounding bellies, it’s the least I can do to impart some fetal wisdom. Here goes:

1. Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula

This stuff is magic. You can buy it almost anywhere in the Valley (Target, Walgreens, etc.) but I recommend getting the stuff in the jar, not the lotion. It’s more concentrated and lasts forever. Husband rubbed it on my belly every night when I was pregnant with Elliot and I have not one stretch mark to show for it. The spousal bonding time is a plus, too.

2. Maxi dresses

Last time I was knocked up, I was working at Starbucks, so I wore the same maternity shirtdress and leggings every day. This time, I have to actually put effort into my wardrobe so as not to appear – dare I say it – boring. Also, this is the desert, so we must dress accordingly. Also also, I’ve given up on pants. Enter the maxi dress. The best part about it is that you don’t necessarily need to buy maternity ones – the length is forgiving of protruding tummies, and they breathe so well in our oven of a city. I scored most of mine (so far) at Xi Fashion Inc. at Desert Ridge. You don’t have to be sixteen to shop there, I promise.

3. Naps

Seriously, ladies. If you can take one, TAKE IT. I’m lucky to have a little guy who naps at least once a day, during which I try to do the same. Sure, I may only get to a couple days out of the week, but it makes everything in the entire universe better, especially for those around me. You know you’re a diva when you’re tired. If your kids nap and you are pregnant, nap with them. If you have people you trust to watch your kids, accept the help and take a nap. If you are working, go to bed early and nap on the weekends. If this is your first pregnancy, for the love of all that was ever right in this world, nap whenever possible and thank me later.

4. This recipe for no-bake cookies

If you’re expecting, you miss cookie dough. You also aren’t into baking complicated goodies that you’re too tired to eat once it’s all over anyway. No-bakes shall be your salvation. There are only eight ingredients and you can add/substitute pretty much whatever sounds good to you at the moment (though I don’t recommend hot sauce or pickles – I already made that mistake) like coconut, nuts, cranberries, whatever. This particular recipe calls for almond extract but you can totally use vanilla, and almond butter but you can totally use peanut. One more reason they rock and then I’ll shut up – they’re refrigerated, which is an excellent treat on a hot day.

What could you / could you not live without when you were pregnant?

5 COMMENTS

  1. Very Fun! I like your dry wit, it’s fun to read! When I was preggo I had to have tums…everywhere. I had heartburn everyday no matter what I ate. I had them by my bedside table, in my car, in my purse, at my desk. Everywhere. Not so glamorous but I had to do it!

  2. I hardly leave comments, however after reading a few of the responses
    here The Belly Diaries | 19 weeks & My Pregnancy Essentials | Scottsdale Moms Blog.
    I do have some questions for you if it’s allright. Is it just me or do a few of these responses look like they are written by brain dead visitors? 😛 And, if you are writing on additional sites, I would like to follow you. Would you list of every one of your social community sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?

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