15 Essential Life Hacks for Pregnancy

Spare yourself the cost of temporary fixes with our favorite pregnancy life hacks. In the blink of an eye, your baby will be born, and you’ll be thankful you don’t have a box full of pregnancy-specific gear gathering dust in your garage.

1. Cooking Oils for Itchy Skin – Rub cooking oils on your belly (effective and always available). When you run out of your beloved baby belly oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil or coconut oil will do the trick. Raid your kitchen pantry and smear on whatever you have on hand post-shower for that pregnancy glow.

2. Use Kinesio Tape for Back Pain – Support your bump with Kinesio tape which may help ease back pain. Basic Kinesiology tape can serve the same function as a supportive belly band, but it’s cheaper. Have an athletic trainer, chiropractor or physical therapist tape you the first time. Wear it for up to 5 days, then re-tape as necessary.

3. Turn Your Tennis Shoes Into Slip-Ons – Opt for elastic laces to avoid shoelace struggle. There are a lot of benefits to wearing your workout shoes into your pregnancy (all hail the cushioned support!). Get more mileage out of them by using Xpand laces so you can still work out without bending over to tie your shoelaces.

4. Cut the Front Pockets Out of Your Jeans - A burgeoning belly doesn’t have to stop you from stepping out in your favorite denim. By cutting the front pockets out and sewing a stretchy panel in their place, you you’re your jeans into a cheap but functional pair of maternity pants. Use this easy tutorial to rock those trusty blue jeans for the next nine months. (https://seekatesew.com/stretchy-pocket-maternity-pants-tutorial/)

5. Ask Siri What Meds are Safe for Pregnancy – Get instant doctor approved feedback to avoid unsafe meds. When you’re pregnant, Siri and Alexa are your new BFFs. In order to have one easy spot to check what meds are safe for you to use, the MommyMeds app, developed by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, cuts through all the conflicting results with a doctor-approved database.

6. Create an Everyday ‘Emergency’ Bag – Fill a toiletry kit with snacks so your cravings never go unsatisfied. We know the focus is on packing your hospital bag, but there are plenty of necessities you’ll need before the big day. Fill a toiletry kit with snacks, chewable antacids, ginger candies, lavender essential oil—anything you need to get you through a rough day—and keep it in your purse so you’re always prepared.

7. Extend the Life of Your Bra – Temporary bra extenders eliminate the need for a bigger bra. There’s no need to buy all new or invest in pricey maternity bras right away. Buy a 3 pack of bra extenders for under $10 instead to take care of your expanding bustline.

8. Book All Your Prenatal Appointments Now – That way you don’t miss a crucial visit. Pregnancy brain happens. It’s easy to forget to schedule your glucose screening or 34 week appointment. Instead, book them all at once so you can plan accordingly with work and know exactly when the next few are scheduled. Even better, try to book your appointments all on the same day of the week at the same time.

9. Stock Up on Things You Might Crave – To help avoid the midnight run. Fill your fridge with “you’ll-thank-yourself-later” staples like pickles, ginger beer, french fries and ice cream in the freezer drawer so that when the urge does come (and it will), your partner isn’t racing to the local gas station at 3 a.m.

10. Kitchen Tongs in the Shower – For easy pick up of anything you drop. When you’re pregnant, you will drop the soap, shampoo bottle and washcloth more times in the shower than you ever have before. This phenomenon is frustrating, but a pair of kitchen tongs in the tub will help make the grab easier.

11. Trick Yourself into Hydration – Snack on foods with high-water content to stay hydrated without constantly chugging H2O. You might get to a point where peeing frequently makes you want to stop drinking water altogether. Instead, stay hydrated without even knowing it by eating high-water-content foods like watermelon (92%), strawberries (91%), cantaloupe (90%), cucumbers (95%), zucchini (94%), celery (95%) and tomatoes (94%).

12. Sleep on Silk to Turn Over in Bed – Which will make your midnight trips to the bathroom easier and quicker. By your third trimester, getting out of bed is an entirely different feat. Sleep on a silk pillowcase to help you move more freely and get up in the middle of the night to pee.

13. Cover Your Roots With Fruit – Try lemon juice or henna to refresh your roots naturally. If you have to miss your dye job for a little while, not all is lost. Try lemon juice in the sun to lighten hair or henna to darken light roots.

14. Fix Swollen Feet With Salt – Try a salt soak to combat the bloat. While eating more salt may cause you to retain more water and make swelling worse, giving your feet a good soak in epsom or sea salt works wonders to tame the bloat. Use a bucket or large bowl, add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil and voila! Your feet will feel good as new.

15. Keep Snacks on Your Nightstand – To curb craving without getting out of bed, stock snacks in your nightstand. We fully support you if there are nights when you need to eat in bed. Keep granola bars or a non-perishable snack in your nightstand drawer. If you’re craving something that needs refrigeration, like a cheese sandwich, make it before you go to bed and have it ready in the fridge.

16. Bonus Hack: Register for Everything You Need for Baby from Any Store – Once you start building a mental list of things you’ll need for baby, you’ll quickly realize that what you really need can’t be found at one or two stores (or sometimes in stores at all). A Babylist registry lets you add any item from any store to one beautiful list. You can add help and favors (like babysitting or dog walking), even cash funds (for baby’s education, or for diapers), too. Babylist works just like Pinterest. (https://www.babylist.com/landing)

This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here.

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