From Pillows to Balms: These Wellness Products Are a Must-Have During Pregnancy

Pregnancy must-have wellness products center around nutrition, wellness, and reducing stress. While you may find endless products on the market geared toward pregnant women, we took a deep dive into the wellness products moms actually used during pregnancy. Read on for everything from belly bands to vitamins.

Pregnancy Pillow

As your belly grows, sleep becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. Many women swear by pregnancy pillows to help alleviate discomfort in their back, hips, legs, and belly. Pregnancy pillows come in all shapes and sizes, and there are options for different budgets.

• Momcozy is a brand that gets high ratings from pregnant women. They offer U-shaped body pillows, smaller wedge pillows, and knee pillows. If you're a hot sleeper, they offer pillows in cooling fabrics.
• The Queen Rose U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow is another one frequently mentioned on Reddit by moms-to-be.

Back Pillow for Sitting

Back pain is incredibly common during pregnancy. Sitting for long periods in the car or at work can be uncomfortable. Although this is not technically a wellness product for pregnant women, many women find that back pillows can help reduce the strain on their lower back.

• Cushion Lab offers a highly rated Back Relief Lumbar Pillow that works anywhere — in your car, an office chair, or on the couch.
• For the budget choice, the Lumbar Support Pillow from QUTOOL has 4.4 stars on Amazon with over 26,000 ratings.

Belly Oil

As your belly stretches during pregnancy, moisturizing your skin helps prevent dryness and itchiness by hydrating deeper than lotion. One thing to note is that researchers haven't found that any topical creams or oils can prevent stretch marks, despite the claims made by many brands. Whether or not you get stretch marks is mainly determined by your genetics. What belly oil can do is hydrate your skin, reduce irritation, and improve elasticity, which is why we think it's a priority wellness product during pregnancy.

• Bio-Oil Natural Skincare Oil is unscented and gets high marks for softening skin without feeling greasy.
• Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Soothing Oil is a budget-friendly option that many women swear by.

Water Bottle

Hydration is important during pregnancy. Researchers have discovered it gets even more critical during the second and third trimester when your need for water increases even more. When you're looking for the best water bottle, look for options that avoid bisphenol A (BPA). We've rounded up a couple of top-rated ones below, but the important thing is to find a system of drinking plenty of water that works for you.

• Bink Made Mama Bottle is free of toxic chemicals and helps moms-to-be keep track of their water intake.
• Owala bottles are loved for not leaking and keeping water cold for long periods.

Pregnancy Ball

A pregnancy ball, also called a birthing, exercise, stability, or yoga ball, is a great wellness product that can help pregnant women perform safe exercises that help ease hip and back pain.

• Just about any exercise ball will work, but we found that Trideer has the top reviews for sturdiness and quality.

Anti-Chafe Balm

As your body changes during pregnancy, you may notice chafing where you've never had it before. Balms can soothe irritated skin and prevent chafing in the first place.

• Body Glide is a popular anti-chafe stick with non-toxic ingredients.
• Another safe option that pregnant women love is Megababe's Thigh Rescue Anti-Friction Stick.

Prenatal Vitamins

At your first prenatal appointment, your doctor will likely recommend that you begin taking prenatal vitamins immediately. There are many different brands to choose from. Your doctor can recommend a brand or prescribe one that you get from the pharmacy. But generally, they will let you choose. The Mayo Clinic recommends you look for one that contains folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D.

• One over-the-counter option that many women take is Nature Made Prenatal Vitamins for Women with Folic Acid + DHA. It's important to note that these don't contain the recommended amount of calcium for pregnant women, so you will need to add a calcium supplement.
• Vegan moms can have a tough time finding animal-free products. We found that Ritual Essential Prenatal gets high reviews.

Community and Support Groups

Although not a wellness product, we can't leave out the importance of finding support during pregnancy. There are many ways you can meet people during this time, and you may find the friendships you make last a lifetime.

• Look into programs at the hospital you're giving birth at. Many offer prenatal and breastfeeding classes where you can meet others and get some much-needed support.
• Community centers and libraries may have meet-ups for new parents or parents-to-be.
• You may find groups online through social media, such as mom groups on Facebook.
• Check out prenatal classes that interest you, such as prenatal yoga or prenatal exercises at your local gym. This is another way to meet people who may have due dates close to yours.

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