Through pregnancy and then postpartum....two products I am STILL using!

Hi!

Hope you have had a great start to your week!

Soooo...my precious baby James is about to turn one in just a couple of weeks (insert me fighting back tears)!!  I am trying to figure out how his first year went by so fast...but really- I think the same thing when I look at his older sisters!  

Anyway...it made me realize that it has been almost 2 years since I got pregnant with him- which just seems nuts!  What I wanted to share with you today are a couple of products I invested in during my pregnancy with James, that I used every day.  I continued to use them after I had James and now, with him almost being one year old- I am still using them!! I think it can be hard, especially if you are going to be a first time mom, to know what products to invest in and what items you could probably don't need.  Everything claims to be a "MUST HAVE" or you "CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT." HA! So dramatic! :) 

Well...I am here to tell you...I really couldn't have lived without these two items over the past 2 years- dramatic or not- its the truth! :)

Behold: The Bumpnest Pregnancy Pillow.  I went through 3 pregnancies without investing in a good body pillow and I swore that I would not do that again when we got pregnant with James.  I get really bad sciatic back pain when I am pregnant and I really needed something that could help me get a good night's rest!  I saw some bloggers reviewing the bumpnest pillow and forwarded my husband the link to the website.  Well...he surprised me and ordered me one for my birthday and I was SO excited.  This pillow is really all it is cracked up to be.  It is soft and cushy, yet totally supports you.  It truly makes you feel like you are sleeping in this perfect little nest! I used it every night during my pregnancy with James, and then actually continued to use after I had James because I loved the support it gave me as I was healing and dealing with other lovely issues that come with the postpartum stage.  A couple months ago I stopped using it because I thought it was a little silly to still be sleeping with a pregnancy pillow....BUT- I do not have the best pillows (and can't seem to find one I like to save my life) so I started using the bumpnest again on top of one of my pillows and it is just what I needed to not wake up with a crick in my neck! HA!  

Now- here are the two cons I would say the bumpnest has: 1) it is expensive.  it is $99.  I KNOW.  But, I can truly tell you- at least for me- it is worth every penny and I have obviously gotten my money's worth out it! HA!  2) it is BIG. my husband calls it the "third person" in our bed.  Hahaha! It definitely takes up a solid amount of space...but it totally helps me have a restful night of sleep- so I don't really care! :) Also- we have a king bed...so we do have a little more room to work with versus if we slept in a full or queen bed.  

If you are newly pregnant or currently pregnant and are needing a body pillow- try this one out.  I LOVE it!!

Okay...the next item that I have REALLY gotten major use out of is the Bravado Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra.  When I was about half way through my pregnancy with James, I took stock of the nursing bras I had and decided they could use a little CPR.  I started researching for the best nursing bra- and the Bravado bra just kept on popping up!  I decided to give it a shot and I am so glad I did!! I ordered my regular size in this bra (versus the size I am the first couple weeks after I have a baby) and was able to start wearing it about 2 months after I had James.  This bra is AWESOME.  It doesn't have underwire- but you would never know that because it is so supportive!! I love that the shape of the bra totally helps me have a "lifted" look if you will (I need all the help I can get after nursing 4 kids-HA)! It is cut lower than most nursing bras, which I love, because it means I can wear regular shirts and not have my bra showing!  This is the only nursing bra I wore over the past year.  I would go to put on one of my old bras and immediately would take them off- because the difference in support and how I looked in them didn't even compare to the Bravado bra!!  Now- where this bra really saved me was when I was weaning James just a few weeks ago.  I got extremely engorged and was quite uncomfortable for about 2 weeks as my body got used to no longer nursing.  While I was ready to wear one of my underwire bras (since I hadn't for almost a year)- I couldn't because they hurt!  My Bravado bra was SO comfortable, provided the support I needed- but also didn't cause me any discomfort wearing it.  Now that I am back to "normal" I still find myself wearing this bra!! It currently is the only bra that really fits me correctly...lets just say gravity has been hard at work over the past 6 years of me being pregnant and nursing 4 kids and the result is interesting to say the least- HA! I am going to give my body a little more time to shift and change and then I am going to go do some serious bra shopping.  Until then- you better believe I will wearing my Bravado bra!!  If you are interested in trying this bra out- I got mine on Amazon- here is the link!

So there you have it! Two products I didn't really expect to be using almost a year after I had my baby- but I am!!  :)

What about you?  Do you have any items that have gotten you through pregnancy and beyond??

(and obviously, since no one knows I even write this little blog, these opinions are totally MY OWN! No compensation was received for talking about these two products.)