19 February 2014
12 Top Gadgets to make your pregnancy easier
A few weeks ago I decided to ask everyone on my Facebook page what products and gadgets they have found useful during pregnancy. I got quite a few suggestions – some didn’t surprise me, whilst others were a real eye opener – and so I thought I’d share them here with you today. You never know – some might prove to be the perfect solution for you too! Read on to find out what people’s suggestions were:
1. Many mums-to-be find that the sheer weight of their bump can cause discomfort towards the end of pregnancy, especially if it’s a big bump on a little frame, or if twins are on the way… So it’s not surprising that a number of mums mentioned how helpful wearing a pregnancy support belt had been for them during pregnancy. There are many different types and brands, such as the Nexcare Maternity Support Belt, so it’s very much a case of having a look at what’s available.
2. Various shapes of pillow were also mentioned with the V-shaped pillow being particularly popular. The advantage of the V-shaped pillow is that it can be placed between the legs when sleeping on your side. This helps maintain ankle, knee and hip alignment which will mean that less pressure is placed on the pelvis. So if you are suffering from any form of pelvic girdle pain, then I certainly suggest giving the V pillow a go. It will also prove helpful for propping up your baby whilst breastfeeding.
3. Wedge shaped pillows can also prove to be useful in pregnancy – support your bump by popping the pillow under your bump when sleeping on your side, or use it to support your back if you are sitting up in bed reading (although reading in bed is never good for posture and general aches and pains).
4. The Dream Genii Maternity Support and Feeding Pillow was also popular with mums-to-me. I’d definitely look it up and see what you think. It’s a very different shape from any other of the pillows mentioned above and has clearly been designed especially for pregnancy and nursing.
Lots of pillows were on the list, an indication of how uncomfortable we all get in bed towards the end of pregnancy. At least it’s not for ever…
5. Moving on from pillows, a few mums-to-be mentioned – wait for it! – hair bobbles to expand their trousers in early pregnancy. Love it! How ingenious.
6. Talking of expanding clothes, bra expanders were popular too and considered to be very useful. The ribcage expands in pregnancy as your bump pushes upwards and so rather than buying a whole new set of bras, the idea of an expander is quite appealing.
7. Now have you ever heard of “Bump Bands”? I hadn’t. It turns out that they are very useful for extending the life (and length) of your T shirts so that you don’t display a huge expanse of bump in later pregnancy. The place to get them is New Look apparently. Sounds like a good idea to me.
8. Getting a good night’s sleep becomes ever more of a challenge as pregnancy progresses, so anything that can help is most welcome. Pregnancy hypnotherapy CDs were recommended, so how about giving one a go?
Now we’re getting onto the more quirky ideas and suggestions. Here goes:
9. Have you ever heard of travel sickness bands? They are a wristband with a rounded plastic lump in them. The lump needs to be carefully positioned on the wrist in the perfect acupressure place to relieve sickness. They are actually designed – as the name suggests – for those who feel sick when traveling but some mums used them successfully for morning sickness. I used them too but I have to confess that they didn’t work for me – to be honest, nothing did!
10. Gaviscon! Yep, it might have been said in gest but if you are suffering from the unpleasant symptoms of heartburn then Gaviscon might help you, and it is, according to the manufacturers, safe to use in pregnancy.
11. Getting general aches and pains? A few mums-to-be suggested that a hot water bottle was helpful for relieving twinges: great idea, especially in winter. Not sure this would be so good during a heat wave!
12. And a last one from me and from the mums using my online pregnancy Pilates videos: one of the best ways to keep aches at bay is doing pregnancy Pilates on a little-but-often basis, so make sure you do my online videos. There’s no need to spend half an hour exercising every day. Even 5-10 minutes of my pregnancy Pilates will make a significant difference. Promise!
So there you have it, 12 top ideas for making your pregnancy that little bit more comfortable, courtesy of the mums and mums-to-be who do my workouts. Thank you ladies!