New moms-to-be hear a lot of information. They’re also given a lot of product recommendations. Which only begs the question, is everything actually necessary? Or is that influencer just trying to sell that expensive product for their own gain? As a first time mom-to-be myself, these are all the must have items for my first pregnancy that I found to be necessary. So much so that every single item on this list is something I purchased for myself and love. They are not only effective but budget-friendly!

Starting your first pregnancy

The first thing you will learn on this journey is that every pregnancy is different. And although social media is famous for showing you content that may make it seem like everyone has a certain type of bad experience, I promise you it isn’t true.

For better sleep

1 – Full body pregnancy pillow. $32. I needed by week 10. The hormone, relaxin, was the biggest factor to get this ASAP as it caused my shoulder injury from 6 years prior to flare up hard. This helped relieve the pressure I was putting on my shoulder with side lying. It also helped relieve the pain in my spine with much needed back support.

2 – Baby Bub belly support pillow. $75. I needed by week 11. For a first pregnancy, I was told that my bump wouldn’t start showing until week 20. Girl, I was showing at 12. But I felt the pressure and pull of my belly when I slept on my side at 11. This pillow helped offer support directly on my belly and lower back. Although I got mine at Baby Bub (what can I say, the targeted Insta ads got me), there are plenty of belly bump pillows on Amazon for cheaper. And yes, I used this in conjunction with my full pregnancy pillow since the full body one did not offer support directly under my belly.

3 – Ear pillow. $15. This one is optional. Even before pregnancy, sometimes I would just wake up in the middle of the night with ear pain from laying on my side. That pain heightened during pregnancy. So this helped alleviate that pain!

PRO TIP: Prenatal yoga really has helped with the aches and pains that end up making my sleep horrendous. I highly recommend getting yourself a Zonli Japanese futon mattress to do your stretches on. It’s also great to use as a bed topper or to-go bedding for your partner at the hospital while you’re in labor and delivery.

Must have items for your health

1 – Pink Stork prenatal vitamins. $22. The ones made from Pink Stork come highly rated. I personally appreciate that they are made with folate acid – NOT folic acid. Folic acid is a synthetic of folate, and some claim folic acid plays a part in postpartum depression. Plus it’s made by a women-owned brand so I trust that they are putting all the best ingredients in it!

2 – Palmer’s Stretch Marks lotion. $7. My poor boobs in the blink of an eye got insane stretch marks. Seriously, it seemed to happen overnight. The good thing is that you can still use this product to repair stretch mark damage. But definitely get it because your regular, water-based lotion will not cut it. This item is not only a first pregnancy must have, but an any pregnancy must have.

3 – Coconut oil. $10. This is an optional item. My legs were just super dry a lot of the time. I feel like if you have lotion you want to use up, just use that on your non-stretch-markable areas like your legs and hands. Me personally, I just liked using oil.

4 – Nasal strips. $16 for 50-pack. I needed by week 10. It’s common that during pregnancy, you will get nasal congestion. For some reason, any time I would lay on my right side, I immediately could not breathe out of my nose. This helped improve my sleep tremendously.

5 – Mouthwash. The worst pregnancy symptom I had was the excess saliva. From week 8 to week 14, I was spitting so much that it truly felt like torture. After about a week and 5 tissue boxes later, I started using a spit cup. Not only is the mouthwash good to feel some relief of this symptom, but I would put it at the bottom of my spit cup before use.

6 – Exercise ball. Optional item. I needed by week 20. Prenatal yoga and exercise is fantastic for pre-labor preparation. And for a lot of those exercises and stretches, an exercise ball is very useful. Especially when it comes to opening your pelvic floor.

7 – Heating pad. Needed by week 12. My sciatica was flaring so bad during the first trimester, a heating pad is definitely a first pregnancy must have item. For more, long-term sciatica relief though, prenatal yoga stretching will help tremendously.

READ MORE >> Where can I buy discounted, used, or “open box” baby items online?

Food

1 – Shameless Snacks Gummy Worms. $20 for 6-pack. Needed by week 13. Constipation hits hard in the first trimester. And for me, Miralax took too long and still didn’t work. These gummy worm snacks are the blessing your bowels need. Delicious, low sugar, and they have 26 grams of fiber in one pack! Since they are super high fiber, I would not recommend eating these as an everyday snack. I limit my intake to once a week.

2 – Pink Stork Raspberry Leaf tea. $17 for 15-pack. Choosing this brand is completely optional. I just like the brand itself. Raspberry leaf tea helps to soften your cervix and prepare your birthing canal for labor. You can find raspberry leaf tea at your local grocery store in the tea section for cheaper.

3 – Protein snacks. Needed by week 10. Sometimes I went from zero to starving. The hunger pain would even wake me up in the middle of the night. Having easy to grab, high-protein snacks are a pregnancy must have. I liked the peanut butter mini protein bars from Perfect Bar as a grab-n-go option.

4 – Dates. Eat the stupid dates. I know they are disgusting, but eat them. These help to soften your cervix and prepare your birthing canal for labor. They are also a good source of fiber (about 1-2 grams of fiber per date) and contain compounds that can stimulate oxytocin receptors.

READ MORE >> Baby Items: What You Do and Don’t Need

First Pregnancy Clothing Must Haves

1 – Period underwear. $40 for 5-pack. Needed by week 20. During pregnancy, you may experience more discharge. Additionally in later term, the possibility of accidentally peeing your pants from sneezing or laughing is higher. Period underwear can be used to help with these accidents. I recommend ordering a size larger than your pre-pregnancy size. I ordered these ones from TIICHOO, but I wouldn’t consider them “heavy flow” capable. They work fine for pregnancy, but probably not period. For an actual heavy flow, I would recommend getting these from Thinx for All. Those are the ones that I actually use for period flow.

2 – Compression socks. $30 for 2-pack. I needed by week 26. With increased blood flow and fluids in your body, a lot of pressure builds in the legs. I started getting cramps in my legs at night around week 18. But it wasn’t until week 26 that it became too much to handle. Compression socks help regulate blood flow and lower the possibility of varicose veins.

3 – Oversized tees. $7. I needed by week 14. I’m a big advocate for buying non-maternity wear during this time so that you can wear these pieces after pregnancy. I purchased three different colors of this one tee. For $7 a piece, it was a great purchase.

4 – Bodily bras. $130 for 3-pack. Needed by week 14. The rule for buying bras while pregnant is to go up a few inches in width, and one cup size. For example, my pre-pregnancy size was a 34A so I sized up to a 36B. Even with a 36B though, I was at the last clasp. I got a three pack of nursing bras from Bodily and added my own high-support inserts from Klassy. The fact that these bras have five clasp options means I will still probably get great life out of them after pregnancy. These are one of my top first pregnancy must have items.

5 – Maternity biker shorts. $47 for 3-pack. I needed by week 21. A great pick for spring and summer mamas. I ordered a size up from my pre-pregnancy size and they fit comfortably. Be sure to wash before wearing though. Mine came with a weird glue smell to them.

6 – Maternity ruched tees. $31 for 3-pack. A great option to get a three pack of these shirts. Plus the ruched style is flattering even after pregnancy.

7 – Maternity Office / Yoga Pants. $36. I needed by week 24. Super comfy and I loved that they did work very well for my office and normal, casual attire.

8 – Maternity swimsuit. $36. Another great pick for spring and summer moms-to-be.

9 – Lose Crochet top. $20. A non-maternity wear option for spring and summer pregnancies. I bought my pre-pregnancy size of medium, and the loose, oversized look made it look great around my bump.

10 – Oversized sweatshirt. $20. A non-maternity wear option for maximum comfort. I bought my pre-pregnancy size of medium. It’s so oversized that I can grow into this well into my third trimester.

Non-maternity clothing that still worked well during pregnancy

1 – Cozy Earth bamboo jogger sweatpants. $160. Totally optional. But I’ve had these sweatpants for YEARS. And through the growth of my bump, they still offered so much room. Well worth the price knowing how much use I get pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy. Easily became an unintentional first pregnancy must have for me.

2 – Cozy Earth bamboo stretch-knit tee. $85. Completely optional and a bit pricey for a regular tee. But I had it before pregnancy and even for having a size small in this tee, I was still able to wear it at week 26.

3 – PopFlex Superscult Flare leggings. $65. Had them pre-pregnancy and they are SO comfortable. They stretched with me until about week 20 before my bump felt a little squished.

4 – PopFlex Half Zip hoodie. $75. Another great unintentional maternity piece. Got it at week 14 and was still loving the oversized look by my third trimester. Plus the cinch-able waistband offered me the opportunity to cinch it above my belly.

5 – Halara High-waisted Crisscross jeans. $55. I ordered a size up from what I would have gotten pre-pregnancy at week 14 and they had no problem stretching with me through the third trimester. I bought two because they were so comfy! Be sure to wash before wearing though. Mine came with a weird glue smell.

6 – H&M sale section. If you’re looking to score some deals on clothing, I had a lot of luck at H&M. I shopped the sale section in-store the majority of the time, and you would not believe how much maternity clothing from online is returned in-store. Plus since the general style nowadays is oversized, I found a lot of items that were non-maternity that fit very well.

Your First Pregnancy Must-Have List

Like I said and what you will continue to hear during your pregnancy is that every pregnancy is different. At the end of the day, none of these items are mandatory to your journey. What I used and would continue to use in a second pregnancy are the items above. And I’m sure you will find many more lists like this all over the internet. But just know that whatever you choose to get for yourself is never wrong for your specific situation.

Congratulations on your little one!

Find all of these items on my Amazon-compiled list for easier access!