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If you are pregnant you are probably already shopping for some pregnancy gear to get you through. You probably already picked up a pregnancy book or two or ten. And you have your pregnancy essentials like your prenatal vitamins. Here are 15 seemingly strange products for pregnancy you’ll probably want on hand sometime in the next 9 months.
1. Ginger. Ginger helps with nausea so it’s handy to have during pregnancy if you are experience morning sickness. You can add ginger to your foods, think Ginger Carrot Soup. Or crystalized ginger with you on the go. Crystalized ginger is a sweet, spicy treat that makes your belly feel better.
2. Tennis or lacrosse balls. Wait. What?! Yup, didn’t expect us to recommend this as s strange product for pregnancy huh? It’s to be used for a back massager. Well, at some time along the way, your back will get achy. Think about it, you’re front heavy and carrying around an extra 30, 40 pounds. It’s bound to throw off your back. So in addition to chiropractic care, keep some tennis balls handy for your significant other to use to roll over your back with some pressure. Or you can use by rolling a lacrosse balls around between your back and a wall.
3. New Glasses or glasses for the first time. Pregnancy can change vision is by making your sight blurry. This change is often temporary. Typically, vision returns to normal after giving birth. My vision actually improved during one pregnancy and got worse again during the next. It may not be enough to require a change but if you normally wear glasses or work with computers, you may need a new prescription.
If you’re experiencing more severe or chronic vision problems during pregnancy, discuss it with your obstetrician and/or your eye doctor.
Pregnancy also can change vision by making your eyes more sensitive to light, causing headaches or migraine pain. One of the ways to help reduce headache pain is by wearing sunglasses that have mirror coating to reflect the sun’s glare.
4. Baby shows. The Discovery Channel show A Baby Story is a must see. The show follows couples through their final weeks of pregnancy, joins them in the delivery room for the emotional welcome to their baby and through the first weeks of their new life as parents. It’s educational and emotional. You may also want to watch What to Expect When You’re Expecting for a little comedy you can so relate to right now.
5. Tissues. While you are watching those emotional shows or laughing until you cry during the movie or crying during the car commercials where parents are teaching their teen to drive, you’ll need lots and lots of tissues. Like lots. Just go to Costco and buy a pack… or four.
6. Eye Masks. After all that crying, you’ll want a cooling eye mask. It will help you look sane when you’re not sleeping well too. And maybe an eye mask to help you catch up on a few Z’s whenever you can. Remember naps are your friend.
7. Comfy shoes. Your stilettos may have to stay at home for a bit. Being pregnant already throws you off balance and your joints are looser so you don’t want to increase the risk of falling by wearing heals. Besides, they might not fit. Many women experience their feet getting bigger during pregnancy. And sorry, they might go back to their previous size. Plus on top of that many pregnant women’s feet swell during pregnancy, especially closer to the end. So treat yourself to some cute and comfortable shoes like ballet flats or flip flops. Hopefully something easy to put on too when you can no longer bend over.
8. Foot support. In addition to comfortable shoes, you may need additional support. Inserts can make a difference to your feet and all the way up your back. Maybe you can talk your spouse to give your achy feet a little massage too. This peppermint lotion will feel delightful.
9. Bras. Speaking of support. Whether your boobs grow 3 sizes, just feel like they did or actually shrink, you’ll probably be in the market for some new bras. Mine only grew a bit but shrunk afterwards. (I say my babies sucked my boobs away to almost nothing.) Underwire or no is your choice. Your bra should fit well and be comfortable. Is that a thing? Apparently it can be. There are lots of choices for maternity bras and nursing bras. And these days some are even pretty. Go figure.
10. Groin Band. A what?! I’m sorry. This just makes me laugh. And as far as I’m aware was not on the market when I was pregnant but I can understand why it is now. The ultimate strange product for pregnancy. There comes a time in pregnancy when you kind of feel like that part is just falling out. So BabyBelly created the Groin Band to help support that area and keep you from bottoming out.
11. Bidet Bottle. I was first introduced to this after my first birth. But it can actually come in handy during pregnancy, think hemorrhoids or a mini cleaning sess after… you know, when you can’t really reach so well any more. This one by Frida Baby called Fridet has an angled head to make it easier to reach. Bidets are also good after birth to help the healing process and alleviate soreness.
12. Razor Reach. Another bathroom product. This one to help shave your legs. I have not tried this as again it was not around when I was pregnant (so if you try it, let us know how it works). But I was pregnant, hugely pregnant, during summer so I understand the inability to shave one’s legs. It was kind of a lean and reach… miss some spots. The Razor Reach attaches to a razor to give you a kind of arm extension. Go, go Gadget arms.
13. Cozy Bump. For the serious tummy sleeper. Ya, you know who you are. You have enough trouble sleeping during pregnancy and now you can’t sleep on your stomach?! I don’t even sleep on my stomach but I like to roll over on my tummy sometime in the morning. And I craved being able to do that when I was pregnant. So weird. And look someone did something about that craving — again not something available during my pregnancies. Errr. Checkout the Cozy Bump, an inflatable pregnancy pillow bed thing with a whole in it for your belly. Awesome!
Download our free PDF guide: Safer Driving During Pregnancy
14. Tummy Shield. Another comfort item with a side of safety. (And again not on the market during my pregnancies, I’m really starting to age myself here.) I would have jumped at this. I couldn’t stand the lap belt in the car during my pregnancy. It was so uncomfortable digging into my low belly as low as I could get it. Tummy Shield came to the US in 2014 and redirects the car’s seat belt away from your baby bump. More comfort plus if you are in a crash the seat belt isn’t right there.
15. Belly Armor. What’s this Tummy Shield, Belly Armor? Should you just get a suit of armor? Or stay in bed for 9 months? Of course if you did that, you’d probably really need this. Did you know that your laptop can be unsafe for your growing baby? Laptops give off radiation, like the microwave you’re not supposed to stand near. Belly Armor protects your bump from that radiation so you can still work — or upload your cute pregnancy photos on your social media — on your laptop.
Did you ever think about these strange products for pregnancy before reading this? Do you have any weird pregnancy products you think should be added?
By Amie Durocher, Creative Director at Safe Ride 4 Kids and certified CPS Tech since 2004
Copyright 2022 Safe Ride 4 Kids. All rights reserved. You may not publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute this material without permission. You are welcome to link to Safe Ride 4 Kids or share on social media.
We originally published this post in February 2020. We updated the article for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
