The Pregnancy Essentials You Didn’t Know You Needed

Do you know what I absolutely could not do for the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy? Swallow pills. Even chewing gummy vitamins felt icky. Thankfully, Pink Stork has eliminated the need for that with this liquid prenatal. After all, since you have to take a prenatal, you might as well make it easier on yourself.

Taking a prenatal is essential to your baby's development, and Pink Stork's formula is full of the folic acid, iron, and vitamin D that are essential for your baby's neural and bone development and your own health during your pregnancy.

It's third-party-tested from whole food sources, with no gluten, dairy, or sugars and sweeteners. You can either take it as a shot or mix it in a drink. I find that the best way is to add it to an unsweetened (or sweetened) flavored iced tea or juice because it does have a vitamin-y flavor.

Best of all? Pink Stork is woman-owned, and 80% of its staff is women, so you know they’re really looking out for moms’ interests and needs.

More: The Best Shoes for Pregnancy

Oh, hyperemesis, how I don't miss you one iota. Even regular morning (all day) sickness is not easy — but these candies definitely help. Personally, I'm not a fan of ginger on its own, but the pear gives them an almost dessert-like taste. They're totally delicious and help settle unhappy tummies — making them a pregnancy essential for all.

I’m not ashamed to admit it — I still use my pregnancy pillow to this day. It’s truly a joy to relax with on the regular, but when your body is changing, and your hips ache, your back hurts, and you're just uncomfortable? A pregnancy pillow is literally life-changing.

It's fully detachable, with an easily washed zip-off cover that will help support your growing belly, ease the stress on your hips by separating your legs, and allow for proper reclined posture, which is a difficult feat in that third trimester. Doctors recommend lying on your left side during pregnancy to maximize blood flow, and this pillow helps make that comfortable.

This one is made of cooling materials so that you don't overheat as you might otherwise. Thank you, pregnancy hormones.

Carting around a bowling ball in front of you all day is exhausting. And the strain on your back? Immense. A belly band can help you support the extra weight by redistributing it through your body. It is such a relief, trust me.

The strap wraps under the belly with a large support band, and it has an adjustable Velcro closure that pulls up the lower belly, easing the strain on your back and your skin. Made of durable yet breathable nylon, this is built to last and still be comfortable.

It is like having someone hold up your belly from behind — making it a glorious weight off of both your back and belly.

This book is a simple, judgment-free guide to pregnancy and impending motherhood. What's happening, how it happens, and what you need to do, in funny, somewhat irreverent language. Curl up with a cup of decaf tea, a really good cookie, and read to your heart's content.

So many books feel judgy and really only offer support for one type of pregnancy and birth. That's not the case for this guide. It tells you straight up, this is what's happening, this is what might happen, and these are your choices, without rendering any judgement or pushing you in one direction.

I'm not saying you need to carry this around with you, but having it at home in the unfortunate instance that you get hemorrhoids? Or sciatica, or lightning crotch (it's a thing), this pillow will change your life. At least, it'll help your butt feel better.

This orthopedic pillow features refreshing cooling gel, a washable cover and fits pretty much every seat to help take the pressure off of the areas where you need it most.

There is perhaps nothing more comfortable than a well-fitting pair of jammies. And while you're expecting, you need a pair that's soft, stretchy, and ideally, buttoned so you can wear them while nursing down the road.

Kindred Bravely, maker of some of my favorite nursing bras, has designed the perfect maternity and nursing jams. They're molded to fit your pregnant and postpartum body, and holy wow, they're like slipping into a soothing cloud of happiness.

We hate to break it to you — but when the skin of your belly begins to stretch, it'll start itching like crazy. Keeping it moist and hydrated really helps cut down on the need to scratch at it incessantly.

The plant-based, gluten-free blend is made of calendula, grapefruit, and sweet almond oils, which were all chosen for their antioxidant, healing, and moisturizing properties. It is free of parabens, phthalates, dyes, and fragrances, to ensure the safest, most soothing product it can be.

And honestly? I'm not pregnant — I am just a fan of body oil, and a sample of this came in some random press gift, and I can't get enough. I've used it for post-soccer quad massages, post-wax residue removal, and general hydration, and it's amazing.

Hatch claims it can also help reduce the appearance of stretch marks, which can be a real annoyance during pregnancy and beyond.

As you might have expected, your breasts are going to change a lot during your pregnancy. A lot. They'll grow, and then? They'll shrink. The pregnancy and postpartum phases your body will go through are a literal roller coaster for your chest. That's why investing in a soft, supportive bra that makes you feel pretty is non-negotiable.

This bra from AnaOno only looks like it would be difficult and uncomfortable, but looks aren't the truth in this case. It's soft, supportive, wire-free, and provides plenty of stretch to contour your changing body.

Pregnant women are more sensitive to the sun thanks to the hormonal soup you're wading through. So having a solid sunscreen is critical to protect your skin and keep it moisturized and burn-free.

Biossance's squalane and zinc mineral sunscreen is both reef and pregnancy safe, and it smells like absolute heaven. Plus, it's ultra-hydrating and can be worn under makeup.

I got the absolute worst headaches while I was pregnant. And unfortunately, Tylenol, the one drug you're allowed when pregnant, didn't relieve them at all. I used to lay in bed with ice packs on my eyes and forehead for relief.

It was messy and not portable, but technology has improved. This headache hat is the ultimate pregnancy essential, popular with our editors, and can ease the pain without medicine.

Are your ankles and feet swollen? We have you covered. These compression socks help provide relief from the swelling and are soft — and we promise, they're super comfortable too. You'll easily need six pairs of these socks because you'll want multiple options as a backup when you're doing laundry.

Plus, their color is pretty neutral, so they won't look weird or obvious underneath your pants.

Buy a few pairs of these if you can — because you're going to want to live in these maternity leggings 24 hours a day. They're buttery-soft, super stretchy, and seam-free (like another brand that rhymes with “bububemon,” but unlike those, these are not see-through).

The over-the-belly top isn't too loose, the legs aren't too short. They're darn near perfect. They can be dressed up for work with a sweater and blazer, or you can wear them around the house with a comfy, oversized T-shirt.

Your hips and pelvic muscles take an absolute battering during pregnancy. The round ligaments ache, your hamstrings feel like rubber bands stretched too tightly around your bones, and relief is hard to find.

Sitting and rolling your hips on a balance ball, like this favorite from Gaiam, can help ease those aches and pains. Plus, it's a nice place to bounce your baby to sleep.

I’m personally not a bath person. I feel like I’m making human soup every time I take one — but when I was pregnant? I took a million warm baths. I needed the relief, the relaxation, the soothing comfort of water — and I added lavender Epsom salt to maximize the experience for every single one of them. Light a few candles, play some soothing music, and let your pains fade away.

The Epsom salt breaks down into magnesium and sulfate in the water, and it's posited that those work their way into your skin and relax your muscle tension. But be warned — your baths should be just over warm (under 101º) during pregnancy, because hot baths can be dangerous.