When I first found out that I was pregnant, I felt a mixture of emotions. My husband and I had been praying for a baby. Though we were married in March last year, we waited for our second wedding in August to be over and to return to Japan safely during the new coronavirus wave. More than six months passed until we tested for the first time. But we just experienced a false alarm. We just kept in mind that by God's will, the baby would come. 

A month later, we got pregnant. Though having a baby was an answered prayer, we were still in disbelief. I was worried about my job because I just started working in two new high schools. But the timing was actually more perfect than we could have imagined because I was given a driving position. Instead of commuting to work by bus or train while carrying a baby in my tummy, I had the convenience of driving a car. My husband also had a spare car for me to drive and there was enough time to repair it and enroll for insurance before the school year started. Also, teaching English in high school didn't need too much energy and time for material preparation. My job turned out to be just right for me!

But of course, as a first-time mom, I was filled with a lot of questions. I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or what to expect and prepare myself for. It made me really paranoid to read about pregnancy on the Internet too. I spent my free time researching, asking questions, and listening to the experts or people around me. Hopefully, in a series of blogs, I will be able to share what I've learned. Take note: I am still learning and definitely not an expert. 

Like all moms, there were many adjustments that I had to deal with. In this first blog, I want to share the things that I invested in and did not invest in during the three trimesters of my pregnancy. Having a baby is definitely not easy and cheap. But it doesn't need to be a burden and break the bank. What I enjoyed the most was actually researching and shopping for maternity stuff! *twirl dance* If you love shopping (especially online) like I do, then this blog could be for you. 

I consider myself a practical pregnant woman because I consider a lot of things before buying something. My ultimate goal is to invest in quality pieces. I chose items that have multiple uses and are durable, compact, and reasonably priced. My choices weren't all cheap but the quality makes them worth buying. Check out my personal list.

As a first-timer, especially a bookworm, my initial action was to read all about pregnancy. What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff is the best pregnancy bible to own. One of my closest friends, who already gave birth to three beautiful kids, was the first person to recommend it to me. She swore by the book. So, I quickly searched for a free PDF book on Google and found one. But it was a little difficult to read online because I needed to open the link, scroll, and find the chapter where I left off. So, I bought an actual book from Amazon Japan, which shipped from the US and received it a month later. It was a second-hand copy in very good condition. I just searched for good reviews and looked for the condition of the book that I could afford. It was almost brand new for only 767 yen. It was a little bulky to carry around though but it usually stayed by my bedside. You can also download the What to Expect application from the App Store or Google. I connected it to my email so I received daily and/or weekly articles and community discussions of mothers around the world who were in the same pregnancy season as me. 

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth was another recommended book by a church friend. She said the book convinced her to go for normal childbirth instead of having an epidural or painless childbirth. I was in awe of the various stories that I read about the experiences of mothers all over the world. Because of this, my fear of giving birth naturally subsided and made me surrender everything to God. My body is made in God's beautiful design and I should trust Him and allow my body to take on its natural course.

Five to six years ago, when I was still single, I started to use the free Flo application to track my period days which was another great recommendation from a friend. Friends really help a lot. So, just ask away! When I got pregnant, I started using the app to document my body condition and subscribed for a year to get daily advice about my pregnancy. I also did the physical workouts available such as prenatal yoga sessions per trimester. Each video is just a 10-15 minute workout which makes it doable. I highly recommend it!

When your growing belly is making it hard to sleep, having a maternity pillow, or だきまくら (dakimakura) in Japanese, could reduce the discomfort and help you relax in bed. The challenging part is to find the type of maternity pillow for you and your baby because not every pillow works for everyone.

For practical purposes, I wanted something that I could use not only during my pregnancy but also while nursing as well. So I chose to buy the Tamahiyo Body Pillow made in Japan. It is available directly on the Tamahiyo website and on Amazon Japan. The 100% organic cotton cover is removable and washable so it is very easy to clean. It's so comfortable that my husband steals it away from me sometimes. It makes my sleeping position intact with two legs wrapped around the lower part of the pillow and my arms around the upper part. My belly is situated perfectly around the hollow part in the middle. I look like a koala! Hihi.

During the latter part of the second trimester, I had to buy another type of maternity pillow because my tummy was getting bigger. It was harder to remain in a side position during the night. I usually twisted and turned and I felt the need for more support on my back as well. So I looked for a side sleeper wedge pillow. There were a lot of options from the most expensive to the cheapest ones. I was about to invest in an expensive Australian brand when I found a similar type for only 2599 yen on Amazon JP. It is also available in an H-shaped pillow type (wedge + long pillow) for 3290 yen, but I already have the Tamahiyo for my legs so that wasn't an option anymore. It was cheaper than the ones I saw in other online stores too. You can check out this pillow to see if it's available in your country as well. 

I compared all the belts that I could find online and at Nishimatsuya, the famous mother and baby store in Kansai. I ended up buying a British brand called BABYGO®  4 in 1 Pregnancy Belly Band Support. The shipping costs were a little expensive for me,  but I wanted a belt that I could use in all trimesters and even post-partum. It wasn't available on Amazon JP and US and their website doesn't ship directly to Japan so I ended up buying it on eBay. I should have shipped it to my brother while he was in the UK. But it was all right because I could get it quicker due to the express international shipping. 

The best thing about the BABYGO belly band is its versatility. There is no need to wear every band at once. You can gradually start from the first band during the first trimester to the beginning of the second trimester. I started to wear a belly band when I had to do morning or night walks outside for about 30 minutes or so. I also wore it to work sometimes during the second semester when my bump started to show and got bigger. But Japanese summer was very hot so I couldn't put it on it every day from July to September. Eventually in the third trimester, in autumn and winter, I was able to wear all three bands. It could also be used as a post-partum belly band to ease the recovery of the stomach and back.

I had a funny incident when two of the belly bands started missing. I was looking for the bands so I could wear them to support my aching joints around my hips and under my stomach. But I couldn't find them anywhere. I was worried that I left them at school or that they had fallen from my bag while I was getting in or out of the car in the parking lot. I really couldn't remember anything at all. When I came home on my second night of searching and wondering, my husband helped me look for it in our whole apartment. I was already complaining that it was an expensive belly band while my husband was telling me to let it go and buy a new one. Argh, I mumbled about hating my vintage brown leather bag because I really knew I put it there. And then after searching the whole apartment one more time, my "mommy brain" finally remembered where it was. I opened the side zipper at the back side of my bag and found the two bands folded inside. Whew! My husband just let out a laugh. Lesson learned: Put them all together in one tote or sack. 

I used to drink coffee at least once a day before coming to work. Sometimes, at work. Coffee makes me energized during the whole day and it improves my mood. Though my doctor told me I could drink up to 5 small cups of coffee every day (I couldn't believe her tbh), I didn't. I opted to be safer and only drank one cup on days when I felt I needed a boost. I also bought decaffeinated or caffeine-less coffee during my first trimester. But I stopped buying it because it was too expensive. Soon, I found an alternative to coffee, Teecino in iHerb, which is available in different flavors. I`ve tried the best flavors based on the reviews: French Roast and Vanilla Nut. I usually drip it with a washable coffee cloth and dripper. It tastes good enough for me, especially when you mix it with milk or add a little sugar. I actually like the French Roast better. 

Vanilla Nut

However, I had to stop drinking coffee and tea completely because these drinks are diuretics. They made me pee nonstop which was all right, but it was accompanied by discomfort or pain after urinating. The feeling was so uncomfortable that I'd rather just be sleepy. It was harder at work though because I had to stay awake at my desk especially when I had a lot of free time. Desk warming became worse. I substitute coffee for chocolate instead. It might be different for everyone so just limit your caffeine intake so your baby won't take in too much caffeine as well.

For hair, no sodium laurel sulfate. I also avoided getting my hair dyed or colored. There was not enough research to claim that coloring the hair is damaging to a pregnant woman and her baby. However, studies have shown that prolonged sitting on a salon chair and inhaling the chemicals from the dye could make a pregnant woman nauseous and tired.

Brands: Curel, Human Nature, Vaseline, Burt's Bees Mama Bees, Bioil, Palmer's, and The Face Shop

I have been limiting my skincare routine to washing with a mild facial wash that balances my PH levels in the morning, an oil control wash at night, and a natural moisturizer after every wash. I also add vitamin C or an eye cream and put on a moisturizing face mask when I feel like my face is getting dull and dark. Less is more.

Brands: CosRx, Cetaphil, Neutrogena, The Ordinary, and Beauty of Joseon

Brands: Melano CC Vitamin Serum & Human Nature (Eye Serum)

A massage is definitely a must-have! At first, I thought it wasn't good at any stage of the pregnancy. I was told that I could only get as far as foot massages. Eventually, I found out about prenatal whole-body massages that are safe to get during the second trimester. When I went home to the Philippines for a week, I took advantage of the cheaper options. I had it twice. The first one was two days after I arrived and another one was the night before our flight back to Japan. Both were very helpful and I was able to relax my tired body. Just make sure that the massage therapist is knowledgeable about prenatal/maternity massage. The first one that I had only asked me to sit down on a chair. They told me that certain points in the body must be avoided because it was dangerous for a pregnant woman. They also wanted me to sign a waiver. They were so afraid to get into trouble that they were already in a warfare mode. LOL. All they did was give me a massage on the back, leg, feet, and head. The second one was a home service massage and I specifically requested a whole-body prenatal massage. The therapist that they sent was more knowledgeable and she did it carefully, avoiding pressure on certain points on my body. 

On buying maternity clothes, I did trial and error too. I hoped that the things that I bought would fit me perfectly but a few didn't. It's all part of the process and in my next pregnancy, I know I could do better. I invested in some maternity clothes that I could still use after giving birth. Living in Japan, online shopping has been very convenient for me. H&M has a special clothing line called MAMA BEFORE & AFTER which sells comfortable yet stylish clothes. Some really good ones are a little pricey. But it's good to watch out for sales to get a discounted price. I also bought some clothes from SHEIN but be sure to check the sizes and the fabric used. It's a hit-and-miss. But I'm glad I bought really affordable maternity underwear and innerwear there. Cotton is the best friend of a pregnant woman's skin. The other shops that I've also tried were Uniqlo, and Pairmanon, a Japanese online store for mothers and babies with a basic yet European style. I also window-shopped innerwear in Muji but I ended up adding more bra tank tops from Uniqlo's Airism line instead. 

RELAX. Do anything that gives you joy. Sleeping well is really important. There were days when insomnia attacked and I couldn't get myself into bed. I just did stuff that made me productive even though it was already late at night. I knew that I would eventually get tired again and hit the sack. 

MOVE. Preparing for labor with yoga exercises helped my body a lot. I procrastinated several times but I got motivated to move and exercise for my baby's future. I knew she was weighing big so I really had to burn calories by watching my appetite. A yoga ball was recommended by friends. Sitting on a ball could also help my baby position downwards in a natural way. Trust the power of gravity! I ended up buying a medium-sized yoga ball on Amazon JP. I chose a dark purpl one, the color that gives me joy and matches the color of my yoga mat too I could use this ball for prenatal and postnatal yoga and exercises with my baby when her neck becomes stronger.

Apple Watch helps me track my movement daily; c/o hubby

It's also important to savor this last season of just you and your husband. Both of you are about to enter another different yet beautiful season. For moms who are not first-timers, spending time with their husbands and other children can help them adjust to changes when the newborn member of the family comes. In our case, being a fur mom and fur dad, we had to introduce our cat Rui to our new baby. Along with us, the feline adjusted to the baby slowly and surely. Baby steps.

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I am now about to enter my fourth trimester. When I look back, among the three trimesters, the first trimester was the most challenging. My morning sickness happened literary in the morning which made me want to throw up everything I've eaten for breakfast--whether food or liquid. I couldn't drink my health supplements normally either. I had to take it one tablet at a time at different times of the day. 

While driving to work, sometimes I felt the need to throw up in the car but luckily, I never did. Then when I arrived at work and started teaching my first or second-period classes, I sometimes experienced headaches and dizziness. Because I threw up what I've eaten, my stomach wasn't full. When I arrived home, I was already very hungry. Sometimes, I threw up too. It was so hard to manage. My appetite just started to become stronger during the second semester. I was able to eat anything but the problem was I needed to watch out what I ate due to my growing stomach and baby, especially in the third trimester. I had to cut down on sugar to avoid Gestational Diabetes. 

I also had to care for an aching leg that made it hard for me to move sometimes. I felt a lightning crotch or a nerve pain on the left side of my pelvic bone. I remedy this with prenatal yoga exercises and the discomfort somehow subsides.

The demands of pregnancy really require us mommas to rest and take care of ourselves. All of the things I mentioned here are just examples of what you might or might not need during your pregnancy. This list could not apply to you or you need more than these. I hope it has enlightened you somehow about what you need or could do without. 

Remembering what my Mom told me, "Sige lang. Treat yourself. Make yourself feel better." Because pregnancy itself is already challenging, do something good for you and the baby but at the same time something that makes you feel relaxed and less stressed. 

You deserve it, fellow Momma! Pamper yourself.