What I Actually Used During Pregnancy

A real, honest breakdown of pregnancy essentials I actually used vs what I didn’t need. Simple, practical pregnancy must-haves, overhyped products, and what truly helped day-to-day.

Olivia Roth

5/11/20268 min read

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What I Actually Used During Pregnancy

(And What I Didn’t Need)

Introduction: The truth behind pregnancy must-haves

A real, honest breakdown of pregnancy essentials I actually used vs what I didn’t need.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I reacted exactly how I think most people do - I went straight into information overload mode. I was Googling every symptom, every change, and every “is this normal?” moment. At the same time, I was scrolling through recommendations and getting pulled into endless blog posts and lists of “must-have pregnancy essentials.”

Soon enough, I wasn’t just preparing for pregnancy - I was building a mental checklist of things I thought I needed just to get through it. From skincare routines and tracking apps to comfort gadgets and baby prep items, everything started to blur into one idea: that pregnancy required a completely upgraded version of life just to keep up.

A few weeks in, I genuinely felt like I was preparing for a whole new identity rather than just growing a baby. It’s a quiet kind of overwhelm that builds without you really noticing, especially when everything online makes it seem like you’re supposed to have it all figured out from the beginning.

Now that I’ve actually been through pregnancy, I can see it much more clearly. I used far less than I thought I would.

Some things were genuinely helpful and made everyday life easier. Some things were completely overhyped. And a surprising amount of what I bought or planned for, never got touched at all.

So instead of the perfectly curated checklist you usually see online, this is a real, honest breakdown of what I actually used during pregnancy - not what I was told I should use.

The things I genuinely used every day

1. Comfortable Clothes (the real pregnancy wardrobe)

I didn’t need a huge maternity wardrobe. I mostly lived in:

- Oversized t-shirts

- Hoodies

- Stretchy leggings

- A couple of maternity bras

I quickly realised pregnancy doesn’t really care what you planned to wear - it only cares what feels bearable in the moment. Waistbands that used to feel completely normal suddenly felt like too much pressure, and anything even slightly restrictive became uncomfortable fast. I stopped dressing for how I thought I should look and started dressing purely for comfort, because honestly, that was the only thing that mattered most days.

2. A decent water bottle

Staying hydrated during pregnancy is one of those pregnancy essentials that sounds almost too simple to matter, but it ended up making a much bigger difference to my day-to-day than I expected.

It wasn’t just about drinking enough water in theory - hydration during pregnancy directly affected how I felt physically and mentally throughout the day.

When I wasn’t drinking enough water, I noticed it quickly:

- Headaches would start to creep in

- My energy levels would drop fast

- I’d feel a general heaviness and sense of discomfort

- Even simple everyday tasks started to feel harder than they should have been

It didn’t always hit all at once, but it built up gradually until it became impossible to ignore.

What made the biggest difference wasn’t anything fancy, aesthetic, or pregnancy-specific. It was simply having a water bottle within reach at all times. Once I made it easy to drink water without thinking about it, staying hydrated during pregnancy stopped feeling like something I had to manage - it just naturally became part of my daily routine.

3. Snacks everywhere

One of the pregnancy essentials I relied on most was having snacks everywhere. I’m not exaggerating when I say I kept snacks in every room, every bag I owned, and more than once, a half-forgotten muesli bar in the car ended up saving me at exactly the right moment.

Pregnancy hunger felt completely different from normal hunger. It could hit suddenly and intensely, and if I didn’t eat quickly enough, I’d go from feeling fine to desperately needing food within minutes.

Having easy, grab-and-go snacks made a huge difference in how I felt day to day. Things like crackers, fruit, and muesli bars weren’t fancy, but they were reliable and easy to reach when I needed them most.

It also took the pressure off constantly planning meals or worrying about what I was going to eat next. During a time when everything already felt unpredictable, having simple snacks nearby made everyday life feel much more manageable.

4. Pregnancy Pillow

Sleep became uncomfortable pretty quickly, especially later on in pregnancy. It wasn’t just about struggling to find a comfortable position - it was the constant tossing and turning, pressure on my hips, and waking up every time I needed to move. Even when I technically got enough sleep, I still woke up feeling exhausted because I was never properly comfortable.

A pregnancy pillow honestly became one of the best pregnancy essentials I used. It supported my bump, relieved pressure on my hips, and made sleeping during pregnancy so much easier. Turning over no longer felt like a full workout, and for the first time in weeks, I actually felt more rested when I woke up.

Things I used but not as much as I thought

1. Stretch mark creams and oils

I used stretch mark creams and oils throughout pregnancy, but honestly, I didn’t find them as life-changing as they’re often made out to be online. They felt nice to apply and became more of a calming self-care routine than a pregnancy essential I couldn’t live without.

My skin still changed naturally regardless, which made me realise that a lot of pregnancy stretch mark products are marketed as “must-haves” when they really come down to personal preference. For me, they were comforting to use, but not something I would consider absolutely necessary during pregnancy.

2. Pregnancy apps

I downloaded a few pregnancy tracking apps early on and checked them constantly in the beginning. I liked reading the weekly updates, tracking baby growth, and comparing symptoms, especially during the first trimester when everything still felt new and unfamiliar.

But over time, I stopped relying on them as much as I expected to. Eventually, I found myself paying more attention to how I actually felt day to day rather than constantly checking week-by-week comparisons or pregnancy milestones in an app.

For me, pregnancy apps were helpful at the start, but they ended up being more of a reassurance tool than a true everyday pregnancy essential.

Things I didn't really need at all

1. Buying too many baby items too early

One of the biggest mistakes I made during pregnancy was buying too many baby items too early. I got caught up in the idea that I needed to be completely prepared from the very beginning, so I started purchasing baby gear months before I realistically needed most of it.

At the time, I thought being overly prepared would help me feel more organised and less stressed. But in reality, a lot of those newborn items and baby essentials just sat untouched in drawers or piled up in corners for months while I was still figuring pregnancy out day by day.

Looking back, I realise there was far less urgency than I thought. Pregnancy already comes with enough mental load without feeling pressured to buy every “must-have” baby product immediately. I would have saved myself money, space, and stress by waiting until I was actually closer to needing each stage of baby gear instead of trying to prepare for every possible scenario all at once.

2. Overcomplicated pregnancy gadgets

One thing I realised quickly is that there are endless pregnancy products marketed as “must-haves.” Pregnancy marketing makes it feel like there’s a gadget or solution for every symptom, discomfort, or stage of pregnancy - and that if you don’t buy them, you’re somehow making things harder for yourself.

I definitely fell into that mindset early on. I bought a few pregnancy gadgets and comfort products that promised better sleep, less discomfort, or an easier pregnancy experience, but most of them ended up sitting unused after the first couple of tries.

What actually made the biggest difference during pregnancy wasn’t complicated products - it was simple things like resting when I needed to, adjusting how I sat or slept, wearing comfortable clothes, and listening to my body instead of constantly trying to fix every symptom. Looking back, many of those so-called life-changing pregnancy products felt more like clever marketing than genuine essentials.

What I learned from all of it

The biggest thing I realised during pregnancy is that you don’t actually need as many pregnancy essentials as the internet makes you feel like you do. So much of what is labelled as “must-haves” ends up being noise - endless lists, overhyped products, and perfectly curated routines that don’t really reflect real life.

When I look back at what I actually used during pregnancy, the things that made the biggest difference weren’t products or complicated plans. It was the simple, practical things that helped me get through each day without overthinking everything.

A lot of my comfort came from stripping things back and listening to my body instead of trying to follow a perfect version of pregnancy. Resting when I needed to, wearing whatever felt comfortable, eating what I could manage, and letting go of strict routines made a bigger difference than anything I bought or planned.

Final thoughts

If I could go back and tell myself anything at the start of pregnancy, it would be this: start simple. You don’t need to have everything figured out in the first few weeks, and you definitely don’t need a perfect list of pregnancy essentials or a right way to prepare.

So much of early pregnancy is trial and error, and what you actually need during pregnancy tends to reveal itself slowly over time - not all at once in a shopping list of must-haves.

You can always add things later if you genuinely need them, and that’s something I wish I had trusted more. I spent a lot of time trying to prepare for every possible scenario, when in reality my needs kept changing anyway. What felt essential one week often didn’t matter the next, and the pregnancy essentials I actually relied on were usually the simplest things I already had at home.

Most of what helped me wasn’t expensive or aesthetic - it was practical, comfortable, and easy to use in real life. Soft clothes, snacks within reach, and flexible routines made far more difference than any pregnancy “must-have” ever did. Pregnancy has a way of stripping things back to basics, and in hindsight, the simpler I kept it, the easier and more manageable everything felt.