Mother Stuff...Tons of Mother Stuff

These are the things which really helped J during her pregnancy. As our little BB grows, clothes start to feel tight and these help to improve her comfort and extend the life of the wardrobe:

1. Women's Maternity Belt
J's review: The belly belt served to be useful during my initial stage of pregnancy where I can still put on my pants but not the waistline. However I need to wear a loose size shirt as the belt marks could be seen if the shirt is too tight fitting.Initially I thought I could save some money on maternity clothing. As my belly got bigger, this no longer applicable for me cos I could no longer wear my normal pants, my thigh area was so tight! Therefore this is recommended for those mummy's to be who are slim and still able to fit in their pants thigh area.
Usefulness: 2.5/5 

2. Bra Extenders
J's review: This is very useful and very good. As I progressed into the second trimester, I could no longer wear my normal bras, so this extender saved the day and I need not buy new bras at all during my pregnancy. I can still use it now after my delivery since my figure is still regaining slowly. Strongly recommended!
Usefulness: 5/5  

3. Motherhood Maternity: Petite Secret Fit Belly(tm) Bi-stretch Suiting Fit And Flare Maternity Pants
J's review:  K bought this for me on the amazon website. I was initially quite skeptical about buying things online especially clothing. But since maternity clothing is quite expensive and the prices inclusive of shipping were quite reasonable, hence we gave it a try and never regreted it. This maternity pant fits me perfectly!What I like is the stretchable and soft material with the belly wrap which holds up the pants and my belly firmly yet comfortably. The cutting is straight with a bit of flare at the bottom which makes my thigh looks slimmer  It is more for office wear which I wore it frequently to work. We bought this pants during my 3rd month and lasted me throughout my pregnancy even when I became so big during the last trimester. Definitely value for money and a great buy! 
Usefulness: 5/5 

4. Motherhood Maternity: Secret Fit Belly(r) Knee Length Pencil Fit Maternity Skirt
J's review: With the resounding success of the maternity pant, K bought the skirt from the same brand on Amazon. The skirt was pencil fitting which makes my thigh area a bit tight but still fits me quite well. However when I sat down, I could feel the tightness of my thigh which is not so comfortable. The material is soft and stretchable as well with the belly wrap, but it could be due to the cutting which makes it not as comfy as the pants. I will still recommend it but perhaps to buy one size bigger. 
Usefulness: 3.5/5

4. Nursing bras (Bravado! Body Silk Seamless Nursing Soft Cup Bra)
J's review: K bought for me the Bravado nursing bra from Amazon after reading all the glowing reviews. It was really that good and again fits me perfectly too! The material is stretchable, soft, very comfortable and have good support of my breast although it is not wired. The cup is smooth and comes with a thin layer of bra padding which helps to hide the nipples which I like.  It had the front clipping which facilitate nursing. I wore it during my pregnancy and almost everyday after I gave birth. This is a star buy and I will be buying another one although it is quite expensive. 
Usefulness: 5/5

5. Maternity panties
J's review: I bought a maternity underwear from Wacoal at Istetan. The size was XXL. It was very comfortable, the material is 100% cotton, soft and stretchable. However it was very expensive, can't recall how much but was in the S$20-30 range for one piece. 

Hoping to save some money and since K was an online shopping expert and the things he bought so far were satisfactory with reasonable price tag, I asked K to buy for me XXL size as I was basing on Wacoal (Japanese) size. Yes he bought for me the same size maternity panties (non-wacoal brand) at Amazon but well it is American size! I was fuming mad when I saw the big piece of underwear and I could not wear it cos it's too BIG for me! And he bought so many of it! Is he thinking I was so fat till I need to wear such big size underwear??! He consoled me by suggesting I may need it in the later stage of pregnancy which I snorted at his suggestion. But well, he was right..again. Anyway, I'm glad to be able to use it at some point too, waste not. After all, it's my bad of not telling him clearly about my size and expectation. 

The online brandless underwear material is not as comfy as wacoal and not as stretchable too. After I gave birth, these panties can no longer be used cos it's too big after my belly shrink. However to note the wacoal underwear is still in use and fits me perfectly. It is really quality stuff and I don't mind paying more for it as the lifespan is much longer. How I wish I have bought more of wacoal.     
(Wacoal maternity underwear) Usefulness: 5/5
(Brand-less maternity underwear from online) Usefulness: 2/5

Women's Maternity Belt

Bra Extenders

Motherhood Maternity: Petite Secret Fit Belly(tm) Bi-stretch Suiting Fit And Flare Maternity Pants

Motherhood Maternity: Secret Fit Belly(r) Knee Length Pencil Fit Maternity Skirt

                                               
The maternity belt and bra extenders helps to extend the life of pre-pregnancy clothing and is definitely essentials to complement maternity wear. The maternity pants were a great buy. They fit snugly on the belly providing support while looking great. Nursing bras and maternity panties will definitely be necessary. All these items could be bought locally but I bought them online. In hindsight, it would probably be better to buy locally for exact fit as American sizes differ from Asian especially for undergarments even though they are of the same size. So I end up with several undergarments which are big enough to double as rice sacks and earned a earful from J (How am I a guy supposed to know a 2X Asian size is not the same as 2X American size?) But it's partially my fault as well because although the sizing info chart clearly stated that we should only look at the pre-pregnancy size, I still take the 2X size without checking the waist size. So in hindsight, follow instructions and take the pre-pregnancy waist size instead. The silver lining is, it turns out the 2X American size managed to fit during the later stages of pregnancy so its not totally wasted.


Stretch mark creams are useful for moisturizing and skin care during pregnancy. A quick check on local stores such as Watsons revealed they priced it over 100% than what you can get online. For the same price I am able to get 2. It smells nice with a strong cocoa butter scent and quite heavy so its probably a better idea to use it only at home.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Cream for Stretch Marks, 4.4 Ounce (Pack of 2)

J's review: I'm not sure if this is useful. I apply it on my belly and bottom area during and after my pregnancy but still got lots of stretch marks on those areas. It doesn't seems to work for me. But maybe I was not applying it religiously, that's why it is not effective for me?
Usefulness: 1/5
  

Jun had some pregnancy discomfort such as nocturnal stuffy nose which prevented her from having a good night's rest. These interesting strips claims to offer relief and it seems to work. Basically they are small sticky plastic strips you attach to your nose and the tension in the strips in theory should help lift the nostrils for easier breathing. Plenty expensive for plastic strips. We also tried dissolving some Vicks Vaporub in hot water and the scented steam offers some relieve as well. We heard of those nasal decongestants but never tried them.

Breathe Right Breathe Right Nasal Strips Clear Sensitive Skin

J's review: I have severe blocked nose during my pregnancy and K bought this nose strip for me hoping to solve my problem. He is such a caring b! It seems to worked when I first put it on with better breathing passage. But I find it a hassle to have to stick something on my nose and after some time, it just peel off by itself. On a side note, we managed to resolved this block nose issue by doing spring cleaning and dust off the dust in our room. 
Usefulness: 2.5/5