Strolling Around Georgetown + A Few of My Pregnancy Essentials

Dress – Asos (also love it in this color and this long sleeved option) | Sandals – Tory Burch (old but similar here and here) | Bag – Chloe (discontinued but similar here) | Sunglasses – Le Specs (love these and such a good price!) | Hat – Rag & Bone

Last week Stan and I headed down to Georgetown for the afternoon to have lunch, walk around and explore a bit. The pizza place we had wanted to visit for lunch was closed (on a Tuesday?! someone please explain this to me) so instead we settled for another pizza place called Il Canale and were pleasantly surprised. I’m quite easy going when it comes to where we eat, but Stan is insanely picky about food because he grew up in NYC and has had the opportunity to experience the best food in the world his whole life. Whereas I used to spend my Friday nights in high school after a football game at Applebee’s with my friends and we thought it was the best! LOL This place definitely got Stan’s stamp of approval which says a lot. After lunch, we strolled around the residential area of Georgetown and admired all the beautiful homes. I didn’t want to leave without stopping by our favorite cupcake place, but I was so exhausted after walking around that we completely forgot! So we drove over to another bakery that I was dying to try (after a quick pit stop at Compass coffee) and we loaded up on a few goodies. Sadly I went there hoping to try their uber popular (and highly instagrammed) marbled oreos shaped like gemstones but they are only special order. Womp womp. However, we grabbed some cupcakes, macarons and a smore’s bar which were all delicious. I would definitely recommend a visit there if you are in the area.

On a different note, since I am a few weeks away from my third trimester I thought I would share a list of the things that have really been helping me get through this pregnancy. Here are my current essentials (though I swear they change daily at this point ha!):

1. Lemon water – I know it’s important to drink tons of water during pregnancy (there are some days that I’m more successful than others), but adding lemon has helped immensely with any bloating and swelling I have.

2. Body pillow – I didn’t think I would need a body pillow (how naive I was) but I finally caved a few weeks ago and picked up this one. It really does help to alleviate any discomfort and allows me to sleep a bit better.

3. Exercise – It was such a challenge to motivate myself to workout at the very beginning of pregnancy because I felt awful and exhausted. However, I often would force myself to do it and it’s been one of the biggest things that has helped manage my symptoms. I have more energy, get more sleep at night, am less bloated – the list goes on and on. And after some pretty major bleeding episodes early in my second trimester, I had to stop all physical activity for 3 weeks and instantly felt a difference. Those 3 weeks were awful and as soon as I was given clearance to go back to working out, I immediately felt better. I will have an entire fitness post on exactly what I’m doing (and my favorite activewear pieces) next week on the blog.

4. Comfortable bras and underwear – I’ve been wearing this underwear for years and still swear by them. So comfortable and utterly seamless. Most of my bras were becoming too tight so I went on the hunt for an affordable style that could get me through the rest of my pregnancy. I stumbled upon these from Calvin Klein and loved them. I also stumbled upon these stretchy tanks for $12 and live in them.

5. Audiobooks – I’ve always loved to read, but started listening to audiobooks at the beginning of my pregnancy when I wasn’t feeling well but wanted something to help keep my mind occupied. Since then I have become hooked. There is something about listening to a book that has really helped me relax and stay calm when I’m feeling anxious, frustrated or exhausted. See my past book recommendations here, here, here and here.

6. Face and body oils – My skin went from being combination and oily to very dry almost overnight, and I immediately began reaching for all my oils to help comfort my skin. Some of my standout favorites for the face are this one, this one and this one. Oils have also been a lifesaver for the body because I am beginning to get itchy skin around my belly and thighs. A few of the ones that I am loving are this one, this one and this one is an all-time favorite.

7. Dresses – Truth be told, I was very nervous about being pregnant in the summer because I was worried that I would be miserable in the heat. However, I have actually enjoyed it mainly because it allows me to wear dresses non-stop which have become my clothing of choice while pregnant. Even more so than leggings or sweatpants. And some of my favorite retailers to find cute but affordable dresses are Old Navy, GAP, Loft and Asos.

8. Maternity jeans – I did an entire post on my two favorite styles after trying on countless pairs. I may pick up one more pair of jeans to get me through the fall in black or gray.

9. Ovia app – This is the app I used to help me track my fertility while trying to get pregnant and transitioned to their pregnancy app now. It’s nice to track my progress, symptoms, etc all in one place.

10. Sneakers – My feet haven’t bothered me too much, but I picked up these Nikes on sale a month ago and I swear they are the most comfortable and lightweight thing I can put on my feet. I know these will be a lifesaver in my final months.

11. Cool showers – I usually hate anything but scalding hot showers, however each evening I have been taking a cool (some days it’s cold) shower and it helps immensely with swelling and bloating. My legs feel so uncomfortable by the end of the day and a few minutes under the cool water instantly helps them to feel better.

12. Leg cramp remedies – One of the worst symptoms I have had in pregnancy are the leg cramps I get while sleeping. They are excruciating and can be so startling because they often wake me up from a dead sleep. After talking to my doctor, she recommend adding in magnesium and calcium supplements which have just about cured the issue (I still have a bad night here or there but no more 4-5  cramping episodes like I was experiencing).