If your go-to for presents is a bottle of Prosecco, you might struggle when choosing gifts for your pregnant friend.
Nobody wants to receive non-alcoholic wine or non-alcoholic cocktails as a baby shower present – especially if everyone else is sampling the bubbly!
Buying gifts for the baby is another no-no. Your friend doesn’t want muslin cloths for her birthday and she doesn’t want a baby outfit either, no matter how cute it might be.
Those are great presents – for the baby. They’re not great presents for your friend.
10 Thoughtful Gifts For Your Pregnant Friend
Here’s a good rule of thumb: if it’s not an appropriate present for a childless friend, it’s not a good gift for your pregnant friend either.
She might be pregnant, but she still has her own identity. She’s more than a walking incubator.
So, now you know not to buy the wrong gifts (and probably make a hormonal pregnant woman cry in the process), here are some ideas for presents your pregnant friend actually wants:
#1: A Pregnancy Massage
All pregnant women want this, all the time. Pregnancy is not a comfortable time.
They are lugging around a baby, a placenta, amniotic fluid, massive boobs and a full mane of pregnancy hair. All that extra weight adds up.
Then add a whole body of relaxed ligaments, thanks to those pregnancy hormones, and an ever-changing centre of gravity, and it’s easy to understand why pregnant women spend so much time crying in the bath.
Ask a random pregnant woman which bit of her body aches and she will burst into tears more quickly than she can say, “Every inch”.
If you want to secure the lifelong position of BFF, treat her to a pregnancy massage.
#2: A Bump Journal
Pregnant women do a lot of thinking. Your friend is probably spending most of her waking hours thinking about the pregnancy, the baby, and the birth.
It might help your friend to have a place to write some of those thoughts down. A journal is somewhere to make her to-do lists, jot down potential baby names, and write down the pregnancy symptoms she’s experiencing.
A bump journal could also help your friend to bond with her unborn baby. It gives her an outlet for the tremendous emotions she’s feeling as she prepares for motherhood.
Bump journals often have a section where a mama-to-be can write letters to her unborn baby, allowing her to make a connection even before the birth.
#3: Maternity Pyjamas
Maternity clothes aren’t cheap, and if your friend is on a budget she might have to be savvy about what she buys. She’s probably saving most of her money for when the baby arrives, or spending it on baby clothes.
A nice pair of maternity pyjamas could be exactly what she needs to brighten her day. After all, she’s probably spending a lot of time wearing pyjamas.
Maternity jeans are comfy, but they’re not as comfy as pyjamas. By the end of the pregnancy, she’ll probably struggle to fit into most of her nightwear, and even her partner’s oversized t-shirts might be feeling a little tight.
Remind her she’s important. Treat her to some nice new pyjamas. After the birth, it will take a while for her bump to go down, so she’ll get some extra wear out of them.
#4: A Pamper Kit
It can be weird to see your body change during pregnancy. Your breasts grow, your tummy expands, and you can’t see anything below your bump. It becomes difficult to shave your legs, and painting your toenails is out of the question. Self-care is really important and can make a huge difference to how you feel.
Treat your friend to some new pamper products so she can indulge herself at home. Be sure to include massage oil, because she’s likely to be suffering from aches and pains. Face masks, leave-in hair conditioning treatments and body lotions are other products she’ll appreciate. Some pregnant women develop a weird thing about flannels, so be sure to chuck in one of those, for extra brownie points.
#5: A Weekend Away
If you want to treat your best friend with an unforgettable gift, take her away for the night. Plan your itinerary carefully so she won’t end up exhausted, and don’t be surprised if she’s in bed by 9pm.
Book it for the second trimester when her energy levels should be back up after the fatigue of the first three months. Avoid the third trimester because she might feel worried about going too far from home so close to the birth. Spend some quality one-on-one time with your best friend before she becomes a mama.
#6: A Body Pillow
Every pregnant woman should have a body pillow. It’s essentially a human-sized pillow she can rest her bump on, throw her leg over, and cuddle all night long.
It’s not easy getting sleep when you’re pregnant (apart from during the first trimester, when pregnant women are basically asleep all the time). It’s hard to get into a comfortable position, partly because you have a giant bump, partly due to backache, and partly because rolling over is impossible without heavy duty machinery.
Body pillows are designed to help women get a good night’s rest, so help a mama-to-be out; give her a pregnancy pillow.
#7: A Maternity Photoshoot
This will be some women’s idea of hell. If you think your friend might be one of them, don’t choose this gift.
On the other hand, if your friend is loving her bump and feeling beautiful, with glossy hair and glowing skin – you get the picture – then a maternity photoshoot will be a nice keepsake of the pregnancy (as well as the actual baby, of course).
A maternity photoshoot with a professional photographer will guarantee her some beautiful snaps of herself – looking awesome with her baby bump.
Some maternity photographers work in collaboration with hair and makeup artists. This means your friend will have a little pamper session before the shoot.
#8: A Pedicure
She probably hasn’t seen her toenails for quite some time, so it’s safe to assume they’re not looking their best. Book her in for a pedicure at her local salon so she can have her nails done and feel good about herself before the birth. You could go along and get yours done too and make a day of it.
#9: Some Company
There’s a weird bit of time, between starting maternity leave and having a baby, that can feel impossible to fill. She won’t want to stray far from home for fear of going into labour, but she’s likely to get cabin fever if she has nothing to fill her days. If most of her friends work during the week, being alone with little to do will make the days feel long and empty.
You could help her fill those hours by keeping her company. Invite her to meet you on your lunch break at that new cafe you’ve been wanting to try out. Drop in on your way home from work, and bring some food. Just call first to make sure she’s up for visitors.
You could even take the day off and pay her a visit, or take her to get some last-minute things for the baby. Just the simple act of being present will be a great gift for a heavily pregnant mama-to-be.
#10: The Gift Of Time
If your pregnant friend already has kids, she might not be getting much time to herself. Or time with her partner, for that matter. Why not offer to babysit one evening, or take the kids out for a few hours? It will give your friend some much-needed time – just for her.
Whether it’s time to chat to her partner, time to go to the cinema, time to have a bath, time to put the cot together – whatever she needs. She’ll appreciate time away from the demands of being a mama. Away from wiping noses, holding hands and negotiating dinner options. Time to breathe.
What more could a pregnant woman want?
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