About a year ago I ran across a great post on Marie’s blog. She wrote about how she’d made a First Trimester Survival Kit for a friend, and I was SO BUMMED. Not because I needed one (nope, not me!), but because I had just visited a pregnant friend and would have totally made her one. If only I’d had the idea. But I didn’t.
[Unrelated side note: Adrienne is a real parrot these days, repeating Every. Single. Thing. we say, including calling night-time, “totally dark.” She even says it with the right Valley girl inflection, and it is HIGH-LARIOUS. So now, every time I say (or write) the word, “totally,” I remember that I am certainly the one my toddler is mimicking and I hear it in her silly voice. I was pretty sure you wanted to know that.]
ANYWAY.
When another friend told me she was pregnant just a few weeks after I read about the survival kit, I was so excited. I mean, yes, obviously I was excited for her to welcome another baby to her family. But, also, I was excited to use Marie’s brilliant gift idea!
I had so much fun putting this kit together. I read through Marie’s suggestions and then thought back to my recent pregnancy. I remembered the issues I’d had and the things I’d needed – and the chocolate I’d wanted.
Then I wondered if this gift basket was too personal. I mean, is it weird to buy stool softener for someone? Where’s the line? Was I crossing it? Nah. I decided that laxatives were okay; hemorrhoid cream was not. [Totally related side note: I can’t wait to see the Google traffic this combination of words brings me! Heh.]
In the end, I went with a mix of helpful and fun, personal and less-personal, practical and chocolate. I can’t say for sure if my friend loved the gift as much as I loved giving it, but she was definitely appreciative when I gave it to her.
(And, seriously, if someone had given me something similar during my pregnancies, I would have gone a little crazy over its awesomeness. Yes, I would have.)
To get you started on your own Pregnancy Survival Kit, here’s what I included:
- Chocolate. Obviously. I used Dove dark chocolate pumpkins. (It was October. Obviously.)
- Dramamine. For the nausea.
- Kleenex. For the crying. Oh, hormones, you’re the worst. I can’t wait to get up close and personal again during menopause.
- Breath mints. In case the Dramamine didn’t work.
- Stool softener. In case the bowels don’t work. (Hate me. I couldn’t resist.)
- Tums. For the heartburn.
- Mouthwash. For the morning, afternoon, all-day sickness (and in case the Tums don’t work).
- Hand sanitizer. For the germs. They’re everywhere! (Am I the only one who got a little germaphobic during pregnancy??)
- Lip balm. For the chapped lips, from the crying or the mouth-breathing or the allergies or WHATEVER, sometimes a lady wants to have soft lips.
- Notebook. Because WHERE DID MY BRAIN GO I SWEAR I USED TO BE SMART is a real condition.
I crammed all those things into a little box from the Dollar Spot at Target, but you could also get creative and use a baby-related item or cute basket. Because maybe a black Halloween box isn’t your first thought when you think “pregnancy” or “baby.” So, don’t be like me, and find something pastel or practical (or, even better, both).
As long as it holds plenty of chocolate, though, I think you’ll be just fine.
What’s the best gift you’ve given recently?
If this is your first time linking up with WFMW here, PLEASE read the guidelines I shared in this post. Highlights include linking your specific post, not the front page of your blog, and making sure to include a link back to this site in your WFMW. Thank you!!
What a cute idea, Mary! Thanks for sharing it with us and thanks also for the linkup! Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year to you, too!
I love this little gift for a newly pregnant friend! As a pregnant woman, I approve! :)
That is exactly the stamp of approval a gift like this needs! Thanks, Morgan! :)
What a thoughtful idea! It’s very personal, though, because what you need vs. what’s totally repulsive varies a lot between individuals. I couldn’t get near the smell of Scope while pregnant (averse to artificial flavors, except in nacho cheese Doritos!) and stool softeners were the opposite of what I needed! It never occurred to me to try Dramamine for nausea because it’s for motion sickness, and even at my queasiest I never had trouble with motion…but I don’t know how Dramamine works, so maybe it would help anyway.
Lips actually get drier during pregnancy because the body is taking water from such “non-essential” places to build up the amniotic fluid, so lip balm is great, and I like that you picked a natural one. I found that lip balm with a scent like mint or citrus helped my nausea because it was right under my nose giving me little whiffs without being overwhelming.
Some other things I might put in a kit: Vitamin B6, which did help me with nausea. Almonds, my most helpful snack. Forward Day By Day, which not only is a great little devotional but just in its title conveys the message you need to survive those difficult early days! And that makes me think that one of those calendars where you tear off a page for each day, with cartoons or pictures that will make your friend smile, might be really nice.
Those are great ideas, Becca! I love the B6 and devotional. And yes, always yes, to the almonds. I always include those in the teacher survival kits I make, too!
This is showing me last week’s linkup and not allowing new links.
Rachel, thanks again for letting me know about the linkup mistake! Clearly my head was not in the game last week! :)
How thoughtful! Most of my friends and relatives are finished with the pregnancy stage of life but I’ll keep this in mind just in case :-)
You never know when you might need this one! :) Thanks for reading, Wendy!
This is super cute! I must remember this gift idea when a friend shares the big news! ;)
We’d love for you to link up with us at the 100 Happy Days blog linkup. If you’re interested, here’s the link. http://lifeofscoop.com/ive-failed-100-happy-days-week-12/
I’ve enjoyed perusing your blog this evening! Love the idea of “Give Up On Perfect!”
Thanks for visiting, Alison!