Third Trimester Maternity Favs

WELL.  

To celebrate being 38 weeks pregnant, I have thrown out my back and can barely move.  And no, this is not back labor unless back labor is spasms in the mid/upper back that only occur when I move the wrong way and/or breathe.  

Run of the mill thrown-out-back, but WHAT THE EFF, BODY.  Clearly we have plenty to deal with without adding another thing, right?  Apparently not.  

But, to further celebrate yesterday being CYBER MONDAY and all the monayyy I spent, let's have a list of things I've loved in the end-zone of pregnancy.  The first list is here!  

• The seven jeans.  Still.  Seen in the picture above, as promised, I bought and wore exactly one pair of jeans while pregnant (since week 20 or so).  They were expensive but fit every step of the way from little belly to NOW, which is enormous.  I will say that as I've gotten bigger the full panel (stretchy part that goes all the way up to my ribs) has started to slip a little bit more, but it's thin enough that you could roll it all the way down under your belly and no one would ever be able to tell.  
• Target basics.  The shirts from Liz Lange that I bought early in pregnancy still fit great - a key here is length.  As I've gotten bigger, shirts that were hip-length in the beginning are now too short.  The Target shirts started really long and are still long enough to cover the mass.  
• Wedges.  All the wedges!  I don't have any specifics (though I do have a pair of Toms and 2 Jessica Simpsons that I love), but wedges have allowed me to wear heels straight through pregnancy without any issues.  I actually think they felt BETTER for awhile when my ligaments were really sore; something about the way they tilted my pelvis just worked better than flats.  
• Leachco Snoogle Mini.  Like I told you, I never actually bought one of these - BUT after I talked about not being able to sleep very well my friend Sarah let me borrow hers, and I do love it.  I'm not sure it's made my sleep much better, but it's SUPER comfortable to curl up with during sleep and just lounging.  I really like how firm it is - there's no sinking into it, which is a really good thing late in pregnancy.  I also bought the Leachco Podster for the baby in pink and can't wait to let her lounge in it.  Loungy babies are the best.  
• Palmer's Lotion.  If you've ever met me, you know that almost all I use on my lips is the stick form of Palmer's cocoa butter formula.  It looks like a glue stick and I think it's intended for ashy elbows - for years I could only find it in the ethnic hair care section of Walmart - no kidding.  Now it's more readily available, usually on the lotion aisle with other Palmer's products, which is what led me to the lotion version.  I LOVE it, especially on my itchy belly.  It also doesn't seem to have tooooo many ingredients, and never feels burny or too fragranced.  
• Red Leaf Raspberry Tea.  There are all kinds (I have this one), and I think it tastes like regular black tea, the kind you brew for iced tea.  Apparently there are all kinds of health benefits to this stuff pre and post-partum, so I've started drinking it cold a few times a day to replace a little bit of the water I drink.  I don't know if it'll do a damn thing, but it's delicious!  
• Target sleep bras.  I wear one every single night, and will probably continue to do so right through nursing.  They are so comfy.  
• Destination Maternity Emma Bras.  Right when I got pregnant and my breasts grew a lot I bought this awful overpriced bra from a local bra boutique at the recommendation of one of my friends.  It's one of those places where they touch your ribs and bring you a bra, you don't get to pick style or anything.  The one I got was SUPER structured and always felt too small around the ribs and too big in the cups.  I even exchanged it once for a different one that frankly felt really similar.  My breasts never grew much more so I never filled it out like the salesperson said I would, but I wore that thing so faithfully for 6 months thinking I'd 1. grow into it, 2. learn to appreciate it, 3. stretch it out, or 4. at least get my money's worth.  Well, I got my money's worth and at 36 or so weeks broke down and bought two bras (the same, one black, one tan) from Destination Maternity for $25 effing dollars each.  They are so comfortable, fit perfectly, and are nursing bras but the clasp is teeny so I have no issue wearing them while not nursing.  They're pretty but simple and come in a few colors and I have just so many good things to say about them.  

Overall, I haven't done a ton in terms of gimmicky maternity products - no belly balms or nipple creams yet.  I've tried hard to stick to basics that can be useful-ish in future pregnancies (yes, Jay, it's happening) or postpartum when I'm still big, etc.  It's funny, now that I'm nearing the end of this little journey (and starting a much bigger one, obv) and see how many baby things we have this list seems like just a drop in the damn bucket.  BUT, I do think that the few things I've purchased and used have been well worth the drop for the extra comfort they've provided.  

Anything major I missed?  Any postpartum advice?  Belly binders and the like?