Pregnancy & Postpartum Brand & Product Reviews

Second Trimester Must Haves (Favorite Clean, Nontoxic Pregnancy Products & Remedies)

September 18, 2021October 6, 2021

Last Edited October 6, 2021

In your second trimester of pregnancy and looking for herbal/natural remedies to ease symptoms and find the best nontoxic pregnancy products?? Here’s a few of my favorite nontoxic pregnancy products or remedies that have been helping me get through!

If you haven’t already, check out my First Trimester Must Haves Post for more nontoxic pregnancy product reviews and recommendations! (Honestly this whole list can just roll over into what I’m still using this trimester!) Here’s some additional products that I’ve LOVED!

(A few of these brands/ products I mention I have affiliations with, check out my disclosure page HERE)

Nontoxic Maternity Pillow/ Pregnancy Body Pillow

I think a maternity pillow that doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals or flame retardants is one of the best nontoxic pregnancy products out there! (more on flame retardants in bedding HERE) This has been a MUST for me!!! I searched high and low and honestly couldn’t find a single pillow that curves/ wraps around like a “J” or is marketed as a “maternity pillow” that was organic and nontoxic that met my standards!! Organic fabrics and stuffing is NOT created equal and in order for it to be worth it for me to pay the extra for the organic aspect…I wanted the pillow to have third party certifications to back it up! I ended up going with the White Lotus Home Kapok body pillow! Here’s why I went with White Lotus Home:

they have the GOTS organic certification on all cotton…so the cover and slip cover are both GOTS certified
the kapok isn’t chemically treated. “Kapok is a natural fiber that comes from the Ceiba Tree in Central America. Kapok fibers come from the trees seed pods, which shed seasonally, meaning there is no machinery required to harvest them. With a silky and fluffy consistency, kapok has the benefits of being fluffy like down, but plant-based like cotton, making it a wonderful vegan down alternative.” It’s a great sustainable filling that is SUPER soft and the perfect amount of denseness but lightweight.
nothing is bleached, comes in just a natural color
they were the cheapest price for the largest size pillow! The most bang for you buck! Other brands I looked into didn’t have as large a size…this one is 20×72 so it’s longer giving the ability to sort of make it “wrap around” if you wanted it to.
it has an option to put a zipper on it to adjust the fullness of the stuffing, which I HIGHLY recommend doing!! Over time as you use it and it gets less “fluffy” you can just add more stuffing to it to revive it, OR if you want it more thin or flexible you can take some stuffing out and save it. (which I did right off the bat). This makes it so easy to adjust the size to your liking which is wonderful!!

I actually got this pillow for my last pregnancy with Taran, so this is my second go round using it and I LOVE it!! Haven’t needed to add any of the stuffing I originally pulled out of it back in, so it’s held its shape well! It’s so easy to keep clean! You just take the slip cover off (like a pillow case but it zips onto it) and wash that and then spot clean the pillow itself as needed.

My favorite thing about it is how incredibly soft it is!!! Kapok is my favorite stuffing ever!! The cotton slip cover is also very soft. There’s no smell to it right when it comes, and it’s so easy to mold to what shape I need especially around my tummy to support it when on my side.

I personally love the kapok, but they have many different stuffings from organic cotton to shredded latex etc. You can buy it HERE and use discount code CleanLivingMom for 20% your order!!

Other great brands I’d trust that sell body pillows are Savvy Rest, LifeKind, Coyouchi, and Soaring Heart.

Nontoxic Stretch Mark Prevention

Belly Balm: I’m reviewing a new stretch mark cream each trimester and this one is the Sprigs Life Belly Balm!! When it comes to nontoxic pregnancy products, belly balms are a popular one! It’s got a slightly stronger, but pleasant flowery smell. It smells the most to me like the geranium essential oil in it. It’s got some amazing ingredients in it for scarring and skin like vitamin E oil, geranium and lavender essential oils, Rose Petals, Myrrh Gum, Frankincense, and more!

I love the consistency of this balm…it’s in between a lotion and oil which is my favorite! It sits a little longer on the skin, which in my opinion works better at stretch mark prevention. It’s not super sticky or over oily on the skin, but moisturizes very well! It also really helps calm itching, if you have that!

Why I love and trust Sprigs life:

family owned & operated small business ⁣
their ingredients are wild crafted & mostly all organic/ they are careful with their sourcing⁣⁣⁣
they consult with/ have on staff master herbalists that help formulate their products (many of which are recipes past down for generations)⁣⁣⁣
they do both third party & in house microbial testing on their individual ingredients for possible contaminations etc & test the product as a whole again before it hits the shelf (3xs tested ensuring 100% safety)⁣⁣⁣
their facilities are FDA inspected & approved plus they follow all regulations as prescribed by the FDA under the dietary supplements CFR Chapter 21 part 111 & 117⁣⁣⁣

Buy the balm HERE and use code cleanlivingmom20 for 20% off your order! (also check out their whole food/plant based prenatal which I review in my first trimester post!)

Collagen

This is a product I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about, but why is it helpful and what benefits does it provide making it one of the recommended nontoxic pregnancy products? This article from BirthFit sums it up nicely, so I’m just going to cite them!

“Help us heal. After birth, collagen and elastin undergo a rapid breakdown (5). Collagen can help to rebuild tissues in order for our pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, and uterus to heal. Quick side note: in addition to collagen supplements, getting enough zinc can help reduce the breakdown of collagen in the repairing tissue and therefore help support healing. (6)
Help us sleep. Amino acids like glycine may “contribute to improving the occasional sleepiness and fatigue induced by sleep restriction” and improve overall sleep quality (7). Well that sounds handy in the postpartum time, now doesn’t it? In fact, studies have shown that supplementation at night has helped sleep quality without needing hypnotic sleep drugs (8). Sold.
Support Thyroid health. Thyroid health in women who are pregnant and postpartum is an important topic that we’ll cover in other blogs, and is a common issue among moms. Collagen supports thyroid production, can boost your thyroid hormone conversion, and improves your ability to utilize T3, thanks mainly to the amino acids glycine and proline (9).
Support a healthy metabolism and regulate blood sugar. Not only does collagen support a healthy metabolism, it’s critical for a healthy metabolism and steady blood sugar levels. In fact, researchers stated that glycine, the key amino acid found in collagen, “should be taken as a nutritional supplement to guarantee a healthy metabolism” (10).
Help heal gut lining and leaky gut. The amino acids in collagen can help rebuild gut lining, essentially sealing off and repairing areas that are damaged. Since about 70% of our immune system in located in the gut, this will also boost your immune system function, too.
Help with joint pain. Many pregnant and postpartum women experience joint pain, and collagen supplementation has been shown to help this. (11, 12, 13, 14)
Make your skin radiant (and help with stretch marks). No discussion of collagen would be complete without mentioning the amazing benefits to skin (as well as hair and nails). Studies have shown that supplementation with collagen peptides showed an improvement in skin elasticity , improved appearance of wrinkles, and helps oxidative stress that occurs with aging (15, 16, 17). Bonus!” (sources below)

As you can see, a valuable pregnancy product to add to your regimen! If you don’t want to supplement, a FANTASTIC way to get this from food, is to get it from homemade bone broth!!!

My current favorite brand of collagen is from Perfect Supplements. It’s a blend of type 1 and 3 collagen, is sourced exclusively from brazilian pasture raised (grass fed) cows, and they publish their third party testings for heavy metals and contamination on their website!!

Buy HERE and use code CLEANLIVINGMOM for 10% off your order!

Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy

Ok guys…I could write a whole blog post on just this topic, honestly, because I’ve had SUCH bad round ligament pains this pregnancy!!! Here’s 5 nontoxic pregnancy products and natural remedies I’ve found that have helped the most:

Up your magnesium intake -My current prenatal vitamin contains 100% your daily recommended magnesium, but I have, personally, seen many benefits in taking about double that. You’ll have to find what works best for you! Magnesium helps that soft muscle, and is the number one rec from my midwife every time I complain about it! haha I still use the powder from Perfect supplements I reviewed in my first trimester post, but I also wanted to find a liquid version (since liquid is more bioavailable to the body typically). For now I’ve been taking the Pure Encapsulations liquid magnesium. I like that it also contains vitamin D and calcium, which I swear is also helping me sleep better when I take it right before bed! It tastes like the CALM magnesium drink, if you’ve ever tried that just in a concentrated form. (you take it straight as a liquid and don’t mix it with water) I Will say, on a “good, better, best” scale I’d consider Pure Encapsulations to be just good because they don’t disclose all “flavors” (though I know they are all naturally derived), they are mostly whole food/plant derived but do synthetically source some of their nutrients, and also they got bought out by Nestle which is a bummer. I did, however do a lot of questioning on their third party testing and manufacturing processes, and would trust that everything is pure and not contaminated etc. Just throwing that out there so you can make the best decision for you. Also, just in-taking more food sources that contain higher magnesium throughout the day would be very beneficial!
Take an epsom salt bath -epsom salt contains magnesium and there’s actually a study that talks about how people’s magnesium levels went up slightly after bathing in epsom salt for 12 minutes. (I also want to make a note here, though, that this same study is a compilation of several studies that basically prove that transdermal magnesium is NOT an effective way of getting magnesium to the body…so magnesium creams might do a little something, but taking a quality supplement or eating magnesium rich foods are FAR more effective ways to increase magnesium…just FYI.) Either way, relaxing in a hot bath with epsom salt DOES do a small something at least in helping the muscles relax!
Apply essential oils -this one has helped me the most I think in reducing round ligament pain. My combo I’ve been applying has been lavender, majoram, and roman chamomile! Apply straight to the tummy focusing on the round ligament muscles, and make sure to dilute with a carrier oil! I’ve loved just adding these oils to when I apply my belly balm! These oils have helped me both preventatively and while in the moment of experiencing sharp pains.
Use a heating pad -I’ve found this to be a help more so while in the moment of experiencing round ligament pains. I like the ones that just heat up in the microwave, and find that resting with a heating pad for about 10 minutes helps calm the ligaments.
Get adjusted at a chiropractor -this is a topic I’ve done a lot of research on recently. Not every chiropractor is equal!! Look for one that has been certified specifically in the Webster technique. This certification is thorough and rigorous and pertains specifically to pregnant women. It focuses heavily on the pelvis and is specifically known for reducing round ligament pain among many other benefits. Here’s more information about it HERE and where to find a certified chiropractor near you. Make sure the chiropractor you’re going to talks about the connection between the nervous system and adjustments!!!

Prenatal Vitamins for Pregnancy

Pure Synergy: I’m reviewing a new prenatal brand/product every trimester and this one is a new one I recently found and vetted!! I’m going to be doing a brand/products review on this company soon, but here’s why I love them as a company:

a variety of third-party, ISO-certified laboratories are used to conduct testing on all raw materials, ingredients, AND finished products!
they have a LARGE list of various testings they conduct on their products, some of which are heavy metals, radiation testing, microbiological testing (for bacteria, mold, yeast, etc), nutrient level testing for label, additional potency/active claims testing, pesticide testing and many more! (very thorough)
they manufacturer everything themselves (which is not a must for me but I do prefer it because it more so ensures stringent oversight in every step of the manufacturing process)
they publish a COC (certificate of compliance) for every product straight on their website showing what tests are conducted and if they pass all testings etc. Those can be found HERE. This is a less rigorous document then a COA (certificate of analysis) and I’d love to see them publish those in the future, however, vast majority of companies don’t publish ANYTHING so this is already a HUGE act of transparency regardless!
they are VERY involved and particular when it comes to choosing suppliers for ingredients which ensures high quality ingredients and reputable vendors!
Many of their products are OTCO certified which is my new favorite organic certification!! (wayyy more thorough then the USDA one) More on that certification HERE. Many of their products also have the USDA organic certification, vegan, non-GMO etc.
All of their vitamins and minerals are sourced from whole food or plants, and while some synthetics are used during the fermentation process, no synthetically derived nutrient remains in the final product. (the process is kind of confusing but cool…learn more about it HERE)
every product falls under the Prop 65 standards and nothing requires a Prop 65 warning label

And here’s why I love this prenatal in particular:

the bottle is dark amber glass, so no leaching!
like mentioned above, its presented in food form making it bioavailble to the body!
you may notice in the picture above, it doesn’t come in a typical capsule form! This can often times be concerning because the process to create a tablet form typically requires a chemical treating process, however Pure Synergy’s doesn’t!

“Our tablets are encased in a certified organic, non-GMO vegetarian coating made from organic tapioca, organic sunflower lecithin, organic palm oil, and organic guar gum. This allows them to be readily broken down as they pass through your stomach and small intestine. We also use natural, organic barley grass as a natural binder rather than chemical binder additives. The barley grass allows our tablets to fully release their nutrients in your small intestine, where optimal absorption can occur.

We use an industry-accepted, standardized test to ensure that the tablets will dissolve properly using body temperature water and agitation (to mimic the digestive process). Our tablets easily dissolve in the recommended time, ensuring optimal bioavailability in your digestive tract.”

One thing to note about Pure Synergy’s prenatal is it doesn’t have a high dose of choline which, from my research, is essential for baby. I’d recommend supplementing in addition with their choline complex.

You can buy the Pure Synergy prenatal HERE and use code CLEANLIVINGMOM10 or 10% off your order!

Probiotics During Pregnancy

Seed: I’ll review more probiotic brands in my third trimester and postpartum posts, but here’s why I love this brand and product!

I almost didn’t have to reach out to the company to ask any vetting questions because they shared so much information on their website which is SO rare!!!
they do extensive testing and as they say on their website, “The DS-01™ is tested and verified free of all 14 classes of allergens according to EFSA, and Seed abides by and adheres to the stringent requirements established by CA Prop 65, or ‘The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’. With 50+ quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) checkpoints, we monitor purity under both US and European protocols (including cGMP + HACCP) throughout the production cycle with no skip-lot testing. We go beyond what’s required for regulations enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration; we also adhere to global quality standards outlined by Foods for Specified Health Use (Japan) and the European Food Safety Authority.”
their double capsule ensures that the probiotics will actually get to where it needs to in your gut to be effective!
it contains strains clinically proven to actually benefit the gut, including Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Limosilactobacillus reuteri which have been shown specifically to help reduce colonization of group B strep in pregnant women! (additional studies on that in sources below)
it contains a blend of both PREbiotic and PRObiotic strains which makes it all the more effective!

So, why is a quality probiotic a must have among the “nontoxic pregnancy products” list? While pregnant and in labor, you are passing SO MUCH of your good flora to your baby and setting the foundation for what their microbiome will look like! It’s so important to be building up your good flora to be able to pass it to baby, which will also benefit you while nursing and for passing the group b strep test!

I don’t have a discount code, but you can buy Seed HERE.

Well, that’s the roundup of my favorite nontoxic pregnancy products for the second trimester! I hope it was a help to you! Share with a pregnant friend and comment with any of YOUR favorite products you’ve used and loved!

More nontoxic pregnancy products reviews and recommendations coming up in the third trimester must haves post!

Sources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262881.php

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1202274/pdf/biochemj00786-0085.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7466582

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328957/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x

http://www.forefronthealth.com/collagen-and-thyroid/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093739

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1185/030079908×291967

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26267777

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416885