Best Holiday Gift Ideas for Expecting Mothers

Gifting for the holidays can be exciting, but, also, daunting. Especially when the best gifts are not gifts at all, but experiences. We put together this list of some really useful items and ideas you can give to an expecting or postpartum mom this holiday season. 

Services and Experiences

Book A Massage

 There are so many benefits to massage. Pregnancy and postpartum life giveaway to all sorts of unpredictable sensations and issues. Massages are a fantastic way to treat some of these new aches and pains. Not to mention, they’ll feel like they’re being treated to something special. A massage hour may just be the opportunity for the nap, or, at the very least, calm nervous system, this hard-working mama has needed. 

Schedule A Haircut

 I’m not kidding. The one self-care thing I craved when my son was born was to have a haircut. I needed a new do that didn’t require much work, could be out of my face, and that his little hands couldn’t grab. 

Reserve Prenatal Yoga session(s)

The value of prenatal yoga is immense.  In many ways, the gift of prenatal yoga is the gift of support and community. You'll meet fellow moms and can develop deep friendships.

Yoga is a great way to practice linking movement and your breath. This is a skill that’s extremely helpful for pain management and avoiding epidurals. Plus, it’s a rare category of movement that encourages both strengthening and stretching. If you’d like to book a pre or postnatal session for either yourself or a friend, we highly recommend A Stone’s Ripple Yoga. Brenda is educated, creative, and gives excellent cues. She respects what your body tells you and encourages you to listen to that. She also knows her precautions. I’ve sat in on some of her classes myself and have been so impressed with her knowledge and passion! And, she offers virtual classes for students all over the world!

Book A Swim Pass 

If socially distanced in a pool, swimming is a pretty COVID-friendly environment. The benefits of hydrostatic pressure on reducing lower leg swelling are huge. Swimming links the breath to what your body is doing. It’s gentle and supportive on your joints, spine, and belly. 

Schedule A Pelvic Health Consult 

Seeing a pelvic health physical therapist, even just once or twice, can be the difference in healing properly or not. It’s essential for your overall body’s holistic long-term health. You’ll learn where your strengths and challenges are. And how to prevent incontinence, pelvic pain, and prolapse down the road. Pelvic PT’s can guide activation of your deep core. They can even help prepare your endurance for longer labor if that ends up being your destiny.   

Mommas Helper Hours

Give the gift of your own time. Just go ahead and declare when you are coming over and what you are going to do. Because, sometimes, it’s just so friggin’ hard for moms to ask for help. As a new mom, it’s kind of relieving when someone just does something for you without having to ask. 

The Train4Birth Course

This is an awesome gift idea even if your expecting mother doesn’t consider themselves athletic or active. The beneficial movements in this course are gentle. They work the deep core muscles that traditional gyms programs don’t reach. Plus, honestly, it provides education all women can benefit from. As a woman, it’s important to understand the female body. All trimesters are welcome! You can never have too much support when pregnant/postpartum. Weekly check-ins with personalized responses and exercise prescription are included! We want you to be as successful as possible in your birthing experience. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, claim our 40% off holiday discount!

Gifts You Can Wrap

Compression Socks

This is a great gift, especially if you have a career that keeps you on your feet. My favorite company for this is Sockwell. They are stylish and well made.

Haakaa Breast Pumps

Thanks to this invention, I never used an electric/plugin breast pump. Thanks to the Haakaa, I was able to store over 400 oz. of milk for my son! I now use it to pump on weekends my son is with his dad. It’s good to keep my supply up. Even at 2 years postpartum, I’m able to collect about 4 oz each side, per pump. And clean-up is really easy. You just boil the pump for 1-2 minutes or toss them in the dishwasher. It’s also nice that they don’t make that crazy electric pump sound!

My Brest Friend Pillow 

Or any firm foam pillow. My Brest Friend was a game-changer for me when nursing. Before finding this pillow, I was stacking 6-7 pillows to get a good angle. And it still wasn’t enough!

Giant Water Bottle 

When you are a new mom you really, only have time to maybe fill up a container once throughout the day. So, do your new mama a favor. Save them the hassle of washing multiple glasses in a day. Get them a nice, big, water bottle with a straw for hands-free sipping to ensure hydration. It’s important to drink at least half your body weight in ounces throughout the day. (So, if I weigh 200 lbs, then I’d need to drink 100 oz of water a day). Check out this list of amazing water bottles with straws for ideas. 

Postpartum Pants

Get the new mama in your life one some cozy postpartum pants. I’m so thankful to live in a time where elastic incorporated into pants is culturally acceptable. Most people know about the jeans/pants with elastic at the waistband to accommodate the cute baby bump. But it's good to know that there are pants made for the following 3 months postpartum. These pants have supportive/compressive qualities around the waistband. This helps the abdominal tissue re-approximate and heal. I don’t advise wearing them around the clock. But, they can be nice to wear for a little extra support for your healing core. Or if you know you are going to be out and about, lugging a big car seat +baby+ diaper bag around. 

Silicone Cups

I can’t even begin to share how useful these cups are. If you get a painfully clogged milk duct, cupping in the shower can relieve the clog. Cupping under your armpits can help with lymphatic drainage. It even boosts your immune system. And, using cups gently can help prevent adhesions from CSection scars!