Pregnancy and babies are expensive, and there are plenty of companies out there desperate to get their hands on your cash while you're feeling hormonal, excited, and probably a bit vulnerable. There is no end to the amount of stuff you can buy for yourself and your baby. I originally had a rule that I wouldn't buy a thing until after I reached the halfway point, but I clearly misjudged how quickly I would need to swap to maternity jeans (12 weeks, and I'm never going back). Also, how tempting the baby section of Target is.
I enjoy shopping and I don't regret buying a Harry Potter sleepsuit at 15 weeks because I was tired and emotional and it had Hedwig on it. But I do think the commercialization of pregnancy is a problem. Our moms and their moms didn't have half the plastic junk we're "supposed" to buy to see us through pregnancy and the first six months with a newborn. Luckily, those first trimester lay-on-the-sofa-feeling-like-sh*t moments are the perfect time to do some research and narrow it down to the items that you truly need.
I still don't think my husband believes me that a nasal aspirator is one of those things, but I have five months to work on that one.
