Best gifts for pregnant women

Give her the information she needs with a pregnancy or fetal-development book like the spot-on classic What to Expect When You're Expecting, which offers insightful week-by-week accounts of what's happening with the mother – body and mind – and the baby.

She'll think of you every time she needs something yesterday for herself or the baby and it shows up on her doorstep within a day or two, sometimes within hours. Fast, free shipping is so important for new parents, and makes this gift one that will be truly appreciated. As a bonus, umpteen hours of streaming TV, movies, and music is great for maternity leave.

Surging hormones can wreak havoc on a woman's skin and hair during pregnancy. Help her feel beautiful with some luxurious products she might not think to buy for herself. Consider getting her a face scrub, moisturizing soaps, shampoo, exfoliant sponges, sunblock, and/or a rich belly butter like this one made with organic shea butter to slather on her stretching tummy. It's unscented for sensitive noses that often accompany pregnancy, and relieves itching of stretching skin as well as stretch marks.

How is she feeling? What is she thinking? She can use this book to keep track of her emotions, dreams, plans, symptoms, and more in this thoughtfully composed pregnancy journal, with 74 pages to keep track of each doctor's visit, moments from each trimester, and her plans for things like the new baby's name. Each section has a pocket to keep important mementos like ultrasound images, and someday, her baby's teeny weeny hospital bracelet.

Loungewear becomes incredibly important to pregnant women and new moms alike, as they're spending lots of time at home with a changing body. But there's no reason she has to slop around in her oldest sweatshirt. These beautiful loungewear sets come with soft and stretchy pants, a matching short robe, a coordinating top with a nursing-friendly crossover-V neckline for mom – and a matching gown and hat for her baby when she arrives. With 25 lovely patterns, you're sure to find something to suit her.

If you're not sure what to get her, remember that she may have spelled it out with an online registry. You can check with her to find out where she's registered, or search on popular registries like AmazonOpens a new window under her name to see if she's there. That way you know exactly what color, size, model, etc. etc., and you're guaranteed not to go wrong.

There's a baby on the way! And you want to treat the mother with something to mark the beginning of a new and remarkable phase in her life. Of course she'll appreciate flowers, dinner out, or some other personal indulgence, but sometimes finding just the right and useful and memorable thing for a mom-to-be is the gift we want to give.

So what would your mom-to-be appreciate? Well, for one thing, she's likely experiencing some aches and pains just about now: nausea, itchy skin, body aches, swollen feet, restless sleep. The gift of comfort from a loved one is powerful indeed, and she'll think fondly of you each time she's able to relax into soothing ease.

With so many physical changes, not to mention new emotions and big plans, moms-to-be may find they stay home more than usual now. They appreciate gifts that help them fill the hours of waiting, that answer burning questions they may have, and which allow them to reflect on their journey so far, as well as what's soon to come.

With all that in mind, here are some of our favorite gifts for pregnant women.