Getting Sticky with Natalie Shine

Content creator, trivia host, and all around consummate ray of sunshine, Natalie Shine is in her self-described “nesty era.” And really at 30 weeks pregnant, what else is there left to do? 

Her self-care rituals involve daily power walks around Central Park with her best friend, hopping in a bubble bath, and vintage baby boy shopping—but let’s skip the boy mom hashtag for now. Her mornings also begin with indulging in a Biologica Prenatal Essentials, a drinkable prenatal—the exquisite packaging itself appealing to an aesthete like Natalie, who prefers the cranberry lemonade flavor. 

Below, Natalie shares her excitement about joining the “stroller culture” in her neighborhood and raising a (tiny) good man, and then takes us through a day in her life.

Words by Emily Barasch. Images by Julia Kokernak. Brought to you in partnership with our friends at Biologica.

He’s legit written in the stars

I have this beloved friend who's a psychic, and she told me I was going to get pregnant in March of 2026 with a boy—years ago. Whether or not people are into psychics and all that woo-woo stuff, it gave me a very big sense of calm. But when it actually happened, I was like, “Yep. We're right on schedule.”

I'm also a neurotic planner, so that was weirdly kind of calming. It felt really like, “Oh shit, okay. This is happening. This is what's supposed to happen.”

First trimester woes 

I had never been more tired in my life. I would consider myself a pretty nap-savvy human, and I was sleeping three times a day sometimes if I could. You would fall into REM with an a.m. on the clock and wake up, and it's like, I was drooling at 10:45. It's nuts.

I never got sick, which I was really grateful for. I kept anticipating some really gnarly symptoms because you just sort of hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I spent a good amount of time on TikTok with a lot of “in the trenches” content that prepared me. I was really happily surprised that I never went there.

But I think women who are working office jobs, or jobs like teaching or the medical field where you’re on your feet—the first trimester is no freaking joke. The amount of rest that I needed just to keep myself sane is nothing I've ever experienced before.

The first trimester is funny. I look back now and remember those days where you're like, “I look pregnant,” or something, and I'm like, “You look so not pregnant. You had no idea.”

It's a strange, transient time. You're waiting for your body to tell you what's happening a little bit, and your brain has already shifted into, “Okay, I don't have the energy that I normally do. I can't socialize in the way that I normally would like.” It's the warm-up.

Assessing the 30 week mark

I feel like now that there's a three on the situation, it just feels really real. But I'm excited. It’s a nice time—entering fall and the last stretch. I'm happy. I'm just in nesty mode. All I want to do is organize things.

I just love being in New York—all you have to do is step outside. I just love it. Now I'm clocking all the strollers. I live on the Upper East Side, and it is like a stroller runway.

I think there's something that makes me feel much less anxious about postpartum, knowing that there are so many moms probably with babies that are in the same month or age as me, just a stone's throw away. It feels so full of parents and babies. With the park, I really look forward is reexploring the city with a baby and having so many resources nearby that will contribute to my mental sanity and the baby's. It just feels very comforting. There's so much community every which way if you're looking for it.

What brings her peace atm 

There are so many things out of your control during pregnancy. One thing squarely within it is what you put into your body. Knowing my prenatals—I use and love Biologica Prenatal Essentials drinkable prenatal—are formulated by female doctors, including two board-certified OB-GYNs allows me to rest easy and focus on things like nursery decorating (currently transforming my closet into the baby’s room) or vintage baby clothes shopping instead of worrying that I’m getting the right nutrients. 

The “boy mom” phenomena versus reality 

Being a boy mom—my brain flashes with traditional #boymom content and I can't help but shudder a little bit. I really want to continue to infuse humor and levity throughout my content as I begin this journey into motherhood. So much of what I've seen on TikTok feels like a rinse and repeat with the same POV, it ends up falling into a similar vibe: the hashtag boy mom stuff. I don't think you'll ever catch me throwing that up, but maybe in campy way?

But I think the world needs more great men. So many women I know have had boys or are pregnant with boys. Women are amazing, and we need much less work. So that's what I've been saying to everyone I find out is having a boy: We need to balance out this population with great men raised by strong women.

I also love, in the same way that I love a tailored skirt suit and can't wait to have a waist again—oh my God—and an updo, I also love sort of dressing like a boy in the seventies. Doing athletic activities, wearing a big polo shirt, vintage sportswear—all of that stuff. So I think that's something that's really fun to think about. I love the way my husband dresses, and I love little boys' clothes. They're so sweet. So I think we'll have some really fabulous coordinating outfits.

It's also fun to shop for a totally different person and style. I've already had so much fun. I'm obsessed with this Sesame Street Gap situation that's happening right now. I think I bought every single thing there. I'm so into vintage baby clothes, too, and hunting for the perfect little Levi's. Online shopping is one of my greatest hobbies, and now there's just a whole new terrain to explore.

There's something about clothing that's really ceremonial and special, especially because I'm growing this person. It really makes it feel real. Seeing his clothes that I've washed and hung up, and you're just touching them and holding them, and then there's going to be a person who's wearing them. It's probably one of the realest things besides going to the doctor and seeing him on the sonogram. You're like, “Oh my God, this little outfit is going to have a person in it.”

24 Hours with Natalie 

I wake up with my pregnancy pillow coiled around me like a snake, and then I text my best friend and we go on our power walk through Central Park. She's my oracle of finding a fun iced latte. Today I got a cookie-butter latte that was crazy—so good. We walk in the park and power walk and talk about the silliest things under the sun and people-watch. Starting my day with that has made me feel so amazing. 

Then I come back and make one of a Biologica Prenatal Essentials cranberry lemonades to replenish and rehydrate. First of all, it's a beautiful package, which I think is really important. The same way that I love what Spread the Jelly does with motherhood and postpartum, there's a beauty and a sophistication to Biologica that you don't see or think of, and that hasn't been represented.

All the Biologica products are so gorgeous to look at—you almost wouldn't really know at first that it's for a prenatal moment. Then I love that it's drinkable with a really fabulous cranberry flavor, too. I've never been thirstier in my life than when I've been pregnant. I drink it ice cold. 

The ingredients are super high quality. I wasn't someone who ever took vitamins before in my life, but then you just care so much more about what's happening in your body when there's a tenant in there.

Having the knowledge that it's the highest quality gives you a peace of mind because there are a lot of unknowns. A great prenatal is something that can give you peace of mind because it's a daily ritual, habit, and routine.  Plus I feel like my hair and skin have been so nice since I've been so adamant about taking prenatals.

The days are so different. The doctor's appointments are ramping up now, so that feels much more frequent in the third trimester. Since I'm a content creator, every day is very different. But the morning is really special and rooted in friendship and connection, and also being outside. 

Then honestly, in the evenings, I'll usually, depending on how I'm feeling and the state of my feet, do another round through Central Park with my husband and recap the day. Maybe we'll talk about what fruit the size of our son is and cook a cozy dinner.

Dancing With the Stars is back, which is the most amazing thing. We've also been watching so many great '80s and '90s films. Let's see—we watched Big Business, which is a New York classic. Oh my God, it's so amazing with Bette Midler. Flashdance, Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias.

“You can't enjoy a bubble bath if you're beating yourself up in your head.”

My sister-in-law Amanda has been this little angel on my shoulder and in my ear since she was the second person I told after my husband. We called Amanda because she has a two-year-old daughter, so she feels fresh enough out of it but is also still very much remembering the throes of it. She's been such a great source of encouragement for doing whatever the hell you need to do to feel good. A great prenatal massage, a bubble bath—whatever it is. She's my little yes-man of “you deserve it.” 

But I think the biggest thing that surprised me is that I actually feel way more gentle with myself and the way that I look at myself and talk to myself physically. It's been kind of a weird, nice wake-up call. I look at photos from a year ago, and I remember not even being that thrilled with the way I looked or felt. I'd think, “Oh, this part of my body could be in better shape,” or “I've got to fix this.”

I was so nitpicky and mean to myself, even though, for all purposes, I'm a very happy person. There was just so much critique and judgment. I felt so much of that disappear the second I was pregnant. I think because there is this bigger purpose of what my body is doing. The greatest thing you can do is just take care of yourself and nurture yourself right now.

It's also eliminated so many loops of anxiety. I haven't had a hangover in so many months, and I just think that has been weirdly healing. It's been so great for my mental health, which I think is the root of all self-care. You can't enjoy a bubble bath if you're beating yourself up in your head.

Entering the motherhood coven >>>

Since getting pregnant, I've had such an urge to just be around other women, and especially other mothers. The second that I shared the news I was pregnant, it felt like, out of the woodwork, all these women appeared.

It's the coolest secret club that you don't really think about or know about, and then the second you're entering that chapter, there's been so much support from all different corners—people from my past, people professionally, people on the Internet.

That level of support has made me so excited. I believe more than anything that babies are blessings and that they open up your life to more abundance. 

I think that's something that isn't totally represented correctly. You're kind of told that when you're having a baby, “Hope you did everything you wanted to do prior to that.” Of course there will be changes, compromises, and priorities that shift, but I think those types of mindsets are so important to have and to see.

I'm probably a little younger than I would have thought I'd be to have a first kid if you asked seven-year-old me. And so this idea that I had to do everything I wanted to do before I had a kid is insane. Being around and exposed to so many other moms who are really passionate about things—including their families, but also outside of it—has been really helpful.

That's something I want to emphasize through my own content. I'm the first of many of my friends to have children, and I think showing that there is this abundance of joy and love that comes with a baby that can and will spill into other areas of your life is important.