13 Tips for Surviving Your First Trimester
First, I want to start this post by saying CONGRATULATIONS! If you are reading this you are most likely in your first trimester of pregnancy and that is a very exciting place to be! It wasn’t too long ago that I was in your shoes and survived with a great deal of help. I experienced highs and lows with all of the hormonal changes and I had a TON of questions I was dying to research. This is a list of 13 things that really helped me out in my first trimester. Although, I do need to add that if you are experiencing any serious health concerns, please consult your doctor. Moving on!
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Find a Great Doctor
Each doctor has there own “bedside manner”, it is now up to you to find what you are looking for. Are you looking for a female doctor, a male doctor, a midwife, or a team of midwives? When I was choosing a doctor, I got recommendations from friends that recently had children to see who they went to. Instead of interviewing a ton of doctors, I’m more comfortable talking with my friends to see whom they went to and how their experience was with a specific doctor before I chose one. Jared and I are super glad that we went that route rather than interviewing! The doctor we chose is nurturing, kind, and has a calm confidence, which is reassuring.
Rest Up Because You’re Gonna Need It!
I really cannot emphasize enough that you need to rest up while you are pregnant, but especially in your first trimester. Even during the workweek! Normally, I am not a nap person because it can be difficult for me to fall asleep at night. However, I would come home from work and I would find myself falling asleep on the couch around 7pm each night AND still able to go to sleep at 10pm. That’s how exhausted I was during the first trimester. Work can be exhausting enough, but when you are growing a human inside of you, the amount of exhaustion seems to double or triple. No joke, I would find myself falling asleep at my desk at work because I was so exhausted. So, don’t feel bad about resting when you get home. Trust me, you will need it for the months to come!
Learn How to Battle Nausea
Ugh! Need I say more? Yes, yes I do! Because there is a way to tame the beast that is ‘morning sickness.’ Here are some things that helped me through nausea.
1) Preggie Pops are a godsend! They contain essential oils and plant botanicals that are proven to relieve nausea and a queasy stomach. I could suck on these bad boys all day long and would feel so much better. And I could carry them around in my purse, so if I got nauseous, I could pop one in my mouth and keep going without anyone really noticing. Again, they’re fabulous and I cannot praise them enough.
2) Get something in your stomach before getting out of bed and starting your morning routine. It’s easier just to leave crackers by your bedside, so you can eat one or two before hopping out of bed.
3) Try Ginger anything. Ginger Ale, ginger pills, or ginger essential oils. You can even try ginger root of you like. But ginger helps!
4) Stay busy. Not going to lie, the busier I was, the easier it was for me to forget how sick I felt.
5) Eat small, frequent meals. I found that if I went an hour or two without food, I would feel sick. So, I was constantly snacking on pretzels to help settle my stomach.
Take Your Prenatal Vitamin
Let’s be honest. It’s really hard to know if you’re really getting all the vitamins and minerals you and your child need. That’s where prenatal vitamins come in. They don’t replace a balanced diet, but instead act like backup – making sure you don’t fall short on the essential nutrients you need during pregnancy. But which one do you choose? When I was searching for a good prenatal vitamin, I needed to make sure it was high in Folic Acid (600 mcg), Iron (27 mg), Calcium (1,000 mg), and Vitamin D (600 IU). And if the prenatal vitamin doesn’t have a high amount of one particular nutrient, then I make sure that I’m eating foods that are rich in that vitamin or mineral in order to make up for the prenatal vitamin not containing it. After much research, I went with Nature Made’s Prenatal Vitamin. It reached my daily quota of folic acid, but does skimp you on Calcium and Vitamin D. However, it’s a great budget friendly pick!
Stay Active
It is highly encouraged to maintain the level of physical fitness you have maintained in your life before getting pregnant. If you weren’t in a regular physical routine there are many activities that you can do while pregnant. Try walking, yoga, jogging, or swimming. Again, consult your doctor on this. Around 20 weeks, I started doing prenatal yoga. Well, around 22 weeks I had a placental tear that occurred. I was told that prenatal yoga or anything else I did was NOT the cause of the tear, but I decided to take it really slow for a while because the doctors didn’t know what the actual cause of the tear was. Scared Jared and me to death!! So, I toned down any physical activity, and opted for short walks around the neighborhood instead. Just consult with your doctor to see what works for you. I’ve had friends that continued to run or do intense workouts and they’ve delivered healthy babies. Do what is best for you, but keep moving.
Stay Hydrated
Water is your very best friend! And if you need to mix it up, put some flavor in there. That’s what I have to do sometimes since water doesn’t have a taste. When you are pregnant your blood volume increases by half! Water is super important for your baby and you need to keep drinking it constantly. Unfortunately, this means more trips to the bathroom too.
Eat the Rainbow
And no, I’m not talking about Skittles. Although if you want to eat those, you are more than welcome! Try your best every day to eat all of the colors of the rainbow. This is an easy way to visualize your nutrition and get more fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you find something that sits well on your stomach and is good for you that is a success alone!
Don’t Worry About Getting Nothing Done
During my first trimester, all I wanted to do was lie down on the couch because moving around the house could trigger nausea. Sure, dishes sat in the sink, the rugs needed to be vacuumed, the laundry needed to be done. Thankfully, Jared understood what I was feeling and would do everything that needed to be done without any complaining. I HATED that he did it alone, but I also realized that I’m creating a baby, therefore, I needed as much rest as I could get. Besides, months down the road, your nesting instinct will kick in and you’ll be a crazy organizing machine! So don’t fret if you feel like the house is a wreck!
You’re Sick. Now What?
I cannot tell you how crappy it is to get sick while you are pregnant. I didn’t get a sinus infection or the flu, but I was congested all the time. I also had a yeast infection and a UTI. Thankfully, there are safe antibiotics I could take for the yeast infection and UTI, but my doctor said that I couldn’t take anything for congestion. Check with your doctor, but mine said that I couldn’t take anything for it unless it was saline spray. You can also use Tylenol for pain, but I’ll be honest…it did nothing for me! Going into my second trimester, I had the WORST headaches that would last for hours with no relief. And when the headache would finally go away, it would come back the next day with a vengeance. It was horrible! My doctor prescribed me a stronger headache pill and I finally felt relief.
Taste and Smell
You may have noticed that you are super sensitive to tastes and smells. Mine wasn’t so much the taste of things, but the smell. However, it wasn’t even the smell of food. It was the smell of the trash or the dirty dishes in the sink. All throughout my first trimester, Jared had to do the dishes because I would feel very nauseous just by looking and smelling the dirty dishes.
Celebrate the Good Times
Seriously, the first trimester is no joke. And it’s a hormonal crapshoot. But I encourage you to hold on to these times and remember that it’s going to eventually pass.
Find Apps That Will Guide you Along the Way
There are a ton of apps out there to help guide you along the way. However, I have two that are my absolute favorites.
1) Ovia Pregnancy is gives me real-time alerts when my symptoms could be dangerous. It also tracks your weight, sleep, moods, etc. You can even see your baby’s actual hand and foot size each week. It’s a unique app that tracks alongside your pregnancy.
2) BabyCenter is a great resource if you have a ton of questions and want some answers. Also, it has birthing videos on there. This might not be your thing, but I like being prepared, so I watched one.
Set Aside Some Me Time
Relax by taking a warm bath. Go shopping. Get a pedicure. Hire a cleaning service to deep clean your toilets and baseboards. You are doing a lot of hard work as your build this baby inside of you, make sure you are taking time to care for yourself too. You deserve it!
