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So obviously the proverbial Cat is out of the Bag! I’m pregnant with our second child, a Boy, due this Fall! It’s been a long road to get here, and I truly am so grateful to be expecting a healthy child. Also, as those who have experienced it know, Pregnancy is CRAZY, Y’all. Specifically, the First Trimester. I talked about the many ups and downs of this crazy Trimester at length when I was pregnant with Marlowe, and I can’t particularly say that having been through it a couple times makes you an expert the third time around. I wish. Each pregnancy really is so different. Now that I’m well in to my second Trimester with this little Boy, I thought I would share some of my First Trimester must-haves with you guys. A “Sanity Guide” of sorts– Ha! As always, take what you like and leave the rest– you are an individual and so is your pregnancy!
Fight Nausea
Ok this part is kind of the worst. This pregnancy I was super nauseous starting at about 3pm all the way until I went to bed. I even would feel barfy if I didn’t eat right away when I woke up in the morning. Much worse this time than with my previous pregnancies! It made it hard to eat meals, not to mention be the best version of myself for my business and my family. But I did learn a major trick during my First Trimester with this pregnancy, which is that eating small bites more consistently (one cracker, for example) every hour or so in between meals helped combat the sudden onset of nausea. Try this to see if it works for you! I kept some snacks in my purse, like these, and I would take a bite or two every hour to keep nausea at bay. A little baggy of cereal is a good purse trick also! These ginger chews helped tremendously once I already felt queasy, as did a little bit of flavored sparkling water. If I was really desperate (ie, about to puke in to my neighbor’s lap on the train) I would pop one of these Peppermint Essential Oil beadlets. They would freshen my breathe as well as give me a little surge of peppermint that would keep me from gagging. Everyone wins! Well, especially my neighbor on the train.
Easy Breathing
I don’t know about you, but I get super stuffy when I’m pregnant. Especially since my pregnancy happened to coincide with allergy and cold season– yahtzee! I started using the Neti Pot once a day in the morning, and it really helped me. Getting a humidifier for your room at night is a huge help as well! I started sleeping much better once I got religious about setting it up every single night before I went to sleep. Don’t forget to change the water out for your humidifier daily, and disinfect weekly with vinegar and hot water!
Skin Moisture
Being pregnant makes my skin the barren Sahara desert of landscapes– my skin would actually crack and bleed just by closing my hand too quickly in to a fist. Insane! Clearly this wasn’t going to fly, and so I got really serious about finding thick moisturizers for my body and hands that helped ease my discomfort. When I’m pregnant I’m pretty strict about using chemical free products, and this body oil is so luxurious you almost wouldn’t believe it is a hundred percent natural! I also keep a tube of this cream on my bedside table and in my purse, and slather it all over my hands whenever I remember. I included a few of my favorite moisturizing lip balms below as well.
Hide The Pimples
Ahhh, another joy of First Trimester pregnancy– acne! I actually got the pregnancy acne WAY worse when I was pregnant with Marlowe, but let’s be honest– pimples are never welcome, especially when we feel tired and vulnerable already. This pregnancy I used a great concealer (it’s chemical free but has a lot of coverage) as well as a lightweight chemical free foundation to even out my skin tone. Then I fight pimples at night with this serum! It has 2% salycylic acid (which is the amount allowed during pregnancy by doctors) but the entire line of products is actually non-systemic meaning that it is formulated to not enter the bloodstream. Extra great!
Cozy Outfits
Feeling comfy during your First Trimester is so clutch. I can only speak for myself, but the first few months of pregnancy make me feel super weird in my own skin, really uncomfortable at a moments notice, and generally just so irritable. Having an outfit on that is stylish but comfy instantly puts me in a better mood, not to mention makes me feel better physically as well. In general, I recommend switching over to maternity waistbands on everything ASAP since I find being restricted around my waistline makes me feel extra nauseous for some reason. I like to wear a great pair of cozy leggings with a top that is cool but comfortable. I love button down tops in the First Trimester because they hide any bloated tummy as well as have the ability to open up at the neckline. When you are welcoming some seriously bigger breasts than you may have ever had, I find that opening up the collarbone area makes everyone appear slimmer, and is generally a more flattering silhouette. I finish off my outfit with a cool pair of wedge sneakers– so comfy, and they elongate the leg to make you look instantly more gazelle-like…which is the opposite of how you probably feel right now.
Stay Healthy!
Our immune systems are so much lower when we become pregnant– our body’s attempt to keep from recognizing the baby as a foreign object and expelling it– and so you are extra vulnerable to illness. I like to keep a few things on hand to make sure I’m staying as well as possible through it all. Of course this time around I have a Toddler in daycare…so let’s just say I’ve been hit quite a few times by one bug or another, and luckily our little guy is taking it like a champ! I make sure to clean my hands, Marlowe’s hands, and the surface of my phone often with these all natural disinfecting wipes. I also keep this essential oil on hand to purify the air at home in my essential oil diffuser. Keeping lots of water on hand when you’re on the go is good for flushing impurities out of your system and keeping your immune system functioning at it’s best as well!
I really hope some of these little tips and tricks can be helpful to any of you navigating a tricky First Trimester! Just know you aren’t alone, and that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how many pregnancies you’ve had, it can be a really challenging time so just try to cut yourself some slack and be gentle with the expectations you place on yourself. I wish you all the best!
p.s- if anyone has other great First Trimester advice, please leave it in the comments below, and add to the community!!
Amen, sister!! Seven weeks here and I pretty much have to lay down after every meal, which is super doable with a 20 month old ?. I actually found massaging an anti nausea pressure point (I use the one on the inside of my arm, that’s about an inch below my left wrist) is super helpful. I just keep reminding myself, the sicker I am, the healthier the baby ??
omg!! Great advice, hang in there mama, hope you feel better soon!!
xo
EAM
Sea bands! I would get motion sickness driving to work in the morning and the bands are the only thing that would help. The hard candy gin-gins from Whole Foods were great throughout the day also. A Storq bundle was also great because it doesn’t look like maternity and grows with you the entire pregnancy. If you can’t swing the whole bundle, the leggings and pencil skirt were my favorite.
Just curious, how do you already know the sex of your baby? You are a beautiful mom. I’m 6-weeks pregnant and I love this post. So helpful! What kind of exercise are you doing?
Hi Carla!
There is a genetic testing blood test that you can get done at 10 weeks that tells you a lot about the health of your baby along with the sex! You get the results back much sooner than with ultrasound
xo
EAM
Hello!
I loved your piece. I’m
13 weeks pregnant with my 1st child.. The nausea still is’nt going anywhere?. Eating small snacks inbetween definitely helps.
I also had a NIPT done (because of age) – Non Invasive Prenatal Test which can be done anywhere from 10 weeks on, where a simple blood sample is drawn from the mother & they then screen for the following: Patau-, Edwards-, Down Syndrome & sex chromosome aneuploidies- This is where they establish the gender of the baby.
Congrats to all the expecting moms!
Zip locks in your purse and car, for the dreaded vomit. I was so sick with our boy til 22 wks it was a lifesaver. Seems so gross I know but if I’m going to barf I’d rather it be in something containable I can easily toss away!
Hi!
Finding this blog this morning made me so happy! I am 11 weeks right now too with my first baby! And you literally described and talked about everything I am currently going though! It felt refreshing to know that someone was feeling the same way I did and that it’s a completely normal stage in the first trimester! I have the nausea, acne (which might I add I have never had..not even in my teen days), uncomfortable bloating, and since I teach kindergarten I get all sorts of colds and viruses. Thank you for your advice! I will definitely be trying some of your tips!
Amanda Boyd
Coconut water ??. I threw up at least 6 times a day for 17 weeks when pregnant with my twins. Keep hydrated!
Love this article! I am 7wks pregnant and am feeling all the realness 🙂 This is my 2nd baby as well, my first will be 4yrs old in Aug, where does the time go??
I am so lucky this time around that my nausea is very minimal, only after I eat, which is not the norm. I also have a lot of light headedness and am oh so tired. Not much can be done about either but overall these symptoms are minor. My first pregnancy was not so kind to me in the nausea dept so I am very thankful and sending love & light to all the mamas out there. Hang in there, 2nd trimester was the “golden” time for me.
Hi Devon,
All the realness!! Haha I can totally relate to that expression. Hang in there Mama, and hope you start feeling great soon!!
xo
EAM
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful post! I am 7-weeks and your post is exactly what I needed. Thank you for all your suggestions. Looks like I need to go shopping!! ☺️
Congratulations! Hang in there, Lydia! Pregnancy isn’t easy sometimes, hope you feel awesome very soon!!
xo
EAM
Thanks for the advice! This is my first pregnancy and I’m 5 weeks along. I’m not feeling any nausea just yet, except it is hard to brush my teeth in the morning without gagging so I know it’s coming. I’m going to go stock up on ginger and snacks this weekend. I was wondering if you have any advice on good pregnancy workouts to do. I’m pretty active and I do hot yoga and Pilates, but my doc said he doesn’t recommend the heat. I’m looking for something new to do that will keep me in shape. Thanks!
Congratulations Eva and all the other expecting mamas!
During my first trimester if I was extremely nauseated I’d sip ginger beer, it’s a very strong ginger ale. My biggest issue was fatigue. Luckily it was my first so after work I didn’t have to chase a child around when I could barely open my eyes.
What I WISH I had done was ask my ob if I could make protein shakes. I barely felt like eating and was so exhausted but had I made shakes with a doctor approved protein powder and lots of good greens & fruits nutritiously feeding myself and by baby would have been so much easier. Next time!
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