The first trimester of pregnancy is TOUGH! Okay, if I’m being honest the entire pregnancy was tough including the IVF process. As I’m days away from meeting our baby, I would do it all over again. I keep telling myself that a hard pregnancy translates to an easy baby. This could be a complete lie but it’s giving me some sort of comfort so I’m sticking with it! I tried so many different things to help with the first and second trimester so I wanted to share my list of first trimester must-haves:
- DRY CEREAL like cheerios – I have lived off of cereal pretty much my entire pregnancy. It was one of the few foods that I could stomach and was plain enough to not make me feel more queasy. I would wake up in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning STARVING, so I kept a box next to my bed at all times. My husband would wake up to me chowing down on cereal. #sorrynotsorry
- PUSH UP BAR – Okay, this might sound SUPER random but my doula recommended using a push-up bar after I described my super uncomfortable trapped air GI situation. Hanging from the push-up bar really helps stretch and lengthen which in turn helped release some of the trapped gas inside of me. I’ve been using this my entire pregnancy!
Hanging from the push up bar
- PALMER’S COCOA BUTTER STRETCH MARK CREAM – I’ve never been good about using lotion. I find it a pain to put on and am really just lazy about putting it on. I knew I would want to use one to help with stretch marks on my growing belly so I was lucky when my best friend got me this cream that she used during her pregnancy. I love the consistency and scent as it’s not too strong. I found it a soothing way to end the night by rubbing the thick cream on my belly and chest.
- PREGGIE POP DROPS – these sour suckers got me through my first trimester. I had these on hand at all times because I never knew when a wave of nausea would hit me. These are a great, all-natural remedy to keep on hand plus they actually taste REALLY good.
- SEA BANDS – this is another drug-free nausea treatment that my acupuncturist recommended I wear on a daily basis. These work by applying acupressure on your wrists to help combat and reduce nausea.
- BELLI ACNE CONTROL SPOT TREATMENT – my face broke out HORRIBLY during the first trimester. Not only did it look horrible but it was painful too. I read a ton of good reviews about this pregnancy safe spot treatment and luckily it really helped. Also, my cousin gave me an additional tip to wash my face with baking soda and water at night to help dry out the acne. It sounds weird but REALLY worked!
At the same time, it wasn’t just first trimester must-haves products that got me through but also taking care of my mental and physical health through acupuncture, yoga and therapy. I started acupuncture when I was going through fertility treatment and have continued throughout my entire pregnancy. It helps with energy levels and nausea during the dreaded morning sickness phase. Yoga is something I started incorporating into my life to help with my anxiety. Pregnancy can be anxiety provoking with all the unknown so I really relied on pregnancy safe yoga videos on YouTube. These were perfect 20-35 minute videos you can do in the comfort of your home! I am a huge proponent of therapy and really think it has helped me grow as a person. I always say the most sane people go to therapy as they want to help themselves. During this time when so much is changing and out of your control, I really have leaned on the support of therapy.
That’s all folks! What has helped you? I would love to hear!
