Pregnancy // An Honest Look at The First Trimester


Motherhood, Pregnancy, Two Under Two / Friday, July 27th, 2018

For both of my little babes, the first trimester was a roller coaster.  The emotions, the hormones, the NAUSEA, the bloating…for the first 3 months of each pregnancy I was a hot mess.

Fatigue

The preggo fatigue hit me real hard during both pregnancies.  During my first pregnancy we were in the process of moving overseas, so sleeping it off wasn’t really an option.  I remember being constantly tired (and crabby), taking quick cat naps here and there but really just powering through (and probably being a real joy to be with along the way — *sarcasm*).  Thankfully with this second little one I have a little more flexibility to relax, and even with Liv on the go and more active than ever I found that napping while she napped was absolutely key for me.  Throughout my first trimester Olivia was taking 2 naps at around 1.5-2.5 hours each, so I’d try to at the very least get a 30 minute tiger snooze after a quick hit on my to-do list and sleep until she woke up.  If I’m being honest, there have been many times during the first two trimesters that I’ve wished my beautiful baby girl came with a snooze button!

Key Take-Away: Sleep whenever you can!  If you’re expecting your first babe, take that afternoon nap.  If you already have a little one running around, nap when they nap, or throw Frozen onto the TV and treat yo’self to 2 hours of rest.  If at all possible, don’t burn the candle at both ends.  Rest when you can, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Nausea

I’ve never been a big vomit person (I’ll do almost anything to not throw up if I can!) and for both of my babes I just carried the nausea feeling on and off from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning until I laid down at night.  Some days it was worse than others, but overall I just felt like garbage and very few things sounded good to eat.  A friend gave me some Preggie Pops around week 8 and I kicked myself for not trying these when I was pregnant with Liv…they are the absolute bees knees!  I also found it super helpful to take my prenatal vitamins before bed.  Since I’m basically 8 years old at heart, I take gummy vitamins and have loved these.  I’m not a big proponent of medication, but I have to say Diclegese was the real MVP of my first trimester for both babies.  Some days I felt ok enough to not take it at all, and some days I took a dose in the morning and one at night.  On days I woke up feeling especially crappy it was a total lifesaver.  With Olivia I was nauseous until week 17/18, and with Baby #2 until around week 15, and with all of the international flights, moving, and Momming in general this was the best option for me.  Of course, always consult with your doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Related Post: Pink Stork Review

Morning All-Day Sickness Must-Haves:

Preggie Pops

Carbs! // Keep a snack on you at all times!  When a wave of nausea hits and you need something to eat ASAP, you’ll be thankful you had a carb-y snack on hand.  During my first pregnancy I loved these little cracker sandwiches, and with my second it was wheat thins 🙂

Tea // I loved this tummy soothing tea, and really felt relief whenever I drank it.  I preferred to drink it hot, but made in a large batch with some lemon slices over ice sounds pretty good right about now 😊

Weight Gain

When I found out I was pregnant with Babe #2, I was still about 12lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight from my first pregnancy and had been really making progress on toning back up and shedding the baby weight.  I gained just about 55lbs with Olivia (yah…for real) and I was/am really conscious about having a healthier pregnancy this time around.  We found out we were expecting around 3.5 weeks, and I was able to keep up on my fitness regimen until around week 5.  When week 5 hit it was game over and between the nausea and fatigue, cardio was out of the question.  Since the nausea has passed (for the most part) I’ve gotten back into a workout regime that works for me, and I’m excited to share more about that with you in a future fit-pregnancy post I’m working on!

Key Take-Away: STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE!  Nothing good can come of weighing yourself during the first-trimester.  If you’re taking care of yourself and not going HAM on a pint of Ben and Jerry’s per day, give yourself some grace.  You are going to gain weight during pregnancy…and it’s not going to last forever!  Our bodies were made to create tiny humans, and part of that creation is going to change your body.  Jennifer Garner has had babies and bounced back.  Mila Kunis has had babies and bounced back.  Your body WILL bounce back* (these are all things I tell myself daily…)

Emotions

Tyler and I had always planned on having at least two children, but timing wise I think it’s safe to say the plan was to wait a bit more than 8 months before starting up the ole baby maker again.  I really felt like I was just starting to emerge from the baby blues and body changes, and finding out we were expecting again really knocked the wind out of me.  In terms of pregnancy news goes, Tyler has to be the best partner on the planet and for both of our pregnancies he was elated enough for the both of us, giving me some time to get in touch with my feelings, check my emotions, and get excited in my own time.  I can honestly say that having this time to feel my feelings and acknowledge them was the healthiest thing I could have done for myself, our marriage, and our growing family.  The hormones are still a kick in the ass, but I can honestly say I am so incredibly excited to meet this little bundle of love and if I’m crying now, it’s probably because I want a PB&J and we ran out of jelly, or a puppy on TV was really just that cute.

Emotional Must-Haves:

A Great Pregnancy App // Tracking our baby’s growth was a huge beacon of positivity for me, and gave me something to look forward to every week.  I love The Bump app.

Support System // Being able to share my true feelings, fears, and excitement has been a major must-have for me.  Whether you’re able to open up with your partner, a friend, or a therapist, having that no-judgement reassurance is key.

If you’ve made it all the way here, you’re probably thinking “Man, this chick does NOT like being pregnant!” and if I’m being honest, it’s definitely not my favorite thing in the world.  Some women glow and feel sexier than ever…I am not one of these women.  I’m in it for the long game, and the newborn phase is my sweet spot.  I love the baby smell, I slept better after giving birth than I did my entire pregnancy, and I don’t really mind changing diapers (except for during the first trimester with Baby #2…baby poop smell is not a friend of morning sickness).  Being pregnant gives me anxiety and Dr. Google…also, not a good friend.

If I’m being honest about the not-so-glam part of pregnancy, I also have to be honest about the amazing things.  I’m creating a freaking human being!  Motherhood is an absolute miracle, and I get to have this amazing head-start bond with our babies before they even take their first breath.  Through all of the uncomfortable, undesirable, and sometimes gross parts of pregnancy, you get a beautiful gift at the end of it and for that-it’s all totally worth it.

I’d love to hear from you!  What was your first-trimester like?  Anything in particular that saved your sanity?  Let me know in the comments!

10 Replies to “Pregnancy // An Honest Look at The First Trimester”

  1. I was lucky with both my pregnancies because I had hardly any symptoms, but the fatigue is real. People can’t understand how tired you are until they’re experienced it themselves; it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It makes sense though – you’re growing a little human!

  2. The first trimester was always super hard for me as well. If it wasn’t the fatigue that got me it was the nausea. I loved heading into the second trimester because it means that some of those hardships will get better!

  3. My first trimester was rough – I actually also took the miracle pills dicleges and wouldn’t have made it without them! (Thanks insurance, for accidentally paying for them!)

    I thought I was having a girl and had the name picked, but after each visit to the bathroom I would change the name. 😂 good thing we had a boy!

    Also, a few things that helped me with nausea were mashed potatoes and a carbonated beverage. Didn’t work every time, but definitely helped a few times.

    Thank you for accurately putting into words what I’ve been trying to say/think myself in my own postpartum journey! Loved this!

    1. Thank you so much for the kind words, Brittany! (And yes x100…I have been living on Bubly (LaCroix substitute)…carbonated beverages for the win!)

  4. It’s been quite a while since having kids—my youngest is about to graduate from high school—but I didn’t really enjoy any of those pesky trimesters! 🙄 I do thank God for the ability to have kids, but I have nothing but good vibes for those who are going through that weird and incomparable change in your body. Thanks for sharing your journey.

  5. Great post!! This will be useful for anyone going through the first tri or that just found out they’re pregnant!

  6. it was so nice to read yours, it reminded me how my pregnancy was for me. I have been 2x pregnant and it was creazy.

    With my first child I was in love with sushi. I normaly hate sushi. But not with my first child. It was suddenly the most delicious food that I have ever ate. Lucky me, I was not sick. And felt very good until the last months 😀

    With my 2nd child, I started to like wine, oops I also never liked to drink alcohol.. Don’t worry I did not drink it anymore after I found out I am expecting.
    So the 2nd child was not easy for me. I was not sick, but suddenly I was on early birth risk… Well my girl was born 3hours later then the actuelly birth date..

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