1st Trimester Re-cap: Sickness, Tips, and Body Image

I want to first start by saying I am blessed to carry the life of a child; it is such an honor and privilege that I will never take for granted. I had a really rough 1st Trimester, but I want to preface this post by stating...

Every mama is different, so take all my advice but with a grain of salt.

DID YOU GET SICK?

I did not throw up as much as I expected to, but boyyyyyyy did I get VERY nauseous. I was on the couch for MONTHS. I tried so hard to socialize but I missed out on so many events because I was weak and lethargic. After doing bloodwork, my care providers and I came up with a meal plan and I began drinking liquid iron. After 3 days of taking liquid iron (it dissolves quicker than the pill), I was a whole new person!

Unfortunately, I didn't get bloodwork done until I was closer to the end of my 1st Trimester :(

On top of being queasy, I could smell EVERYTHING. This caused a lot of chaos for me, and mental health issues. If you are in the same boat, I suggest doing the following:

• Order eliminator on every rug, chair, couch, & mattress.

• Order eliminating beads under or behind all beds, couches, trash cans, sinks, and shoe closets.

• Bathe/brush pets regularly and keep their space FRESH with clean blankets.

• Wash everything in borax and use scented dryer balls.

• Open windows often if you can

• Diffuse simple scents in the home like lemon or vanilla, too many scents will cause more nausea.

FOOD AVERSIONS?

I could not stand the smell, taste, or sight of chicken, or fish. I feel like these are pretty common for most mama's during the 1st Trimester. I spent so much money figuring out what I could eat and keep down, it was really aggravating. I wish I could have eaten out often, but it was so difficult to eat at restaurants because some places smelled like a lot of food, and I just couldn't do the combination of all those smells. My poor husband would go in first and then give me the go-ahead.

He is a saint.

I was a big fan of steaks, potatoes, cheerios, fruit and yogurt...ON REPEAT. Some of my random cravings included: vanilla Sonic sprites, Caesar salads from Panera, chewing ice, and gas station taquitos.

A lot of this sickness I believe had to do with prior health choices. I was already 6 weeks pregnant when we found out. At the time I wasn't eating too well, I was overworking, and drank often. I was oblivious to the off chance I could be pregnant because I had no symptoms.... until I missed my period. I believe this explains why my pregnancy started rough, I was severely lacking a bunch of nutrients in my body.

I am so fortunate to have a healthy baby and a healthy body now, but it took August through November to get us there. Those 3 and 1/2 months flew by so fast, I was queasy, tired, and could only eat steak and cheese sticks. I couldn't go anywhere in a car, every stop, turn, and acceleration made me want to throw up.

WHAT HELPED YOUR SICKNESS?

• Pregnancy Drops were a life changer!

• Staying hydrated

• Protein ALL THE TIME, I did beef jerky and protein shakes.

• Zofran was helpful when I couldn't keep anything down, I ended up in the ER & they gave it to me then.

• Ritual Prenatals have not made me feel queasy the way others did.

• SLEEP!

DID YOU EXERCISE?

I did! Once I got my energy up enough to burn a little extra, I began lower body strength training to help my back pain. But this didn't start until right before my 2nd Trimester when I started to feel less nauseous.

Not working out compiled with eating a bunch, and gaining lots of weight in the beginning, was not easy for me. In the First Trimester I had gained 20 pounds right off the bat, although I didn't feel large, the scale was hard to fight against. I had to learn why my body NEEDED this weight in order for me to accept it. Now I am in love with my body because it is all for my little baby.

WERE YOU EMOTIONAL?

As far as hormonal emotions go, I was a little everywhere, I cried a lot in the first trimester and slept even more. It was all so new, scary, and exciting.

I did have one breakdown about my appearance, and although he was scared, my husband helped me trim my hair so I could feel a little different.

I really am thankful you have stopped in to read my 1st Trimester re-cap, I hope it was helpful, and I cannot wait to share my 2nd and 3rd trimester re-caps with you soon!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1. Did you get nauseous during your 1st Trimester?

2. What questions can I answer in the 2nd Trimester Re-cap?