**I am NOT a medical doctor. Please consult your physician or OBGYN before using these recommendations.
Finding out you are pregnant can come with a mix of emotions. At least, it did for me! I was so thrilled to see those two thin little lines appear, but shortly after, I started to become so anxious thinking about everything in between. What am I suppose to do now? What’s going to happen? When will I start to show? What can I eat now? Those are all some of the questions that started to swim through my mind the moment that those lines appeared.
My first trimester may look a little different than that of the normal one simply because we were in the middle of a move to another state, and also because of COVID-19. I knew that I (obviously) wouldn’t be able to keep my OBGYN that I had back in Indiana, so that caused a bit of anxiety thinking about having to wait until we arrived in Florida to find a new doctor and go through that process. And, the process for me personally was long and not easy, which did not help my anxiety and stress at all!
One of the things that really helped me, and that I’m still using to this day, is What To Expect! I signed up for the daily emails, so it reminds me exactly how far along I am, and what to expect for that week every single day!
CRAMPING!?!?:
One of the things that I was not expecting, and that no one really told me about, was all of the cramping! AHH. I’m 14 weeks at the time of writing this, and I’m still cramping pretty often. It’s completely normal, and actually a good thing! It just caught me off guard. So much for the perks of not having a period for 9 months, LOL! It can be super uncomfortable at times, but a Tylenol ever so often does seem to help. Invest in a good heating pad to help ease the pain when it happens.
MORNING SICKNESS:
So.. let’s talk morning sickness… FUN STUFF. For the first 10 weeks, I was CONSTANTLY sick. The nausea would hit me at the most random times, and it was usually an all day thing, unfortunately. If you are one of the lucky ladies that doesn’t experience morning sickness, I envy you! It’s not at all fun, but I did discover some remedies (and suggestions from other mamas) that I wanted to share with you here to hopefully help.
–preggo pops!!!
-peppermint
-semi flat coke
-vitamin b injections
-mama natural energy drink
-don’t lay down with upset stomach
-saltine crackers
-ginger ale
-pressure point bracelets
-prenatal vitamins
-anything with ginger
-acupuncture
-drink lots of water throughout the day
-exercise as much as you can
-motion sickness patches
-smaller meals more frequently
HELP SLEEPING:
Another thing that I started to experience was trouble falling asleep at night. Normally, I would have taken melatonin, but my doctor suggested magnesium instead.
PRE-NATAL VITAMINS:
One of the first things I would recommend upon finding out you’re pregnant is starting a pre-natal vitamin right away. I was already taking one before I was pregnant, but this is also the first thing my doctor told me to do when calling to tell her I had a positive test. Here is the one I’m taking (so yummy!)
ULTRASOUNDS:
So, this was new to me as well, but apparently you don’t have as many ultrasounds as you might think. This was so weird to me, because I felt like all of my mama friends and family were getting ultrasounds like every other day! LOL. I had one ultrasound at 8 weeks to confirm my pregnancy, and that was it for my entire first trimester. The second ultrasound was just done at 13 weeks! I’ve been told now that they don’t do them as often as they used to, which I guess could save you a bit of $$ in the long run. Part of this made me SUPER anxious. Throughout the first twelve weeks, I didn’t “feel” pregnant other than the sickness, which can be a little stressful, especially since you can’t feel the baby moving around, and depending on your body type, most don’t start showing until the second trimester (I’m still not really showing to date!!) I wanted to get an ultrasound like everyday just to “make sure everything was okay”. When I did finally have that second ultrasound, we could really see the little face and even the spine. It was an amazing feeling! So don’t fret – it’s normal. But, if you truly feel like something is wrong, call your DR!
WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT TO TAKE:
Guys, I love to eat all the things. So this has been a bit challenging for me! When I was told I had to give up my turkey cold cuts from Jimmy Johns, I was a bit disappointed. It’s super important to find out exactly what you should and shouldn’t be eating during pregnancy. Alcohol is definitely a no-no, and I was even surprised to learn that seafood should be limited (help meee!) LOL. It will be so, so worth it though. I also had so many questions about the types of over the counter medications that were safe to use. Definitely ask this question at your first appointment, so you know what you’re in the clear to take for the next 9 months.
ENJOY IT!
Take this season in your life, slow down, and enjoy it! Allow yourself to truly bask in this experience, especially if it’s your first pregnancy. It’s absolutely incredible to watch and feel your body changing, and it’s a precious moment in time. Take pictures, journal it, relax, pamper yourself, and enjoy it!
GREAT PREGNANCY RESOURCES:
YOUR DOCTOR! Call them when you need them. No question is a bad one. That’s what they’re there for!
I’d love to hear your thoughts whether you have been pregnant, and what your first trimester experience was like, or if you haven’t, but still have questions! Comment below 🙂
