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Since this is Baby Number Five, you’d think I’d be used to pregnancy symptoms by now. This was supposed to be my ‘easy’ pregnancy, after having twins, but the first trimester really kicked my behind.
I’ve survived — and I’ll share my best tips to help get you through the seemingly endless first trimester.
1. Get everyone on board.
I am unbelievably blessed with a wonderful husband who GETS how miserable early pregnancy can be for a woman. He pitches in with laundry, childcare, cooking and more. That’s a tremendous help to me, especially on days where I feel like I can’t even hold my head up.
Ladies – explain (nicely) to your husbands that you are building a human being. It’s a toll on your body, whether you can see it or not.
There is no doubt – fatigue is one of the most debilitating pregnancy symptoms during the first trimester. There’s not a lot of ways to get around it but simply sleep. Go to bed early, and try to nap while your children nap. (if you’re that lucky)
3. Give some things up
I talked about this over at The Homeschool Classroom a few weeks ago. The first trimester is all about survival mode for me. My friends thought I’d been kidnapped by aliens — they didn’t see me for about 6 weeks.
Just say no to things that aren’t VITAL to your survival.
4. PROTEIN
Nutrition plays a big role in how we feel, and especially during pregnancy. It’s difficult, when you feel like the only thing you can tolerate is crackers or toast.
I feel much better if I can manage to get some protein in my stomach. Some ideas you might try:
– protein shakes
– cheese
– handfuls of almonds or pecans
– peanut butter
5. Water
Many pregnancy symptoms are actually exacerbated by even mild dehydration. During the first trimester with this baby, the ice out of my fridge smelled funny to me. I sweet talked my husband into buying bagged ice from the store, and I was good to go.
Try crushed ice, or lemon slices in your water to make drinking a little more palatable.
6. Exercise
This is one of those “do as I say,not as I do” kind of things. I was in the home stretch of training for a half marathon when I became pregnant. The day before I took my pregnancy test, I ran 10 miles, and felt amazing.
The week after I knew I was pregnant, it’s like someone flipped a switch. I was suddenly so exhausted I couldn’t move. My friend Kriston encouraged me to keep on going, but I couldn’t get out of bed.
If you keep up a gentle exercise routine, chances are you’ll sleep better, and actually have more energy. I can’t speak from experience, sadly!
7. Small, frequent meals
I felt better when I ate about every two hours or so. Grazing helps keep nausea at bay, and your blood sugar on an even keel. You could even enlist your husband’s help to package up some snacks that you can grab on the go. (sandwiches, apples, carrot sticks, etc)
8. Get a bra That Fits
Your boobs will grow exponentially — sometimes overnight. You’ll need a good, supportive bra. Don’t squish the girls into a bra that’s way too small. If you’re comfortable, you’ll feel a lot better.
9. Buy a Bella Band
Even before my belly actually starts to be noticeable, I can’t stand pressure on my stomach. Feeling miserable in my regular pants, while not nearly big enough to wear my maternity pants …. my Bella Band saves me every pregnancy.
You can wear this in early pregnancy or even post-partum – leave your regular pants unbuttoned/unzipped, then place the band over top. It keeps your pants together, comfortably. You can also use it over maternity pants that are too big.
10. Talk to your doctor
If you’re completely miserable with nausea, talk to your doctor. There are over the counter remedies you can try, or prescription medications that are deemed safe for pregnancy. (word to the wise – these medications did NOT work for me.)
Nausea symptoms usually subside after week 12, so at least there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. For me, having something small on my stomach seemed to help.
You WILL survive this — before long, you’ll be holding a tiny baby (or two) in your arms that makes all the struggle so worth it.
What about you? Have I missed a pregnancy tip that you’d like to share? Be sure and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesdays,Works for Me Wednesdays,The Mommy Club, Feature Yourself Friday,Home and Family Friday and Wordful Wednesdays.
This is great advice! Three cheers for the BellaBand! (Actually I loved my generic Target version even more, and it’s half the price).
And that picture of you two is terrific!
thanks, Anne!
It’s so funny how different each pregnancy is. This one is supposed to be my ‘easy’ pregnancy after twins, right?
If every pregnancy was like my second daughter — everyone would be pregnant. I felt great, and Angie told me it was illegal to look that good while pregnant!
That picture is actually a local photographer — my friend Jessica Powell, from Vogue Visions Photography.
Oh, and I bought my Bella Band on Ebay 😉
Great tips! And yes, your body is MAKING A HUMAN BEING! You need a little help around the house when that’s going on. 🙂
a
It’s so funny — you LOOK fine, but just feel like total poop. I’m blessed that Brett is so cognizant of pitching in. It’s awesome!
Thanks for dropping by!
glad to hear you survived! Thanks for sharing these tips with those of us who have yet to experience the baby-making phenomenon. 🙂
Great to see you, Melanie!
It’s SO worth it … especially now. I feel good (22 weeks) and big baby kicks are fun.
Number 5 is so important! I couldn’t believe the difference when i started getting an adequate amount of water.
Also, I’ve heard so many good things about the bella band. Definitely going to have to try next time around. Thanks for all the tips. 🙂
No kidding! If I didn’t get enough water … I’d have horrid headaches that would last for days. YUCK!!
I loved my Bella Band. I’m not wearing it at the moment, but will be in the summer. (maybe, if I’m not sweating myself to pieces!) Anne had a great tip to try the ones out at Target. I bought mine on Ebay for half the price.
Thanks for coming by!
I am at 22 weeks now, but those first 11 weeks were misery. I could not eat a thing and I was so tired. This is my second child, and my first was such a breeze. This time has been so much more difficult. Thanks for posting these. (I really need to get more exercise!)
Stopping by from WFMW, and so glad I did. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!
You are right with me!!! I felt like hell until about 12 weeks.
Trust me — this is Baby #5 — every pregnancy has been different. My second pregnancy was such a piece of cake … I’d LOVE to order every one just like that one.
I’m really struggling with getting enough exercise, too. Maybe today.
Thanks for stopping by!
Man I want a bellyband and I’m not even pregnant! A girl I worked with used those wrist bands for nausea when she was pregnant. She said they worked very well!
I never tried the nausea bands, either …. just kind of suffered through it. Napping seemed to help me 🙂
Bella Bands ROCK!
I had horrid morning sickness with both DDs and I could not get out of bed without eating a few saltines. If I didn’t the minute I hit the floor, I was off to the bathroom!
I love the pic with you and hubs!!
In other news, I’ve tagged you in a Random 11.
http://is.gd/631uhr
Great advice!
About protein: When I was pregnant, I craved nutritional yeast flakes, which are an excellent source of B vitamins as well as protein. If you don’t eat a lot of red meat, you may not be getting enough B vitamins for baby’s needs, and getting more can improve your energy level; it did for me! Because yeast flakes taste best mixed with fat (like olive oil or butter), they are also a way to get in some fat, which is important to baby’s brain development but can be hard to stomach when you feel queasy. Here is more about nutritional yeast flakes.
I had trouble drinking cold and/or plain water, so I drank a lot of herbal tea. I kept several flavors in stock and would sniff them to find the one that smelled most appealing that day.
Here’s hoping you feel fabulous for the rest of your pregnancy!
I am in the middle of the yucky stage right now with baby number four. I have gotten severe vomiting with all of my babies. This time I am agressively taking zofran (a rx med for nausea) earlier than I did with the hopes that we can nip the nausea before it becomes out of control.
Also, I am drinking lemon water and that is really helping as well. I am taking your advice about asking my hubby to pitch in more (as well as the kids)
I love these tips – Pinning it – and really appreciate you linking it to Ultimate Mom this week! HOpe you’ll be back next week – we are growing a fun community!
I got halfway through this article and I started bawling! This is my first pregnancy and the fatigue and nausea have been terrible. We aren’t telling anyone until the risk of miscarriage goes down, so I feel terrible every single time I have to say “no” to something. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to know that I’m not the only one (and that I’m not crazy for needing to rest!) Thank you for these tips – they will go a long way in helping me survive these awful 6 weeks!
I want to know secret to being done with morning sickness after your first trimester. With all my pregnancies I was sick for 7.5 months. Got a short 2 week break and then back to feeling sick before baby arrived 🙁
My friend Jen Fulwiler highly recommends a real foods diet — I thought she was nutso, but if I eat processed food and crap, I get sick. My husband is thrilled that I’m slowly pulling nasty crap out of my diet.
This was a lot of help for me, Thank you.
I am going through my first pregnancy. I am happy, scared and nervous all at once. I am very sick also. It seems like all the food that i love before, i cannot eat at all:( I vomit at least every other day. I just want to feed my baby. I am 11 weeks, and I haven’t told anyone yet, I was going to wait until my first ultrasound.
Diana,
Feeling horrid in the first trimester keeps hitting harder and harder and longer and longer. And then that fourth-fifth month I’m just exhausted,exhausted,exhausted. But I love these little babies! I’m so glad to have read this article!!!
Wonderful tips! Water is important…far more important than we sometimes remember!!
So glad to hear someone else can’t stand waistbands in the first trimester! My husband thinks I’m crazy for wearing basically a bellyband with every pair of jeans when I’m only 6 weeks along. I just can’t stand sitting all day at work with a buttoned waistband!