The first trimester is different for everyone and every pregnancy, but the majority will say that it is one of the rougher times in pregnancy.
Trying to manage all the symptoms while being absolutely exhausted and still showing up in your life is hard. This is my first pregnancy and I wanted to make sure I prioritized taking care of myself throughout my pregnancy.
I have been intentional about listening to and taking care of myself in the first trimester. A bigger thing for me has been helping myself with my nausea. I do want to note I have not had it as strongly as many do, but it is definitely a struggle for me in my first trimester.
Mints
I have these on hand at all times! This helps get the metallic taste out of my mouth. It also calms my nausea feeling. It’s easy to taste, unlike the sour hard candy I have tried.
This is really the only thing I do in the moments of feeling nauseous. It would help my intense nausea feeling almost immediately. Mints were my saving grace for sure!
Eating regularly every 3 hours
Most often I would feel sick because I needed to eat. I definitely feel it when I do not stay on this schedule so this rule is a must for me. Eating every 3 hours is what I noticed is the sweet spot for me. If I haven’t eaten within the last 3 hours I know it’s time to get something or I decline quite quickly. Things I notice when I have gone too long not eating is feeling extremely weak, lightheaded, and very nauseous.
I don’t stuff myself
Even though I am eating more often that does not mean I eat to fill myself. Even though I do get sick because I need to eat I have to be careful to eat just the amount that I need to feel better or I will make myself even sicker. The second I feel stuffed I put the food down.
The feeling of being extremely stuffed is super uncomfortable. I try to make sure I do not experience that feeling very often. Knowing I’ll be eating again soon helps me stick to small meals or snacks. Otherwise, I will be too full to want to eat 3 hours later.
Listening and being aware of my body… when not to eat, when to eat, and what I should eat
Really being in tune with my body. Some days I need to eat right away once I wake up and others I need a minute before I feel like I can stomach any kind of food. Likewise, if I feel like I need to eat and it’s not “time” to eat I’m going to eat. My body sends out pretty aggressive signals while being pregnant I just have had to learn what they mean.
The only thing I do anyway even if I don’t want to is eat every 3 hours after my first meal. I make sure to do this even if I don’t feel like eating because I know how much I need the food.
Eating what I want.
I’ve been leaning into cravings or what I’m favoring and staying away from things that don’t taste great to me. These are different for me almost every single day.
Food aversions are strong. One thing I did not want for a while was anything with lots of sugar in that, but I did want lots of kinds of pasta and starches. When I followed what my body was telling me I felt much better than I did when I was eating outside of the limits my body was giving me.
I also had fewer mid-meal food aversions and got to eat until I was done, stuffed feeling, or full instead of cutting my meal short because I got grossed out by the food and couldn’t stomach the idea of taking another bite.
I kept in mind that these feelings would pass eventually and I’d soon be able to get down the food that was better for me. In the meantime, I just prioritized eating food in general.
Being willing to pivot
Things that helped prior might make me sick later on. Mints have been so helpful for me, but one day I put one in my mouth and it made me feel so sick.
I felt helpless because that’s normally a really helpful thing to help calm my nausea but it was causing it to intensify. That’s okay it just meant it was time to go back to the drawing board and try new things that could help me manage my sickness. The next day I loved mints again.
Sometimes I’ll get grossed out by food mid-bite and I will no longer be able to eat it. If I am still hungry I go get something else to eat. It’s okay if I’m “wasting food” my body is doing a huge job and needs the food that I can stomach when I’m wanting it. I find it helpful to have lots of quick eats on hand or leftovers so that making a new meal isn’t a drawn-out ordeal.
We’re all different
I hope seeing my perspective on what helped me personally helped you get a view into someone else’s life. Even though all of our experiences are different you are not alone in this journey. Listen to your body and as always do what is best for you.
If you are in the thick of it in your first trimester and maybe struggling or not so much you got this! You were made for this and give yourself the grace to rest and embrace this new phase of life. This will not last forever.
So if you are not getting everything you’d typically get done, done that’s okay. Be open to asking for help and ask for specific help or be okay with getting behind or not taking care of everything as much as it normally is. This will not be your life forever and you will find a new normalcy.
You got this! This phase of life will soon pass.
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