Today I want to share with you 5 tips to survive the first trimester! These are tips I wish I knew before getting pregnant with our first daughter so that I could have been more prepared!
Before we begin I just want to quickly say I am not a medical professional so please always talk to your doctor or midwife about any concerns you have or symptoms you are experiencing. These tips are from my own personal experience from two pregnancies. I hope these 5 tips help you prepare and survive your first trimester!
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First Trimester Survival Tip #1 : Learn To Sleep Properly
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We all know that when you are pregnant starting in your second trimester you need to sleep on your side to protect the baby… if you didn’t know that I recommend talking to your care provider about it. This can be a hard transition to make especially when you are already not feeling amazing, but from my experience it is better to make this transition in the first trimester especially if you are a back sleeper. So purchase your pregnancy pillow, THIS ONE is my favourite, and get comfortable with trying different sleeping positions with it. Once you get bigger it is harder to test this out!
First Trimester Survival Tip #2: Minimize Stress
I personally believe the first trimester is the most difficult trimester just solely because it is the most stressful trimester. Our bodies are adjusting to the new flooding hormones, rapid physical changes are happening and it is a time filled with so much worry and joy about the baby. It is also the only trimester where you can not feel the baby moving. This is why it is so important to minimize stress. During this trimester I turn off the news, I don’t watch high stress shows or movies, I distance myself from high stress people, and I make sure to take it slow.
First Trimester Survival Tip #3: Take it Slow
Besides morning sickness, my other main symptoms in both of my pregnancies were extreme tiredness and intense headaches. My main way to manage both of these symptoms was to take it slow. With my second pregnancy this was much harder because I was also running after a toddler, but it’s not impossible. With Clara we would snuggle on the couch to read books and sing songs. This allowed me to lay down. When I had a little more energy we would go on a short walk outside with the stroller. This let me have more control over how long we were out and the pace of the walk. I also loved doing snack lunch times where lunch would be a lot of finger foods. This was helpful because it didn’t take as much effort and I preferred it with my morning sickness.
First Trimester Survival Tip #4: Ask for Help
If you need help with meals, cleaning your house, or picking something up from the store, don’t be afraid to ask for help. BUT ask for help / accept help from helpful people to minimize stress. You know the people that get the job done and do not cause more stress to situations and that don’t make things about themselves. During this time of minimal energy be wise in who you allow into your home, because the house might get cleaned, but you may be left with less energy than before if the person is emotionally draining.
First Trimester Survival Tip #5: Have Bags EVERYWHERE
Morning sickness is not something that only occurs in the morning. Before I was pregnant I believed that I would be a little sick in the morning and could carry on with my day. I was SO wrong. Morning sickness for me was ALL DAY sickness. I was not only nauseous, but I also threw up multiple times a day from 7 weeks until I was 16 weeks pregnant. So something my husband did was place grocery bags all over the house in places our toddler couldn’t reach, but that I could grab quickly if I couldn’t make it to the bathroom… which was every single time. I also would keep a roll of dog waste bags in my purse and in the car for on the go quick access. This provided such a peace of mind so I was never in an emergency.
BONUS: First Trimester Survival Kit
Here are the tools I used daily to survive my first trimeter:
- Preggie Drops for when the morning sickness kicked in
- The Best Pregnancy Pillow
- Doggie Waste Bags for when I couldn’t make it to the toilet
- Belly Oil I started applying this right away
Sneak Peak of Baby #2 at 11 Weeks
Check Out My Other Pregnancy + Postpartum Posts
Second Trimester Pregnancy Recap | Pregnancy Update
Third Trimester Pregnancy Recap& Still Pregnant | Pregnancy
DIY Padsicle + Peri Spray for Postpartum Recovery | Postpartum Recovery
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Wow, thank you so much sharing this. I am thinking about getting pregnant again in the spring for the second time, and these are the things I wish I had known back before my first. It’s helpful to hear how you dealt with the morning sickness and having a toddler as well. And that bag every where idea sounds so incredibly helpful. It makes it not such a big deal too, knowing that they are right there. Thank you again!
Wonderful tips, thank you! It can be so hard to slow down and take things easy when pregnant. This is such a great reminder to do so, and I know many moms will be blessed with these tips!