Pregnancy & Parenting

First Trimester Survival Guide

The first trimester is the worst! At least it always has been for me, though every single woman is different.  Also, every pregnancy can be different.

I wanted to share my first-trimester survival items in case they might help anyone else trying to get through the first 12 weeks.

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Knowledge

I believe knowledge is power.  Knowing that my symptoms were normal and would hopefully end in a couple of weeks definitely helped me survive the first trimester. This book helped me tremendously.

Prenatal Vitamins

Preferably, you start taking Prenatal Vitamins before you even became pregnant but if your pregnancy was a surprise you should absolutely start taking them now.

Sleep

Not really an item, but trust me sleep is your best friend right now.  Nap, even if you don’t normally because your body is going through a lot of changes and you will be exhausted. Don’t try to fight it!

Peppermint Candies

These candies really helped me choke down the vomit.  At work, I almost always had one in my mouth.

Popsicles

The coldness of the Popsicles (preferably the red/white/blue kind) really calmed my stomach.  Every day I enjoyed one on my way to work.  You should have seen the Popsicle wrappers on the floor of my car each week.

Graham Crackers

Every chance I got at work to scarf down a couple of graham crackers to help keep nausea manageable I took.

Vomit Bags

Multiple times during the first trimester I panicked and thought I was going to vomit in the grocery store, car, etc and that would have really ruined the items in my purse.  Instead, keep a couple of layered plastic bags on you in case the moment strikes.

Mantra

Mentally I said the following phrase multiple times a day and it worked! “Don’t throw up on the…(customer, computer, etc)”.

Sidenote – There are medications to ease nausea but I never wanted to be on medication if I could help it.  If my “morning” sickness had been much worse or lasted much longer I may have changed my tune.

Take a look at the following survival guides to help you through your next two trimesters;

Second Trimester Survival Guide

Third Trimester Survival Guide

Mehgan

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