First Trimester Must Haves
Now that I have moved from the first to the second trimester, I can with confidence say certain things were nice to have and much needed. I have now been through the first trimester of pregnancy twice and have learned a thing or two about how to cope with the symptoms that are far from fun, which also accompany the beginning of pregnancy. Morning sickness, heartburn, and just the sheer worry because you aren’t in the “safe zone” yet make the first trimester a little bit of a downer no matter how excited and overjoyed one may be. I’ve made a short list of things I think make the earliest weeks of pregnancy a little bit more bearable, and a lot more fun.
Pregnancy Planner/ Journal
The first thing I dod when I was pregnant with Holden was run to Barnes and Noble and buy some pregnancy books and a pregnancy planner. I can’t say that I actually read my books between apps, the internet, and consultations with my doula; but I used my planner religiously. I used The Bump Pregnancy Planner and Journal with Holdenand absolutely loved it. You can log about each appointment and it is broken up into sections based on trimester so you can make weekly entries, use checklist and fill in prompted fill in the blank sections about what you are going through.
For this pregnancy I decided to use 40ish Weeks Pregnancy Journal because it is a little less structured, and offers a lot more room to free write, which is the one downside of The Bump’s. I think both are great, but meet different needs. If you’d like more room to write freely I would recommend a journal over a planner. I love having something to document my pregnancies in and will have to look back on and compare to subsequent pregnancies I have.
Prenatal Vitamins and Supplements
I started out taking Garden of Life prenatal vitamins while trying to conceive my second. They are great, but now with my week stomach and easy gag reflex I struggle to swallow vitamins again. I switched to Rainbow Lite Prenatal Petties because they do make it easier for me to swallow my vitamins and that is what is most important when it comes to vitamins; taking them!
My midwife recommended that I also take a DHA, so I take Ocean’s Mom DHA. It has a nice strawberry flavor, and goes down easily. I also was told to take vitamin D due to low levels when I got my blood test results, so I take these gummie Vitafusion vitamin D supplements with no problem. I was anemic with Holden, so these Spring Valley Iron supplements are on standby incase my iron levels drop this time as well.
Something for Heartburn
I know heartburn (or acid reflux) doesn’t only plague pregnant women, but for me, heartburn is really turned up a notch when I am expecting. I use Tums Smoothies to help, which I love because they are smoother and not chalky like regular Tums.
I have also tried Healthy Mama Tame the Flame, and I can’t say that I love them. Still very chalky and the one time I did take them I threw up. That could be because I waited too long and the heartburn had taken its toll. Either way, I prefer Tums. Earth Mama Angel Baby also makes a Heartburn Tea that I am anxious to try!
Something for Morning Sickness
I have heard of all kinds of morning sickness remedies. Freezing Gatorade for ice cubes to suck on is one I want to try. Eating frequently to avoid low blood sugar works for me. But on the occasions that I cannot eat when the sudden hunger hits I have tried Preggy Pop Drops and they work for me! I prefer them over the lolly pop kind and kept them with me at all times through out the first trimester. I have also heard that ginger and B6 supplements can sometimes help ease the awfulness that is morning sickness! Worth a shot when you’re miserable.
Pregnancy Apps
When I was pregnant for the first time, I was obsessed with my pregnancy apps. I downloaded The Bump and What to Expect, both that I highly recommend and checked them daily. Comparing my baby to fruits and veggies weekly. Tracking his growth and development and watching the little update videos to see my little zygote/embryo/fetus is action. I still have both and love The Bump app the most, but this pregnancy I also downloaded the Nurture app, which is basically the sequel to the fertility app I was using called Ovia. I love Nurture because it give you an opportunity to log various things like symptoms, weight gain, blood pressure, if you exercised, took your prenatal vitamins or drank enough water. This helps with accountability and keep track of numbers that can get all jumbled in a pregnant brain.
Subscription Boxes
I wouldn’t call this a must have, but it sure is a nice treat to have. My personal favorite is Bump Box. They send you all natural, cruelty free, organic, and non toxic products to match up with different stages in your pregnancy. It is a nice surprise to get in the mail and open up with a bunch of goodies. Like a gift to yourself. I got the subscription boxes with Holden and loved many of the products. One being Belli Oil and Burt’s Bees organic 100% cotton burp rags. I used the oil all through out my pregnancy and put the burp rags in my hospital bag. I say treat yo’ self and getchu a Bump Box! If you’re reading this on Cyber Monday, they’re having a really good discount going on right now!
Belly Bands
This is one thing you DO NOT need. They don’t work at holding your pants up all too well, and you’re better off just getting a pair of comfortable maternity pants. Or leggings, lets be real. I’d skip wasting the $20 bucks on a piece of fabric and just invest it in the pants you’re going to end up buying anyway.
Hope this list is helpful and exciting to you Mommas trudging through the first trimester. I’ve already got some must haves being added to my 2nd trimester list I and can’t wait to share those too!