Alright, so I officially hit 16 weeks a couple days ago. And I decided I should post about my first trimester before I forget how terrible it felt ;). The main reason I want to post about it is to tell you that YES it can be awful, but YES it will get better (for most people!)

 The First Trimester Fog

The first trimester is just a weird place to be. I think whether your pregnancy is planned or not, you feel some crazy emotions when you get those double lines on that test! I know I felt some things I hadn’t expected to feel, and I was ashamed of it at the time. Then your hormones are going crazy, which comes with symptoms I never would have thought of. I was nauseous, bloated, constipated, emotional, tired, hungry but didn’t feel like anything, peeing all the time, cramping, spotting, gaining weight, getting horrible allergies, my boobs hurt (and were getting huge for the first time in my life), and I was even drooling. Guys, DROOLING. THAT is even a symptom of being pregnant. Most of these symptoms can be attributed to the new/increased hormones present in your body and/or your growing uterus, but knowing that still doesn’t seem to make you feel better about it because the idea of a baby is still so intangible for most.

The best way to describe the first trimester for me is just a sick haze. I felt like I was walking around in a fog and the worst version of myself. Feeling gross and unproductive, worried about feeling this way for 9 months but also worried about miscarrying again. Feeling pressure to research and do everything right, work as much as I could before I started showing, but also feeling like doing nothing at all. It also feels so weird to know what your body is going through but not being able to tell everyone why you’re feeling/looking this way because it’s too early to go public with your news.

I have to tell you that for me, the very worst weeks as far as morning sickness were weeks 9-11. By week 13 I was feeling a lot better, and now at week 16 my nausea is gone for the most part. That being said, I traded the constant nausea and bloating for major heart burn/acid reflux and a lot of discomfort from my growing bump. But surprisingly, I’d take what the second semester is throwing at me over that first trimester any day!

Looking back on the first trimester, I want to share with you the things that helped me the most in coping with the nausea. I know some people get much more sick than I was, and different things work for everyone, but I think all of these things are definitely worth trying!

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness/Nausea in the First Trimester

  • Ginger – I love ginger already, but my love grew when I realized it helped settle my stomach during the first trimester. I would get it in any form , but my favorite was in a green juice. And my favorite green juice is one from Juice Served Here called the Jinja (J3). Other ways I loved to get ginger: this ginger tea, this ginger beer, these ginger chews, or just adding ginger to meals (during the rare times I was actually able to stomach cooking).
  • Sea Bands – I had some mom friend recommend these to me, and I think they did help a bit! They are elastic bands with a little plastic stud that you put in a certain spot on your wrists that help the nausea through acupuncture. They are a dead giveaway that you’re pregnant, so I would only wear them around the house or with long sleeves when I went out ;). You can get them here for just $7 – worth trying!
  • Eating/Drinking Frequently – As hard as it is and as much as you don’t feel like it, the more frequently you can eat or drink the better you will feel. Eat small meals and snacks often – the times I would get the most sick were when I had gone too long without eating! Then I was past the point of no return ;).
  • Alkaline water with Trace Minerals – We are lucky in that we have a place here called The Water Brewery, where we get Alkaline water with minerals added to keep at the house. They will actually add extra trace minerals for free when you tell them you’re pregnant, how cool is that? And then when we are on the go, of course we drink Generosity Water. I have a little bottle of trace minerals that I keep in my car, and I add it to bottled water that I’m drinking when I’m away from the house. It is SO important to drink SO much water – even if you don’t feel like it! You need to stay hydrated, and it takes a lot more when you’re pregnant!
  • Getting out – Of course there were a couple of days where I was really sick and just stayed home. But the days where I could do it, I knew that if I got dressed and ready and got out of the house I would feel SO much better! Give yourself some grace on those extra tough days and stay home, but whenever you can get up and go!!
  • Walking/Exercising – When I first found out I was pregnant, I had a couple of weeks where I felt ok and still continued my workouts. But once the morning sickness hit, the only thing I felt like I could keep doing were my long walks with Lo. I would eat a healthy snack before I left and take water with me, and the walk usually made me feel so much better! Even if you’re not able to stick to what you were doing before, just doing something will help.
  • Take your prenatal at night – Prenatals can make you nauseous, so I’ve been taking mine at night right before I go to sleep to help with that!
  • Vitamin B6 – Extra amounts of Vitamin B6 is actually what’s in a lot of the medicine that doctors will prescribe for nausea!  So you can get B6 on your own and double check with your doctor on how much you should take.

(PSA, I LOVE the pants I’m wearing below – so comfy that you should buy them even if you’re not pregnant! You can wear them a little higher, or wear them under your bump as drop-crotch. I even went back to get them in black!)

Amuse Society Cheetah Print Pant | Double Lightening Tee | Beek Black Slide Sandals | Black Cat-Eye Sunglasses

If you have anything else that’s really worked for you, I’d love to hear them so I can add them in here!  And good luck for those of you in the first trimester fog, I promise it gets better!!

xx

Jen