First Trimester Essentials
Whew. It has been a whirlwind, guys. But, I am finally able to share some of my “must-have” essentials that I used during the first trimester per your request. If you want to hear more details about how the first trimester went the third time around, I talk about it a lot in my Instagram post here.
Quick synopsis: I have struggled with insane morning sickness, which I have never had in previous pregnancies; I have been on limited activity/modified bed rest for a subchorionic hematoma, and I have been attending countless lab draws and progesterone injections. It has been a lot, to say the least.
I will be using Amazon affiliate links throughout this blog post, so I will receive commission if you shop using my links.
Morning Sickness Remedies
Let’s talk first about the products that have helped me manage all the nausea. I want to put a disclaimer that none of these truly resolved my symptoms, but they would lessen symptoms to a degree.
- Nausea Bands: I used these daily from weeks 7-10. I feel like it did help slightly and reduced my dizziness.
- These Aroma Inhalers were super helpful around bad odors or while traveling.
- I did have to rely heavily on B6 + Unisom under the direction of my MD. I tend to avoid taking medication if possible, but I truly could not function as a mom, wife, business owner, etc., without taking a small dose of the combination every night before bed.
- Zofran was also prescribed for me, but I truly did not want to use it unless I was dealing with severe symptoms, so I think I only took it 3-4 times.
I tried many of the “nausea relief gummies” that you can find on Amazon, and none of them seemed to make a difference at all.
As you probably know, nausea can also be impacted by blood sugar fluctuations, so I think the biggest thing that helped was planning meals and snacks well, even when I didn’t want to think about food.
Protein For Pregnancy Nausea
Knowing that what I ate could either improve my nausea or make it worse was helpful, but also frustrating when I truly can’t stomach anything that would improve symptoms. I tried to include protein with anything I ate to help stabilize my blood sugars and keep them from huge fluctuations. Thankfully, I found some snacks that were protein-packed that I actually enjoyed during the first trimester.
- Wilde Protein Chips – all I wanted was to eat chips, and these did the job while being super high-protein.
- Archers Grass Fed Beef Sticks – I truly try to stay away from processed meats as much as possible, but these were a lifesaver to help me meet my protein goals for pregnancy. As with all things, moderation is key, and we have to fluctuate our eating habits at times when we are navigating symptoms.
- Red’s Turkey Sausage Eggwich – Once again, not the “healthiest” option, but these protein-packed breakfast sandwiches helped me so much in the morning to curb my nausea first thing and be able to function. I would usually pair it with a slice of sourdough or fruit to make it a more balanced meal.
- Bare Apple Chips – These were another lower-carbohydrate and healthier snack that was crispy and satisfied my cravings while also being relatively good for me.
- Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Pretzels – Another carb craving fulfilled, but also with the addition of peanut butter to add some protein and help prevent rapid blood sugar fluctuations.
- Seaweed Snacks – From what previous pregnancy dietitians on social media have said, I had read that getting enough iodine is not always incredibly important, but can help with nausea symptoms, so I started snacking on these salty snacks and would recommend them.
Hydration
Staying hydrated is also SO important for managing nausea and for overall health. If water wasn’t tolerable for me, then I would use the Needed Electrolyte Packets, add lemon into the water, or these mint + lime sparkling waters were incredible.
I am not a pregnancy dietitian, but I follow quite a few of them, and from what they teach, it seems electrolytes can play a huge role in managing pregnancy nausea and vomiting, and I would say they did work for me.
Supplements: Prenatals and Iron
Let’s talk supplements real quick because I am sure adequate nutrition should help with managing pregnancy symptoms. I took FullWell Prenatal whenever I could, but there were some days that I could not stomach the 8 pills a day, so I would resort to a cheap pregnancy gummy just to feel like I did take something and didn’t skip a day of prenatals. A healthy baby is our biggest desire and goal, so continuing to take a high-quality prenatal daily (when I could manage it) helped me feel more confident that the baby was getting what they needed, even when my diet didn’t look the best.
This didn’t help the nausea, but I had to take an iron supplement daily due to being diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and wanting to make sure I keep myself and my baby healthy. Adequate iron levels during pregnancy can prevent a host of maternal health complications and help prevent premature delivery, among other things. Knowing I was starting pregnancy with less than optimal levels was not ideal, but I found this iron supplement, which I tolerated well and did not cause me constipation, was a game-changer.
First Trimester Clothes
Lastly, I was truly on modified bed rest for about 5 weeks, so comfy clothes were a must-have. These are not maternity-specific, but I wore these pajamas every day. They stretch nicely and still fit me at 14 weeks pregnant. I am sure they won’t last me the whole pregnancy, but a good first trimester-second trimester buy that will also fit postpartum. When you are feeling like crap, it is nice to have a matching pair of pajamas that makes you feel a bit more put together.
One more recommendation! I had significant changes in breast size and tenderness very early on, so I switched back to wearing my nursing bras from Kindred Bravely, and I haven’t taken them off since. SO COMFY. I mean, I literally can’t say anything else but you need them. I will most likely be wearing them for the next two years, so they are a good investment, and they last forever. I am an affiliate because I live in these!
Okay, I think those are my only recommendations for the first trimester. Honestly, these are just basic survival essentials. I’ll keep you guys posted on how the second trimester goes and compile a list of my must-haves for that period, too.
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Cinthia Scott is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with over 7 years experience in the field of dietetics. Cinthia focuses on ensuring optimal nutrition in the first 1000 days of life to ensure optimal growth and development as well as set the stage for long-term health. Cindy is an author, starting solids expert, and advocate for caregivers receiving evidence based education and support surrounding breastfeeding and starting solids.
Cinthia is co-author of the 101beforeone Starting Solids Book, “101beforeone -baby-led feeding cookbook,” and is the founder and owner of The Baby Dietitian LLC which is her private practice built to provide virtual 1:1 services for caregivers surrounding infant nutrition, toddler nutrition, and breastfeeding support. Cinthia is also the creator of the Starting Solids 101 Program which provides caregivers 1:1 support from a Pediatric Dietitian on how to provide optimal nutrition from the start and create healthy eating habits that will last their whole lifetime. To work with Cinthia, you can access her services here.
Cinthia provides tons of free information for parents on her social media accounts as well.
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