Handling the First Trimester

Are you tired of these kinds of posts yet? haha.

I'm trying to write all of these helpful things down for my future benefit, and for the plethora of friends going through this stage of life. I don't know why, but I always seem to go through a learning curve the first few weeks of pregnancy and when I re-remember what was so helpful last time, I feel like an idiot. Here's to preemptively helping my awful memory! I'm hoping it's helpful for other too. Sometimes just being aware of solutions can make the whole journey a little easier to bear :)

1. Almost like clock work, 2 weeks after I find out I'm pregnant I get hit with a MASSIVE cold. Your immune system shuts off when pregnant and for me that means getting a cold to end all colds. I actually prep for that first by having a Costco bag of Ricola's, Mucinex (pre-approved by my midwives), a NealMed sinus rinse, and our humidifier brought out of storage. I also set up an appointment with my chiropractor because inevitably I throw out a rib from coughing so much. It's as fun as it sounds.
2. My nausea hits around 6 weeks. My very best friend for it? QUEASE EASE. I would shout this from the rooftops if it were possible. My brother, Ethan, introduced me to it just after I had Milo actually. When Ethan had his tonsils removed, the doctor gave him a few packets of Quease Ease to help with the nausea that his recovery meds could give him. On the package it says it helps with morning sickness, so I made a mental note to try it out with the next pregnancy. I didn't throw up once with Livvy and I swear it was because of this little miracle. I got 2 of them this time; one for the diaper bag, one for my nightstand. LIFESAVER.
3. I usually feel the most nauseous in the morning and I've found that just getting FOOD into my mouth helps it. There were mornings where I was in the kitchen smelling my quease ease while cramming bread into my mouth, just to get something in there. Best thing was to get salty snacks and munch on them. I go from nauseous to "bathroom now" in 30 seconds so prep time in the morning had to be lightning fast. Nothing faster than pre-prepped!
• This might be counterintuitive or seem harsh, but there were definitely mornings when the kids were hungry and waiting for breakfast but I knew I had to eat first. It was more difficult than I imagined eating while my kids were hungry, but I turned on Magic School Bus to wolf down some toast, sat for 10 minutes until my stomach settled, then I could better help them. Mostly this tip is to remind moms that kids can wait a bit, especially if that means you can better help them out!
4. In general, eating every 2 hours really helps me stave off the worst of the nausea. I would set a timer on my phone to help remind me and hold me accountable. Forcing myself to eat is something I never thought I'd do but it really helps!
• Helpful foods include:
• Kids Cliff Bars
• Goldfish crackers
• pretzels
• eggs - scrambled, fried, boiled etc.
• toast
• peanut butter sandwiches
• bean heavy soups (very filling but still "bland" enough to not upset anything)
• mashed/baked potatoes (bonus points for sweet potatoes!)
• tortilla chips
• Strawberry Kiwi Propels (my personal favorite flavor)
5. Between 5-9ish weeks my taste buds go nuts and my nose gets REALLY sensitive. I make a more concerted effort to wipe things down more frequently with Clorox wipes, take diapers out to the trash immediately, and bag up smelly items before putting them in the trash. Also, Kyle is awesome and really steps up in changing the poopy diapers!
6. Also during these weeks I cannot cook. Raw meat makes my stomach churn. We unfortunately eat out WAY more during this time so our grocery bill plummets and our restaurant bill skyrockets. I've just come to accept this rather than fight it so I don't beat myself up over it.
7. When my tastebuds change I don't eat what I normally prefer. Diet Coke tastes like poison, popcorn is ash in my mouth. It's fun. I drink a ton more water but avoid drinking it much past 10 pm since my bladder is not the size it used to be! I tend to prefer white bread over whole wheat at this point, and anything sweet is offensive, so I steer clear of chocolate, ice cream, and candy in general. I also avoid trying anything new because I figure it's not a great time to find out I actually don't like kimchi, ya feel?
8. Around 6-10 weeks I get very tired. I try and nap when the kids nap, but mostly I just tell myself it's ok to let things slide for a month. I still make an effort to get out of the house once a day, but we leave hours later than we typically do. With both the nausea and the tiredness, house chores don't get accomplished on schedule and you know what? We live. It's fine. 98% sure I'm the one who cares the most about that stuff in the first place so we're good!
• There will come a point where you'll probably just have to accept the fact that you're tired and move on. Often a nap helps, but only for a little bit. The tired you're feeling is literally in your bones and will only be cured by time. So nap, yes, but nap judiciously. Often you can push through it and you're not more tired for it.
9. Kyle took over grocery shopping between 6-10 weeks. I made a grocery list on our shared OneNote, he went to the store after hitting up the gym one evening, came home and put it away. Such a simple thing but at that point, I felt like it was an insurmountable task to accomplish.
• My awesome aunt and mother put together a menu of what they call "pantry meals". They're dishes that you can throw together quickly with things you often have in your pantry. THESE ARE A LIFESAVER. Kyle threw a few together when we couldn't stomach another night of Lil' C's again.
10. I don't necessarily "believe" in prenatal vitamins. I generally just eat a very folic acid rich diet anyway, but when I'm nauseous and not getting enough calories in the first place I definitely take them. Target's brand of prenatals are GUMMY PRENATALS which means you aren't choking yourself with horse pills! I totally recommend them though I do know some women can't stomach them.