Life: 12 things that got me through the First Trimester
Ah, the first trimester of pregnancy. I used to think it was only 12 weeks but it’s actually 14 weeks – 14 weeks where your body is going through so many changes and growing your tiny little human from the size of a poppy seed at week 4 to the size of a lemon at week 14. There’s no wonder this is seen as the most difficult part of pregnancy as every part of your baby is forming so your body is doing all sorts of crazy things, and you also can’t tell anyone about it.
Here are the 12 things that got me through the first trimester.
1. Snacks – all of the snacks! I have been fortunate not too suffer too much from nausea with this pregnancy (so far anyway!) but in the very early days I found that if I wasn’t constantly eating, I started feeling a little queasy. I made sure I took lots of snacks with me to work- favourites were yogurts, Dr Karg crackerbreads, apples and bananas and I also found bringing a smoothie to work was great for getting me through the morning.
2. Being very anti-social. Finding out you’re pregnant is very hard during the Christmas season as there are so many social activities! I avoided as much as could by making up other plans- mostly because I didn’t want people to guess and also because I wanted to go home and sleep! Luckily January was a lot easier. I’ve been keeping week night activities to a minimum and having quiet weekends so there’s no pressure to get up and about.
3. Telling close family and a few friends. This is such a personal decision but for me I loved having a few people who I could talk to about how I was feeling. We told our parents and siblings and a few close friends and it was the right decision for us.
4. Naps and going to bed early. I don’t think I’ve ever been in my bed so much, and I love my bed! Bed time has been 9pm and ill sometimes have a nap when I get in from work, and definitely at the weekends! I think I’ve been so tired at the weekends as I power through a busy week work and then crash on the Saturday.
5. Planning meals. When I get in from work I am so hungry and need to either having a snack or getting cooking straightaway. We’re generally quite good at planning meals but this has been essential over the past few weeks as I know we’ll have everything ready to cook. Hello Fresh has also been really helpful!
6. Google and asking friends questions. My Google history is probably ridiculous right now! I have googled everything and take a lot of reassurance from finding out that it’s just another pregnancy symptom. Having others pregnant friends to ask has been brilliant too.
7. Planning. Planning activities for when I’m in my second trimester and hopefully having more energy. We go on holiday to Cape Town in March and have some fun weekend plans in the works. Thinking about these makes me so happy.
8. Maternity clothes! Buying a maternity sleep bra was a game changer- sore boobs are not fun but it helps a lot! I bought this pack of two. Also bought some maternity jeans as was getting annoyed at not being able to do up my top button. They are comfiest piece of clothing I’ve ever owned!
9. Being busy at work. It’s a really busy time for me at work at the moment and I’m actually doing two jobs so it’s no wonder I have no time to get tired whilst racing through my emails! Luckily I have a desk job and am not on my feet all day as that would be a lot harder.
10. Lactulose. A really not glamorous number 10 but my gosh, pregnancy changes your ‘movements’! Think it’s down to the iron in the pregnancy multivitamins. On the plus side it seems to have helped my IBS which gave me the other extreme. On a recommendation I bought some lactulose to sort me out and it worked like a charm- top tip- you need to take it with lots of water!
11. Water. I have a mini bottle of Evian which I fill up every day and keep in my bag. It’s not too heavy to carry around and just knowing it’s there is so reassuring. You get far more thirsty when pregnant so I often find myself gasping for a drink! Also good for if you’re feeling hot on public transport.
12. Baby on Board Badge. These are so popular now and they are such a brilliant idea. I’ve been lucky as tend to get a seat on my morning and evening trains so haven’t worn it that much in the first trimester (also didn’t want to bump into someone I knew!) but kept it in my bag just incase. I keep it on my coat lapel now and it’s such a lifesaver when getting on busy trains or tubes – people have been so lovely at offering me a seat. You feel a bit guilty when you don’t have a bump but in the early weeks it’s generally when you’re feeling the worst and need to sit down! When I have to stand up for too long I feel really sick and faint so a seat is much appreciated. You can order a badge here.
