"Pregnancy is the happiest reason for ever feeling like crap."
Isn't that the truth. At least it was for me. My 1st trimester was rough, but I didn't care, because I had dreamt about this moment for years. It was all a part of the process. The fight, the symptoms, the unexpected, I embraced it all.
I think most of the 1st trimester I was running on adrenaline, which helped push through the uncomfortableness. I focused on one day at a time, one appointment at a time, one milestone at a time. After a four year infertility journey, it was hard for my husband and I to fully comprehend that pregnancy was actually happening for us. Even to this day at 33 weeks pregnant, we're in awe and feel blessed to be carrying our baby boy.
Pregnancy is pretty fascinating. It's exciting, overwhelming, beautiful, wild, suspenseful and there are so many unexpected moments. I compare experiencing pregnancy to getting a job after college. You can never be fully prepared until you have real life experience. You take things as they come, face obstacles, and strategize solutions, or at least remedies to help you get by.
As this is an IVF pregnancy, I continued hormone stimulants, estrogen and progesterone, until we were 8 weeks pregnant. After we stopped stims, I immediately lost five pounds due to the medicine halt and because I felt so nauseas all of the time. I never threw up in the first trimester, but I felt like I was on the verge of doing so until about 13 weeks pregnant. I could barely stomach food and what I could eat wasn't the best nutritious wise. I lived off rice, vegetarian sushi rolls, bagels and cream cheese and gluten free breadsticks dipped in marinara. Anything else sounded dreadful to me. As a nutrition specialist, this was very difficult for me to accept. I felt like I was failing and not providing my baby the nutrients he needed. My nurse ensured me that if I was getting in plenty of water, taking my pre-natals and focusing on eating what I could, the baby would be ok and to just focus on being better every single day.
To me, the 1st trimester is all about survival. In addition to nausea, my boobs hurt so badly, I was bloated, irritable, dizzy, had lots of headaches, had to pee all of the time, dealt with heartburn, fatigue and suffered cramps and early bleeding which terrified me on so many levels. Having suffered multiple miscarriages, any signs of blood gave me serious PTSD. Some pros though, I was pregnant, our baby was growing, my skin was so clear and my hair and nails were growing at an accelerated rate. What a wild ride!
That being said, I found so many tools to be helpful to get me through the first trimester with some ease and comfort. Click the image below to shop any of the products. I've also attached a PDF document below that gives you access to shop too. Hope these help you as much as they did me.
If you're pregnant, congrats mama. What a beautiful blessing. If you are trying to conceive, sending you so much strength, hope, courage and baby dust. Please know you are not alone and there is help and support out there. Keep fighting for your miracle. Sending you love, safe pregnancy vibes and baby dust your way.
-Ashley Legg
Stretch marks defense cream: Hydrating, minimizes stretch marks, smells so good, natural ingredients.
Boppy pregnancy wedge: Saves me on work days sitting too much. I would also lie down on my side and put the wedge between my legs to relieve back pain.
U-Shape Full Body Maternity Pillow: My night time companion lol. I don't know how I'll get rid of this thing. The belly lays just perfectly with it and straddling it also relieves back pain.
Belli Pure and Pampered Body Wash – Balanced Cleansing with Essential Oil of Lavender – OB/GYN and Dermatologist Recommended: A safe body wash option that smells good.
Belli All Day Moisture Body Lotion – Relieves Dry Skin – OB/GYN and Dermatologist Recommended: A safe lotion option that smells good.
Hatch Mama Must Haves: Ride or die products. Use belly oil nearly every night to keep the bump hydrated and to also help minimize stretch marks. The foot/leg relief lotion was a life saver to ease aches and pains. The nipple/lip cream is super hydrating. Obsessed.
1st Phorm Joy Bundle Prenatals-I would say my biggest focus is dialing in on what I'm putting in my body. My main goal it to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients and vitamins and minerals. This stack includes PRE-NATAL PLUS (essentially a multi-vitamin) and FULL-MEGA (Omega-3 fish oil). These vitamins are vegan capsules that are easily absorbed and digested. They also include ginger root which helps settle the tummy from nausea, unlike most vitamins you may take that make you gag or get an upset tummy. Also included is a probiotic blend, antioxidant fruit/veggie blend, the benefits go on and on. Omega-3 fish oils are more important than ever right now because the baby depends on this nutrient right at conception to build the baby's nervous system, for brain/eye development and much much more. Full-Mega has a very high DHA/EPA (2 most beneficial omega-3s) which are essential for the baby to grow and thrive.
When searching for your prenatals/fish oil, make sure they offer these 6 optimal nutrients essential for baby development:
Folic acid
Iron
Calcium
Vitamin D
DHA
Iodine
Candy to soothe stomach: I craved candy my first trimester and these options really did help curb the craving without the guilt. For some reason sweet/sour candy soothed the stomach.
Back to nature round crackers: These taste just like Ritz crackers but better ingredients. Also eased the nausea.
Tums: A must if you battle heartburn. Between tums, eating smaller meals and drinking water, I was able to ease some of the heartburn.
Water container: Hydration is KEY! This motivating jug kept me on track to hitting my water goals. The straw is so easy to use too. Game changer.
Pregnancy journal: It's so nice to track the precious moments of pregnancy in one place. That way you can express those feelings and have a keepsake to look back on.