Surviving the First Trimester of Pregnancy

Ahh.. the first trimester!

Isn't it something?

You might be happy, excited, nervous, and anxious.. but chances are, you are probably feeling fatigued, irritable, and sick to your tummy as well! You're probably thinking "Will this ever end?" For most, yes. But for the few lucky ones, it does not end, but it improves. I will happily hare my tips to surviving the first trimester and to make it the most enjoyable experience for you, your partner, and the rest of your family!

Luckily, the first trimester is only a third of your entire pregnancy duration. Around 4 weeks, you are likely to get your missed period-and first positive pregnancy test! 

Congrats! You are pregnant! Now what?

When I first found out I was pregnant, I went directly to the hospital lab for a blood test to confirm. After the blood test comes back positive, thats when you schedule your first doctors visit which is roughly around 10 weeks. Anytime before this is often hard for the tech or doctor to see and measure your fetus. They will likely put you on a prenatal-a MUST-and draw around 5-7 tubes of blood (yay!), do a pap smear if needed, and get you vaccinated if needed. Oh the joys of pregnancy!

Your next appointment wont be for about one month later. Around this time, you will start to see symptoms increasing such as tender breasts, nausea, and fatigue-lovely right? Your baby grows rapidly each week, doubling its size, heart beat flaring, and-messing with your hormones. The ultrasound at this visit will be much more drastic-you will not believe the change! At mine, I got to see baby move its limbs-it was a great experience and makes you forget about all the unpleasant symptoms! At this visit, the doctor is likely to order two different blood tests-a Quad screening that checks the protein in your blood that will indicate down syndrome, and then a Cystic Fibrosis test (this one is optional).

This marks the end of doctor visits for the first trimester. Moving on.....

Focusing on YOU! You at this point are feeling:

• emotional
• worn down
• cant keep your eyes open
• cant keep your face out of the toilet
• have no appetite or too much of one
• boobs are on fire
• lack of sex drive
• headaches
• the list goes on....

Am I right?

Here are some helpful tips to help make you feel better during this crazy time. Since your hormones are wack and your baby is growing as fast as you can say BABY, you just sometimes find yourself in a bind where you just dont know what to do, so you dont want to do anything besides lounge around in sweatpants, eat cheetos, and take 5 naps a day. My tip for you? ENJOY PREGNANCY!

You are probably rolling your eyes at me right now.

How on EARTH do I enjoy this shit??? You might think.

For starters, exercise during pregnancy kept my energy levels up. . Go for a light walk outside and get some fresh air. Try prenatal yoga (amazing stuff)! I went to the gym and did weights and elliptical while I was in my first trimester. I did this first thing in the morning and it gave me energy for the rest of the day! Also, snacking every HOUR helps. Yes, a little snack every hour will keep your hunger pangs at bay, keep you from getting nauseated, and give you that extra push to get you through the day. My favorite snacks were fruit, Goldfish (dont laugh), Triscuits, and rice cakes. I found that carbs helped me when I felt sick. Main thing is to listen to your body-it knows best! Stay healthy and try not to pile foods high in fat or grease into your tummy-they will only make your nausea worse. Fruit pops also help with nausea!

Unfortunately, your hormones are having their way with you right now, and there isnt a whole lot you can do to stop this vicious cycle, but you can improve it and how you feel!

Good luck and congrats to you all!

SIA

:)