UGHHH…the infamous first trimester… Some women are fortunate enough to breeze through living just as they had prior to conceiving. Still more enviable, some women experience few changes beyond the expectant mother’s added “glow.” Others, myself included, feel the full acuteness of pregnancy right away.
The first trimester of my pregnancy with baby J was rough. I was sick, sick, sick! Whoever came up with the term ‘morning sickness’ was not experiencing what I was. Weeks 6-12 were spent horizontal sucking on ice chips. From the moment I woke up, until the moment I passed out in the evening, I was nauseous. Bedtime brought only moderate relief since the anticipation of the next day’s inevitable condition of the next morning loomed. I was ready to upchuck at any given moment, sometimes wishing that I would actually vomit in hopes of some relief. More often, though, it was mostly an ongoing feeling of debilitating nauseous. Meeting the demands of work, let alone exercising, was virtually impossible at times. And although I was tired, the discomfort made even napping difficult. I spent the majority of my waking hours lying on the couch with my dog Rocky watching Hallmark movies. Truth be told, the worst of it was in July (weeks 9-12) and thank goodness for ‘Christmas in July’ by Hallmark! (I’m a sap for romance comedies…don’t judge me). The only upside? This might be the only time my husband allowed me to watch a holiday movie in a non-December month 😉 …it’s all about finding the silver lining right?!
Regarding my diet, I was rarely hungry. Most food sounded, smelled, and looked as though it would send my nausea over the edge. Still, I tried everything to tame the nausea in hopes of getting my sought-after nutrients. The only thing that worked was making a bowl of gluten-free oats loaded up with salt and raisins at night before bed. I would have a bite or two in the middle of the night and again around 4am. I’d then lay in bed until about 6am when I could muster walking to the kitchen for a bowl of cold cereal. Sometimes cold fresh fruit or fruit popsicles would sound good. Water and Gatorade (I know – I’m shocking you all!) were my hydration A-team that kept me alive. Other than that I’d wait it out, and eventually somewhere in the afternoon the nausea would momentarily subside long enough for me to gobble down something large and appetizing quick! Deli sandwiches, chips, and cheese were what my body told me I wanted. My brain wanted so badly to opt for a big green salad loaded with all the fixings, but my stomach said otherwise. I found the best thing to do was eat whatever my body craved (within reason) as quickly as possible. As soon as I was finished, or if I waiting too long, everything was once again unappealing.
Some tactics that helped me survive:
High Quality Prenatal Vitamin: Taking a high quality prenatal vitamin (with folate vs. folic acid) will help ensure you’re at least getting those key micronutrients! I’m currently taking the Thorn Prenatal (yup prenatal vitamins post-partum is definitely a thing!). If your vitamins make you nauseous, it’s possible that the iron in them is the cause. Most women do well with the Smartypants Prenatal gummies when this is the case.
Supplements with Food: Taking your prenatal vitamins (and other supplements) with food can cut down on related nausea. If you’re still having trouble, try splitting up the dose. If you need to take 3 pills, consume them with breakfast, lunch and a snack.
Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 has been proven to help with nausea. Thorne is one of my favorites.
Ginger: Full admission, this didn’t work for me because I am personally not a fan of the potent taste of ginger, BUT others have reported wondrous effects. Try sipping on ginger tea throughout the day and carrying ginger chews for those less-than-expected moments.
Cast Iron Skillet Cooking: Using a cast-iron skillet to cook is a great way to help build up your iron stores. Your body needs extra iron when pregnant to support the growth of your little nugget. This tip can be especially helpful during a time when meat may not be as appealing as previously.
Hydrate: Keeping yourself as hydrated as possible is paramount. Even when you’re nauseous and can’t stomach food, you can usually get the liquids down. Water is what helps deliver nutrients from you to your baby via blood cells and the amazing placenta that feeds your little nugget. Ice chips were a great way for me to slowly hydrate during a very hot summer!
Gluten Free Grains: For many women, traditional processed carbs such as a bagels or saltines seem to sooth. If that’s what you need to get something down, I say go for it. But opting for gluten free will give you and your little nugget a leg up – at least you’ll be avoiding those inflammatory proteins in gluten! My go-to’s are Legit Bread Company and Simple Mills, both of which are completely grain-free products!
Premium Animal Protein: Animal protein can be a trigger for many women when pregnant. Get it in when you can. As I already mentioned; I had to make a mad dash for food as soon as the nausea subsided which meant I had to have high quality options on-hand that could be prepared with minimal work. Grass-fed ground beef was my go-to for a quick meal (burger, hash, etc.) These liver meatballs by Fed + Fit are also a great option to batch cook and have on hand and I promise they don’t taste like liver!
Knowledge Is Power: Many women experience cravings for things they’ve been told they shouldn’t have (coffee, sushi, deli meats, cheese, alcohol, etc.). While I always defer to your physician/midwife, I’m also a believer in empowering yourself with research and doing what’s right for you and your family. Expecting Better was a great read that hashes out the science behind common do’s and don’ts associated with pregnancy.
Preconception Nutrition, Supplementation & More: I spent a fair amount of time and energy on building my body up PRIOR to conceiving. Knowing I had built up some reserves when it came to vitamins and minerals gave me some piece of mind that a less-than-ideal 1st trimester wasn’t something I should unduly stress over. Check out some tips with my preconception Fertility Bootcamp
This Too Shall Pass: For most women, the nausea subsides after the first trimester (this was true for me as well). Almost to the day, I woke up at week 13 and felt close to my pre-conception self.
While I wasn’t consuming my standard #cleaneating, my survival instincts had kicked in and I was getting through it. The takeaway? Consume nutrients – even if not your preconception top choice – whenever possible.
