I’ve been out of the first trimester for a little while now (26 weeks today!) but I still wanted to write a post recapping those first 13 weeks, and share some essentials that made life easier during that time. Overall I had a pretty smooth first trimester, which I am extremely thankful for!

I found out that I was pregnant VERY early – I believe it was at 3 weeks. We did IVF, so it was not at all a surprise. I got a verrrry faint positive test 5 days after my frozen embryo transfer, and continued to test at home each day to see the line get darker. I had my HCG blood test a few days later to confirm the pregnancy, and the numbers looked great!

As far as symptoms go… it’s hard to say what my first “symptoms” were because with IVF, you are on hormone medications that have the same side effects as pregnancy symptoms. Fatigue, bloating, and sore boobs were my main symptoms until weeks 6-7, then the nausea kicked in. I’m very thankful that I never threw up, but I felt pretty nauseous throughout the day and especially at night. It felt like I had a horrible hangover each day – the headache, spins, queasiness, fatigue, etc. I fortunately didn’t have any major food aversions, so I continued to eat pretty normally. Carbs helped to settle my stomach, so I ate plenty of bread – toast, bagels, and crackers. Juice and ginger ale helped a lot too! The nausea went away around week 14, although I’ll still have a random day of it here and there. Overall I can’t complain!

A few things that helped with nausea:

• Eating small, but frequent meals/snacks. My nausea would be triggered if my stomach was too full, or too empty. So eating a little something every 1-2 hours worked well for me.
• Crackers and ginger ale. I kept these two things with me at all times. On my nightstand, on my desk, in my purse, etc. They always helped to settle my stomach.
• Anti nausea candy. I loved these preggie pop drops from Amazon!
• Anti nausea wrist bands. These supposedly press certain pressure points on your wrists that help prevent nausea. I don’t know if they’re legit or if it was a mental thing, but either way, they worked for me!

I also wanted to mention that my OB said that I could take unisom + B6 if the nausea got too bad, but I never ended up taking it. *Always check with your doctor before taking any medication, especially if you are pregnant!

Other first trimester essentials:

• Prenatal vitamins – I have been taking Ritual prenatals since we first started TTC years ago. They’re easy to take, and have never upset my stomach.
• Insulated water bottle – I’m not a big water drinker, but it’s so important to stay hydrated while pregnant. One thing that has helped me is making sure my water is ice cold.
• Comfy, stretchy clothes – Pregnancy bloat is so real! Even before I had a “baby bump,” anything tight on my waist was really uncomfortable. I lived in this lounge set – I have it in multiple colors!
• Belly oil – To keep the growing belly hydrated, and prevent stretch marks! I’ve tried a few, and this belly oil is my favorite. I also love to apply this belly butter over top of the oil.
• Magnesium Supplement – I like to take a Calm magnesium supplement before bed each night. Not only does it help you relax and sleep well, but it helps prevent digestive issues (a not so fun pregnancy symptom.) They have a powder that you mix with water, and gummy supplements! Both are great – I found that the gummies were better with my nausea.
• Gratitude Journal – I have this journal and I love it! It only takes a couple minutes each morning, and it really helps to start the day on a positive note.

If you are (or have been) pregnant recently, I’d love to hear your pregnancy essentials for any trimester! Feel free to leave a comment below, or connect over on Instagram 🙂

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