I am 12 weeks. I have almost completed my 4th first trimester. I survived. I barely survived. Here is a nice little list of the things that got me through.
Most of you have probably heard, pregnancy symptoms increase with each pregnancy. Now of course this isn’t going to be true for every single mom out there, but for me, TRUTH. With Blake, my only symptom, aside from some tiredness, was massive weight gain and a big old round belly.
Kylie made me puke a handful of times and I had a pretty basic first trimester with the usual mild symptoms.
Aven was similar, but a little worse.
But this one, THIS ONE, has almost done me in. Extreme exhaustion. Gagging constantly. I swear if I even saw something that irritated me (which isn’t hard right now) I gagged. I would vomit 2 or 3 times a day and would maybe have a non vom day here and there. I had headaches, I felt like I was clinging to life. You get the idea. So on to the list…
1. Mexican Coke and 2. Eyelash extensions
Mexican coke is made with real sugar. My best friend told me it was supposed to help nausea. I can’t tell you that it was life altering, but it was certainly a nice thing to look forward to and seemed to make me feel better for a little bit. I consider that a first tri win.
Eyelash extensions made me feel somewhat put together. Even if I hadn’t done my hair or makeup in a whole week, I could still show up to work looking meh instead of ew. They really do make me feel much prettier and that is hard to do. For my Fort Worth ladies, I highly recommend Arbor Skin Care for all your eyelash, facial and skin care needs.
3. Preggie Pops
Another recommendation by the same best friend (who has hideous first trimesters) are these little candies. Candy in my mouth helped so much with my all day quease. Pick some up for a preggie friend!
4. Rest
Find a way to take naps and go to bed early. If I didn’t have enough sleep, I was more likely to throw up. I’m lucky because I can bribe my kids with candy and have them leave me alone for an hour or so. If you have a toddler, it’s totally worth paying a babysitter to get some rest.
5. Ice Pack
I used a squishy Ice pack on my head to help with headaches. Taking medication during pregnancy, especially the first trimester, is something I really try and avoid unless it’s necessary. If I fell asleep with one on my forehead I felt much better. A few times I forgot to put it back in the freezer and found it all room temp and floppy when I needed it. I cussed.
6. Stretchy Bra
Pregnant boobs don’t play. They are like, HELLLLLLO, we are here! So I outgrew my normal bras almost immediately. These are my top two recommendations.
7. Rubber band trick and long tanks
I didn’t need maternity clothes for a while. I still only own like one pair of very unflattering shorts that I bought online. These are the problems I am facing since I was “so done” once I had my third daughter. I purged every last maternity and baby item in the house. Well 3 and a half years later and a very unlikely change of heart, and here I am basically starting over. The rubber band trick is where you take a hair elastic and hook it on the button of your jeans, loop it through the hole and stick it back on the button. It worked for me for almost the whole first trimester. And to make sure there was no unsightly butt crack when I had to bend down with loosened jeans I have about 20 seamless tanks from Apricot Lane Dallas. You can find them on Facebook and on instagram @apricotlanedallas. You can order from their instagram or calling their store. I have the dress length, which I love because it’s extra long, and the basic, which is also fantastic and long enough to cover the bump for quite a while.
For belly reference, the first pic was taken at 4 weeks, so normal body, 10 weeks and 12 weeks.
8. Diclegis
This saved me. I can’t stress enough how helpful this drug is. I still have some nausea, but ever since I started taking it I have not thrown up one single time. This is the only category A drug on the market and the only one I would take. It is a combination of B6 and an antihistamine. I don’t think I would have been able to work or take care of my kids without this.
9. Blood Test
This wasn’t even a thing when I had Aven over three years ago. But now, you can get a blood test at 10 weeks that tests for chromosomal abnormalities and can also tell you the sex of the baby. At least there is this test making the first trimester a little more tolerable. Watch this video that I posted on my Facebook page to see how I told my husband and daughters what the new baby would be!
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