Hello, my friends!! Now that I'm well into my second trimester, I want to share a few items that really helped me out during the first trimester. I had a pretty rocky start with pretty bad morning all-day sickness! Ugh! I was nauseous all day, every day, and vomited 3-4 times a day. I tried every trick imaginable and towards the end of the first trimester/beginning of my second trimester, I finally found some things that worked for me. I'm still pretty nauseous at this point, but I've cut down on the vomiting which is an amazing feeling! If your first trimester is going like mine did, these first several items could be just what you need!!! Not nauseous at all? Scroll down for a few of my favorite books, apps, and other items I found helpful during the first trimester!!!
Vitamin B6*- This is shown to help with nausea and was the first thing my midwives recommended. It works alone for some people, but works better in combination with Unisom (see below). You can buy Vitamin B6 supplements over the counter. I take 50 mg twice a day, but ask your OB or midwife for a recommendation. Towards the end of the first trimester I found out about B-natals*. These are Vitamin B6 infused lollipops!! Wish I had discovered them sooner!
Unisom*- This is actually an over the counter sleeping aid but it is proven to help with morning sickness. Make sure you are buying the right product. Doxylamine succinate is the generic name and Unisom sells it as the "Sleep Tab." Unisom also makes a "Sleep Gel" and "Quick Melts," but these only contain diphenhydramine (or Benadryl) which will not help your nausea! You can take Unisom (doxylamine succinate) alone or in combination with Vitamin B6. You can also talk to your doctor about a delayed release form called Diclegis that is prescription only which is marketed specifically for morning sickness. It contains 10 mg of delayed release doxylamine succinate and 10 mg of Vitamin B6.
Preggie Pop Drops*- These were a life saver for me! They are the perfect combination of sour and sweet. If I ate one right when I started feeling nauseous, it would usually curb the feeling for a little while! Perfect when you are in a location that it's just not appropriate to get sick in!!! The company also makes Preggie Naturals* which our chews that contain Vitamin B6.
Sea bands*- These wrist bands use pressure points to reduce nausea. To be honest, I thought this was completely bogus at first, but I was so nauseous, I was willing to try anything. I did find that they were helpful on days that I was just mildly nauseous. On the bad days, they did nothing for me. Everyone responds differently, so why not give them a try?
Gummy prenatals*- Let's face it, if you're super nauseous, you probably can't keep down your prenatal vitamin. We all know how important they are though! I bought some gummy prenatal vitamins and found that they were much easier on my stomach. They actually taste good, so I had to buy myself some gummy snacks to keep myself from eating more than two vitamins at a time!! I also bought gummy calcium supplements*.
Belly band*- You won't need this at first, but towards the end of the first trimester you might find your pants feeling a little bit snug! Belly bands allow you to keep your pants or shorts unbuttoned without anyone even knowing! It just looks like you are wearing a camisole under your shirt! They come in many different colors so it is easy to incorporate into your wardrobe.
Outfit for bump pictures- If you want to keep track of that growing belly, you should decide on an outfit to wear each time you take pictures! I love that cohesive look like in this bump photo board. I chose to wear the same T-shirt with a pair of jeans. I purchased a regular T-shirt from Target, but I got it a little big so that it would accommodate my growing stomach. I'll eventually switch to a similar looking maternity shirt if necessary, but Target's tees are pretty stretchy and baggy, so I think it's going to work out great!
Water bottle*- We all know drinking water is important, and even more so during pregnancy! If you're anything like me, it's super tough to get your daily requirement in! This water bottle* helps me stay on track. It contains eight 8 oz. glasses of water. A whole day in one bottle!
What To Expect When You're Expecting*- This book has stood the test of time and has it all. Anything you could possibly wonder about. "Is this symptom normal?" The answer is in this book! It also has some tips for dads to read too.
Ina May's Guide To Childbirth*- A must have for anyone interested in a natural birth. Ina May tells it like it is, delivers the facts, and paints a beautiful picture of what birth should be like while reminding you that there are definitely some not-so-glamorous moments. It's full of great information but also full of inspiring stories.
Pregnancy Journal*- It's exciting to document bits and pieces of your pregnancy journey, and I imagine it will be fun to look back it later on! I bought My Pregnancy Journal* and love it so far! I like that it has plenty of prompts to help me figure out what to write... because pregnancy brain is apparently a real thing! I can't think of what to write on my own!
Pregnancy Apps- I've trieds out several different phone apps to keep track of pregnancy. Here's the three I like best. I love The Bump app because the weekly baby size photos are so cute! The BabyCenter app has great info to help get you through each week and answer all of your questions. Their forum has also been really helpful. I also like the Ovia pregnancy app because it allows you to keep track of your symptoms. Do you have a favorite app that I haven't listed? Let me know!
Hopefully you find this list helpful if you are newly pregnant, especially if you are experiencing sever morning sickness like me. If you've been pregnant before and have anything to add to this list, please let me know!!! I would love to hear your tips!Did you catch my list of Must Haves for Trying to Conceive? Check it out! Click the button below!
The pop drops and gummy vitamins...all the yes!
ReplyDelete