I'm Pregnant!
Life With Piper - We all know that navigating pregnancy and parenting for the first time isn't easy. Join Emily as she shares tips, advice, laughs and reviews along her journey of raising her daughter, Piper. "Life with Piper" is all about her pregnancy, postpartum and parenting and all of the products and tips she loved (and didn't love) along the way.
As I sat down to write this blog, I grabbed a bowl of green grapes. The first bite took me right back to the early days of pregnancy. Green grapes were the only thing I could stomach in my first trimester, along with bagels and crackers. Here are some of the things that can happen in those first few months, and what you can have on hand to help:
The moment after my husband and I looked at our positive pregnancy test, my nausea began. Oh the nausea. Paired with starting a brand new job (thank you timing), I was always nauseous and had butterflies in my stomach. Keep in mind that the nausea that may occur during the first few months of pregnancy does not limit itself to only mornings. It can be all-day nausea, or driving in the car nausea, or smelling the dinner you just asked your husband to make nausea. I had all of the above, so I made sure to keep Preggy Pop Drops in my purse at all times. I also kept some in my bedside table and car. The sweet and sour candies helped to curb my nausea and allowed me to stomach a little more than a few crackers or a handful of delicious green grapes. Another great item to have is Earth Mama Morning Tea. This helped to settle my stomach when I needed it most. The tea pairs beautifully with a bland saltine cracker, too!
I also noticed a complete decrease in energy. I was tired from doing absolutely nothing. I had all of the energy in the world months before, but now throwing in a load of laundry garnered an hour-long nap. There is no specific product that helped with this, so let me say: SLEEP NOW, mommies! Enjoy every nap you can. Enjoy the moment when there are no crying alarm clocks. Enjoy falling asleep to your favourite chick flick on Netflix. Soak it in! I miss sleep…
Then, as I knew it would, my stomach started to grow. But not the way I expected it to grow. I romanticized this growing of my belly like you see in the movies- popping out at your belly button and continuing to grow- when really it starts in your pelvis. You know, where your uterus is? My pants stopped fitting quicker than expected and what saved me was the Bella Band. I was able to wear my pants undone and no one was the wiser. The best thing about the Bella Band was the fact that it had a silicone grip along the edge so it would always stay in place.
As my pregnancy progressed and my tummy grew, I wanted to try and avoid having an itchy belly and stretch marks. Though I did not avoid stretch marks completely, I think I faired quite well thanks to Substance Belly Jelly. This is a great salve that I would rub on every night before bed. It is all natural and smells delicious. Don’t forget about your growing girls, either. As your bust size grows and you find you are a little more sensitive, rub some Belly Jelly on them too. They will also get stretch marks and can get itchy, so don’t forget about them.
At the time (not related to pregnancy), I suffered from headaches a few times a week and once I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to cut back and eliminate on my intake of pain medications to get rid of headaches. Peppermint Headache Sticks to the rescue! I had a few of these great rub on sticks. The cooling effect of the peppermint at the back of my neck and temples was so relaxing that my headaches would slowly dissipate and I would not need to take a pain medication. I had a few of these on hand, in my purse, work bag, car and bedside table. Because it was a natural option, I applied it a few times a day to keep headaches at bay. I have since changed up my diet and exercise routine and found my headaches are a thing of the past!
There you have it: some common symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy and some things you can have on hand to help you through. Not all women go through the same symptoms of early pregnancy, but these were what worked for me. Now, back to my bowl of green grapes!
- Emily, Life With Piper