My Personal Experience During First Trimester (Plus My 1st Trimester survival Kit)

my first ever “bump pic” HAHAHAH. This was about 10 weeks!

Can I just say…the first trimester was a WILD RIDE. I’ve heard about it from my fellow ladies, I’ve studied it academically, and I *logically* know it can be a lot, but to EXPERIENCE it was completely different. 

When I first announced my pregnancy and asked you guys what question do you had, I got SO MANY women saying they were currently pregnant (and struggling) in their first trimester, and “what was your experience like, Kate????”

My answer was SO much longer than I could ever fit in an instagram caption, so let’s go for covering ALLLLL the details here.

In this post I’m going to outline my experience during the first trimester of my pregnancy, the moment I found out, challenges, aversions, allllll of the things that helped me get through — the whole nine yards. 

I feel a little scared to publish this because the LAST thing I want is to come across as is “whiny” in any way or “scare” anyone what first trimester is like— because EVERYONE’S experience is unique. Some people feel fantastic! Some people don’t! Some people are in-between! I just wanted to share what first trimester honestly felt like for me. While there were challenges, I am so thankful for this pregnancy, I know SO many women have had more challenging experiences than me, and now that I’m on the “other side”, I can easily say it was so, so, SO worth it.

… but it was still a WILD 12 weeks.

And now, without further ado, let’s dive into the ups (a few) and downs (a plenty) of the first trimester.

the moment i found out I was pregnant

In my last blog post (where I explained how I knew I felt “ready” for kids), I explained the whooooole process and all the details of how I found out I was pregnant.

…But, in a nutshell, on the 10th day past ovulation, I woke up, I peed on the stick, I saw it was POSITIVE… (!!!!)

I had a STRONG gut feeling I was pregnant, and seeing that pregnancy test was one of the most surreal, exciting, peaceful moments of my life. For whatever reason, I have always wanted to find out alone (anyone else???) so I took my test by myself in the bathroom and just felt soo overcome with gratitude and peace to see that positive. Adam was out on a run and I was all alone, but I was so excited to tell him when he got back. 

So, “How did you tell Adam???” so many of you asked on my instagram. And it’s honestly such a random story. 

Ya know those life moments you envision in your head???? One of mine was how I was going to tell adam we were pregnant.

For whatever reason (I truly have no idea where this came from), I had always envisioned that I would take a test in the AM and then put a note like “you’re gonna be a dad!” on Adam’s coffee. Because every single morning of our lives I wake up ahead of Adam, and then every single morning of our lives he wakes up, walks over, he gives me a kiss, and he promptly starts making his coffee. Like clockwork.

But this PARTICULAR morning he woke up ahead of me for some reason???? and went on a run???? so I was left frantically trying to get a note on his coffee before he got back. I quickly scribbled “you’re going to be a dad!” on a scrap piece of paper and taped it to the coffee grounds.

RIGHT after I placed the note on the coffee, he walked through the door. He gave me a kiss. I asked how his run was (ya know, I was trying to play it ~cool~ and not like OUR WHOLE LIVES HAD JUST CHANGED, lolz), and thennnnn I asked him if he wanted some coffee.

…………..and he says, “No, I’m actually good! I had some already before my run!”

HAHAHAHHAHA…. wait, WHAT????

Like, truly, the ONE morning he didn’t follow the 1) wake up after kate 2) kiss kate good morning 3) make coffee, classic Adam routine. CAN YOU STICK TO THE SCRIPT OF THE IMAGINARY SCENE IN MY HEAD, SIR?!?!?! 

So my brain was like short-circuiting because, in that moment, the only way I could think to tell him was still the note was on the coffee…and he didn’t want coffee (!!!) so I panicked and tried to think of a way for him to open the coffee cabinet (where i had placed the note) and apparently my malfunctioning brain decided to tell him there was a critter in the coffee cabinet (?????) and he had to look at it (?????). Plz, no one ever make me take do stand-up improv.

Anyway, it worked (somehow), and he opened the drawer and saw the note, and HERE is the video of his reaction– in his sweaty man running spandex and all!!! It was truly one of the happiest moments of my life. 

the moment adam found out he was going to be a dad & one of the happiest moments of my life. you can see his full reaction here :)

the first five (and a half) weeks

Honestly? Weeks 1 through 5 ½ of the first trimester were amazing. I felt exactly like myself (well not exaaaaactly — I was VERY bloated, instantly packed on a few pounds of water retention, and my boobs were so tender and started growing right away). I was definitely a little more tired, but I was still working out as normal, eating as normal, and for the most part, just feeling normal. 

…..and THEN, things changed.

Let’s just say from 5w4 to 12w0, things were…. um…. rough. *nervous laugh*

Did I have the worst first trimester ever? No. SOOOO many women have it way worse.
Did I have a ~glowing~ and #effortless first trimester? Absolutely not.

I’ll be quite honest, it was tough. 

But for some reason, I just had such a difficult time admitting that the first trimester was hard for a majority of it.

• “But I’m so lucky to be pregnant!”

• “So many women have it much worse than me”

• “I am lucky to have social support during this time… so many don’t….”

• “I got pregnant so easily… maybe this is just my price to pay”

• “SO many women go through first trimester— suck it up”.

As an eternal optimist and “strong” woman, I think I really struggle to admit when things are genuinely hard as my brain always goes to “so many people have it worse than me”. I didn’t want to seem WHINY. I didn’t want to be negative. I didn’t want to be a Debbie downer.

….Because I WAS soooo dang thankful to be pregnant. but it was also hard.

and it took me a while to admit that a duality existed in 1st trimester—

• I WAS thankful to be pregnant, and first trimester kind of kicked my butt.

• So many women DO have it worse than me, and first trimester still kind of kicked my butt.

• I DO care so much about my health and did everything “right”, and first trimester kind of kicked my butt.

• I AM a productive, driven woman, and first trimester kind of kicked my butt.

a kate spotted in her natural first trimester habitat— horizontal on the couch WHENEVER she could be with a warm water bottle on the tummy.

aversions & nausea & weight loss, oh my!

So, while the first 5 weeks were bliss, week five and a half hit and, like a light switch, I felt like a different human. 

I first noticed feeling “different” it when we went out for a brunch at one of our fav places, and the foods I would normally love sounded…. slightly gross?? OMG was this an aversion? I played it cool, ate as normally as I could, but internally took note that things were a’changing. 

The verrrrry next day, I woke up and was SO nauseous and repulsed by foods (and I mean REPULSED, which was soooo bizarre — like, am I a toddler?). And it’s not just that my healthy foods didn’t *sound* good, it’s that even the thought of most foods made me feel like I wanted to throw up. It’s one of those things you hear about, but you don’t really ~get it~ until you experience it. SO bizarre.

To be frank, first trimester kicked my butt from a food perspective. I was so nauseous– not just in the morning, but alllllll day. Every day. Nonstop. Some days were “better” than others, but there was pretty much a nonstop lingering feeling of “holy crap, I’m going to throw up” at like every moment. I kept describing it to adam as “feeling like you have a really bad hangover for weeks on end”.

I didn’t throw up every day (thank god), but I was intermittently throwing up 2ish days per week. I was either not throwing up at all during the day OR throwing up everythingggg during the day. And it was so hard to predict which “kind” of day it would be because they honestly felt the same from a nausea standpoint. So I constantly had that “i could throw up at any moment” feeling.

To be completely honest, I lost 11 pounds in the first trimester just from the complete lack of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. While not uncommon in pregnancy, this weight loss scared me. I felt so concerned about my baby and the weight loss, but just stayed in consistent communication with my midwives and did my best to communicate proactively with my providers. Baby was growing normally, and I just prayed that my appetite would return in 2nd tri.

I guess the thing that I’ll say about my first trimester— it's not that only certain foods sounded good, it’s that NOTHING sounded good. Even the foods that I was able to keep down didn’t sound appealing whatsoever— I just knew I needed to eat so I made myself. I felt sooo out of tune with my body and how I normally eat (intuitively, consistently, with joy!) Instead, I just felt like every meal I was force-feeding myself, just praying it would stay down, and feeling stressed because I knew that baby needed nourishment and I was losing weight…. 

I was trying to get as much down as I could, but my body felt SO picky on what it could “handle” and what it couldn’t. (and the foods that I was wanting were sooo different than my normal healthy choices!). 

So, how’d I handle it?

my montage of first trimester— rice, popsicles, crackers, my hot water bottle, and pukin’. such a PARTY!!!!!

how i navigated food in first trimester

One thing that gave me peace– I truuuuly trusted and relied on how well I nourished my body BEFORE pregnancy and knew my baby was still benefiting from my built-up nutrient stores. I had taken my pre-conception time quite seriously because I knew that eating healthy foods may not feel feasible first tri. So I was OK if my nutrition didn’t look “perfect” in pregnancy as long as I did the best I could because my baby WAS benefitting from how well I nourished my body in the years leading up to it. 

That said, I was still trying to make the “best” choices I could in pregnancy,  but I just felt at a loss…. I felt so nauseous all day, errrrday and was MOST disgusted by my “normal” foods (all veggies, healthy proteins, avocados, seasoning, bold flavors, etc.). like, I couldn’t even think about them.

Instead, pretty much ALL I was eating was rice, whole-ingredient popsicles, and bread. The trinity.

At first, I felt a little guilt and pressure about this — not eating allllllll the veggies and alllllllll the protein like how I normally eat. But ultimately, I just really learned to trust my body. If what my body was needing was more simple foods, I just really tried to listen to it and optimize them the best I could.

So if I wanted bread I was having gluten-free, simple ingredient bread. If I wanted soup I was having bone broth instead of processed soups. Instead of sugary fake popsicles, I got whole-ingredient, pure fruit popsicles from the co-op. and basically I was just trying to have the “real food” version of the junkier foods I was craving. 

The one thing I did REALLY try to force— was getting in as much protein as humanly possibly even when I felt so grossed out of most sources. However, it is SO IMPORTANT so I did the best to sneak it in how I could (protein is sooo great for helping to reducing nausea, managing blood sugar, great for baby, mom, etc.). Even though it was difficult, I did manage to get a decent amount of protein in through protein powders, peanut butter, almonds, beans, yogurt, etc.

… but there were ALSO days where ALL i consumed was tater tots. For every meal. (i am not even exaggerating a little bit on this.) 

Basically— I really tried to ride the line of HONORING my body, but not making excuses to just eat junk. To be frank, I don’t subscribe to the “eat whatever you want!” mentality of pregnancy that is common her in the U.S. This approach can be problematic for both mom and baby outcomes. In fact, I think pregnancy it is one of THEE most important times to nourish yourself. but it’s NOT easy when you’re nauseous— so it’s just about doing the best you can.

There is a difference between allowing yourself more bread than you normally would— and following ANY craving you have. Basically, I found a spot where it’s OK to have a little more wiggle room, but not a place where I would just think “to heck with it!!!” and go crazy with alllll the carbs & sweets & cookies & any cravings that came my way.

Basically, I tried to allow myself the tater tot days (when I truly needed them), give myself grace, get food down, but also try to nourish my baby along the way. It’s a tricky balance— but I think it’s about keying into yourself and knowing the difference between what was a “reason” and what was an “excuse” when it came to making nutrition choices in 1st trimester. Some days, getting ANYTHING down was a victory. Other days, when I felt a little better, I tried to fit in as much nutrients and protein as I could.

To sum it up— I did the best I could. I totally gave myself permission not to have all the things I thought I “should” be having (veggies, quality meat, etc.), but still COMMITTED to doing the best I could (quality ingredients, protein where I could, staying hydrated etc.) with the things I WAS having.

FOODS THAT I DID OK WITH FIRST TRIMESTER: 

• rice (I would often top with ghee, collagen powder, bone broth, etc. to fit in some healthy protein/fat)

• GF bread (would top with peanut butter to sneak in protein/fat)

• tater tots (Would make a “dipping sauce” out of full fat greek yogurt for protein/fat)

• Smoothies (Again, would jam pack with as much protein, fat, and fiber as I could)

• crackers (with peanut butter for protein/fat)

• dry cereal (would snack throughout the work day to keep something in my stomach)

• popsicles (tried to find the most simple, natural ingredient ones)

• chicken & rice soup (or sometimes just plain bone broth to sip on for collagen/protein)

• bananas (with peanut butter, almonds, etc.)

not sponsored, but daily harvest smoothies were CLUTCH 1st tri. I loved that they were ready-to-go (preparing food was SO nasty to me, hahahah). I would just add some protein powder, healthy fat (nut butter), and fiber (chia seed, flax seed, etc.) to maximize the nourishment. These were soooo nice to have on the days where it was hard to keep things down.

so. dang. tired.

While the nausea was the worst part for me, the exhaustion was WILD too. Like, I never understood JUST HOW TIRED you get in first tri.

For someone who really cares about how they take care of themselves and is “used to” feeling energetic, productive, and driven, it was so draining to feel so lethargic and so out of energy — just getting through my workday was SO difficult. Just completing household tasks felt hard. Just doing the things that make me feel “me” felt WAY too effortful. It was like a full-body fatigue— mentally & physically.

Now that I’m “out of” this stage, I’ve already kind of forgotten what it was like. Like, was it REALLY that bad, Kate?

But, it was. Things that were normally EFFORTLESS for me– answering emails, doing the dishes, showing up to work, truly felt SO hard. I was sleeping 12 hours a night, and literally could’ve taken a nap at any point of any day if given the opportunity, hahahha.

Despite sleeping 12-14 hours a night (God bless my 11:30AM work start time), and even though I was so low energy, not a lot of people even knew I was pregnant at that time. I was naturally just more isolated from loved ones, I wasn’t as active here on the blog, and I felt like I was very much “in my own world”. I didn’t feel lonely, actually, just moreso that my energy was SO limited to me, baby and adam. Basically, anything beyond that felt draining. I barely made ANY plans, struggled to get back to emails, texts, BARELY showed up on social media, etc., and really just kept to myself during first tri.

During this time, I was working full time 40 hours at my job, teaching college courses on the side, finishing up my health coaching board certification, trying to run my blog…. it was tough and I felt like I was “behind” on EVERYTHING. But, honestly, was a great learning moment for me— WHY do I have this much stuff on my plate? I know that life is only going to get more hectic and tiring once baby arrives so HOW am I going to do ~all~ of this??? I have a tendency of over-booking myself, and first tri was a powerful reflection time for me on prioritizing what I want long-term and how I can prepare myself from a schedule/responsibilities standpoint for when baby arrives.

At first I was really stressed about the productive time I was missing, normally I work on the blog in the mornings before my real job and I was just sleeping through that time chunk. My energy levels felt like they were 10% of what I could normally do — it was next-level exhaustion, and I’ve never known tiredness like that. I just felt so helpless and so low energy. It was just such an odd time not feeling like myself. Just a tired, nauseous, low energy Kate.

It’s like logically, I knew I WAS GROWING A HUMAN AFTER ALL. but emotionally, it still feels hard to feel so low energy for weeks on end.

But, then I had a powerful moment where I kind of softened to the first trimester & surrendered….

the routine: i would literally go to bed at like 9:00-10:00PM and wake up around 11:00AM… like WHO can sleep that much???? it was so wild.

surrendering to first trimester (this helped SO MUCH)

As much as I wasn’t feeling like myself, I would say the moment things turned for me was when I just surrendered to the experience (around 8 weeks— 3 weeks after symptoms started). 

When I allowed my body to just feel that way instead of fighting it every single day. At first I was like, “yesterday was a bad day, but tomorrow will be better!!!! and maybe I can improve this!!!!” I was spending so much energy just *constantly* trying to make it better instead of just allowing it to be the reality.

One night I was lying in bed, I had barely eaten all day and I felt so weak and SO sick. I broke down and started crying and praying like, “I surrender to what my body needs. If my body is acting like this, clearly it’s what it needs to grow this baby right now and that’s what’s most important to me. I allow it, I surrender, I give my body permission to feel how it needs to feel and I will tough it out.”

It was just like that kind of breaking point where instead of fighting it every day and instead began giving myself and my body grace — that mental shift released a lot. I’m not saying I physically was immediately better (becuase I definitely wasn’t), but mentally it gave me a sense of peace and trust that my body was doing it what it needed and I just had to stop “fighting” it.

First trimester is hard. It just is. And there is a REASON for this. accepting how I felt, rather than constantly trying to “make it better” honestly did help.

Because if I do “trust my body” and feel so in tune with my health when I am feeling good 99% of the time— why shouldn’t I give my body the same trust when it’s in a hard place and clearly trying to communicate with me????

It was just a powerful moment where I realized this IS out of my control. I can do the small things that help, I can set myself up for success— but what was happening in my body was bigger than me— and I was ready to trust, surrender, and let my body take the regins.

I trust my body. So, if it’s telling me it NEEDS all this sleep and these simple foods, I’m going to give it those things. I’m going to listen. I’m going to let my body take care of my baby the way it so beautifully & amazingly & intuitively knows how to do.

a journal entry from 1st trimester about how I felt emotionally:

WEEK 8:

“Feeling very inward. Not sad at all— just like craving my own energy and really wanting to be alone. Def not in as close of contact with others & more isolated— but by choice. I genuinely feel no desire to be on social media, text, call, etc. it’s like ALL my energy is going inward into creating this baby & I have nothing else to give.

I’ve come the realization that first trimester is not something to “tough out”. It is something to soften to.
I feel my guard down. I feel feminine. I feel fragile. I feel an inwardness that I can’t quite place my finger on— but i know it is a gentle whisper I must listen to.

With nearly every other obstacle in my life, my atttitude has been “so what? Let’s push through it.” But this? It’s more like surrendering to it. ALLOWING it to be what it is and releasing my own agenda. (A very unlike kate thing to do)

But somehow this slow down feels innate. Generational. Animalistic. Out of my hands.

I am asking for help. Pushing back deadlines. Letting texts go I responded. Saying no. Protecting my energy. Resting more. not by choice— but by instinct. I almost can’t help it.

Usually I have to FORCE myself to close the laptop. To stop working. To log out of Instagram. lately I can’t even seem to make myself start these things to begin with.

I feel completely in my own little family’s world— me, adam, & baby. It’s as if all my attention is there first. And EVERYTHING else comes after.”

meditation, prayer, and SURRENDERING to what my body needed was such a powerful energetic shift for me.

week 12 — a return to normal

So, from 8 weeks on, I still felt pretty $hiTTY, but I had a PEACE about it. A trust that this WAS for the greater good of my baby. Was it a joyride? Noooo. But I just had more of an acceptance around feeling crummy than constantly upset about it.

And then, like the light switch was flipped again, at 12 weeks and literally zero days I felt SO much better. For me, the whole “once first trimester is over, you’ll feel better” WAS true. I know that is not the case for so many women (i had mentally prepared to NOT feel better at 12 weeks) so I was pleasantly surprised and so grateful to round the corner.

While it wasn’t instantly perfect (I think my final throw up session was around 14 weeks, and I still have food aversions— even right now as I write this as 18 weeks), but my energy was coming back, my appetite was returning, and it didn’t feel impossible to get through my work shift anymore!

 I remember that I kept saying “I feel like myself again.” I felt like myself with my energy levels (I could get by on 9 hours of sleep instead of 12!!!), I was more driven, more interested in food, my appetite slowly returned…it was such a beautiful feeling. 

Nothing makes you appreciate how you feel in your health more than weeks of feeling terrible. And it just was such a gift — at 12 weeks we saw the baby move on the ultrasound and it was just such a great time. I felt the tides turning, and I was so grateful.

First trimester REALLY made me appreciate how great & nourished & energetic I normally feel. It’s taught me vividly WHY i focus so much on my health and prioritize. 12 weeks of feeling blah, low energy, under-fueled was such a vivid learning experience in what it can be like to feel consistently bad in your body. It really grounded me in the fact that feeling GOOD, VIBRANT, HEALTHY, ENERGETIC is suuuuuch a worthwhile venture and such a DAMN GIFT!!!! Seriously, I am so grateful for my body, my health, my energy— and it feels sooo good to have them “back” in a lot of ways in 2nd tri (…but more on that later, *wink*)

hi, lil nugget. we love you :)

what i’ve learned after going through my first trimester

Someone asked me in my Q+A: “What did you think you understood about pregnancy but you *really* get after living it?” 

I will just say that the first trimester really can be all-consuming. It’s a huuuuuuge thing happening in your life, not many people know about the pregnancy, and you often don’t feel like yourself (mentally, emotionally, physically). Some people feel amazing and great (and truly do NOT feel #guilty if youre one of those people! I think it’s amazing!!!), but I think for a majority, first trimester can be triiiiicky and exhausting to navigate. 

While I knew all the symptoms on a “textbook” level and from talking to other moms in my life— you never REALLY know what it feels like to feel crappy for WEEKS on end until it happens to you. Of course I knew that these symptoms exist logically, but now I GET IT. So, to any mom who will tell me she’s going through the first trimester and having a tough time, I feel like I’ll really be able to empathize with that & offer support more. I just feel like I GET the mental & physical weight that first trimester can have.

things that helped me get through my first trimester

Alright, I’m going to rapid-fire list out some of the things that helped me manage everything that was going on during my first trimester. I think the important thing to remember here as that not many things (if anything) will “solve” your first trimester symptoms. Your body is going to go through what it has to go through. THAT SAID, there are things that can help make it a little better. Here is the lineup of things that I used day-in and day-out first trimester, and I hope they help!!!

• Nausea acupressure bands: These wrist bands press on an anti-nausea acupressure P-6 point, and I wore these ALL the time. I’d say they helped a noticeable amount. Are they going to cure everything? No. Are they going to help a bit? Yes. NOTE: these won’t work at all if they aren’t placed properly on the acupressure P-6 point. I would just make sure they’re placed properly so really look for about three finger breadths below the base of the wrist (you can youtube/google proper placement of P-6 too).

• Daily Harvest smoothies: Smoothies were one of the things that I implemented because I am able to pack SO MUCH nutrition in even when I didn’t feel like eating (protein! Healthy fats! Fiber! Fruits and veggies! here is my go-to smoothie formula). For ease, I used a lot of Daily Harvest. To be honest, I’ve used them for a few years intermittently— but I NEVER appreciated them more than during first trimester. They were super easy to keep on hand in my freezer for days where I was too tired to make anything or too nauseous to even think about preparing food. These are the most amazing “back up plans” ever (for pregnancy or just a busy lifestyle!). This link saves ya $25 off your first box if you want to give it a try. (not sponsored— just a refer-a-friend link!)

• Peppermint essential oil: This was a godsend! I had a lot of headaches during my first trimester, and just rubbing some peppermint essential oils my temples and neck felt sooooooo cooling and relieving especially since I personally didn’t want to reach for medicine in the first trimester. It feels like nature’s “icy hot” and is so cool and tingly to the skin. One study even found that topical peppermint essential oil application was as effective as taking Tylenol for headaches. (Looking for more info on natural headache remedies? This post is for you.). In case you’re curious, I get all of my essential oils from here. (again, not sponsored! just refer-a-friend!)

• this. bra. is. amazing: Gosh, I wish I would’ve boughtthis specific bra sooner. I had a decent amount of bralettes and light support bras already so I didnt’ think I “needed” a new bra for this time even though my boobs were growing and quite tender.I rotated through what I had, but i was always somewhat uncomfortable and “constrained” for lack of a better word. . But, then, I finally bought THIS BRA specific for mamas and it was a game-changer. I honestly bought multiple because it is soooo comfy yet adds the perfect amount of support. The material is like butter. I am just so happy I invested in a little piece that makes the girls more comfortable. 10/10.

• maternity jeans: okay, this is another thing I wish I would’ve bought sooner—these. maternity. jeans. the thing about first trimester is that you aren’t really “showing” yet, but you ARE growing. My jeans felt sooo uncomfortable by even 8 weeks, but I kept just fighting through because it felt “too early” to buy maternity jeans. Finally, around week 14 (and wearing nothing but yoga pants because all jeans felt like they were choking me, hahahah), I bought a pair of maternity jeans and I am OBSESSED. They are sooo comfy & chic & flattering and I they have already evolved so well as my bump continues to grow. They are a bit spendy, but I have already worn them like over 15 times since I got them a few weeks ago— definitely a “staple” piece for this pregnancy and my future ones! (I am typically a 27-28 in jeans pre-pregnancy, and I ordered the 27 in these and they fit GREAT! and still a lot of room to “grow into” as my bump continues to get bigger)

• Having people in your corner: This one is a personal choice — a lot of people don’t like to tell anyone when they’re pregnant, but I did tell a good amount of people and I’m so thankful I did because I think everyone should have at least someone in their corner. Someone who you can tell when you feel crappy, who knows you’re pregnant and can empathize with you. I can’t imagine going through the first trimester alone and just not having people know you’re feeling awful. Having my friends & fam in the loop made it SO MUCH EASIER to turn down plans and protect my energy when I was just feeling blah because they KNEW. I didn’t feel like I was “hiding” anything from those closest to me, and therefore, I felt so supported & loved the whole time :)

my GUY. he did ALL of the cleaning, ALL of the cooking ALL of, well, everything for the entire first trimester. And even would surprise me with “just because” foot rubs. He is such a tender man with a good heart— and he NEVER made me feel guilty. Just a note to say, I love you, pal.

• Baths: There’s a lot of mixed research on taking baths in the first trimester because you don’t want to raise your core body temp too much. But once I got the go-ahead from my midwife, baths were really the only time aside from being asleep that I could feel a little bit better  (and I just made sure the water wasn’t too hot as that is where the concern comes from). I literally took baths just about every night. Bonus: I added epsom salts or magnesium flakes. to my baths to relieve muscle tension and to help me relax and sleep. I’m truly a bath queen, so this was huge for me. Ahhhhhhhhh.

• Ginger: okay, to be honest, I didn’t feel like ginger helped me THAT much for nausea. I tried a few ginger candies, some “nausea relieving ginger tea”, but I didn’t notice that much of a difference from them. If anything, my classic ginger-turmeric tea from trader joes was my go-to source of ginger, but really, I didn’t depend on it that much. 

• unisom: another thing that did NOT work for me personally is unisom. I was hesitant to take any meds, but got the go-ahead from my midwife for this combo. Many women swear by this for managing nausea, but it did not jive with me. I had HALF a tablet one time and instantly knocked out for a 4 hour nap. I think since I rarely take meds, my body is just so sensitive to them???? so this was just not realistic for me as I needed to get through my workday and was already having issues staying awake WITHOUT the Unisom, hahahha. However, for a lot of women, the unisom+B6 combination is a godsend for nausea so just run it by your provider and see if it’s a good fit for you! Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you & I know lots of women LOVE this combo :)

• a few other things I tried and didn’t like: I tried a few “morning sickness” and pregnancy specific supplements, teas, etc. and didn’t notice much change. Instead, they felt like just “one more thing” to take, do, remember, etc. Instead, I really just tried to focus on the basics— getting good rest, staying hydrated, having as much protein as I could, and experimenting with little things that felt good for ME and did help (stretching in the morning was oddly helpful???, the warm water bottle, munching on dry cereal, going on walks, etc.). I think I just came to the realization that there probably isn’t ONE MAGICAL THING that will solve how you’re feeling so instead just do the small “basic” things the best you can :)

• a few random tips for nutrition: try small, more frequent meals (especially with protein if you can muster it!), eating something before you get out of bed can be helpful (a few crackers on your nightstand), consider NOT having water with meals (as the water dilutes the acid in your stomach and can make it more difficult to digest the food/increase nausea) and instead have your water between meals, etc.

• Sleep: Okay, back to the things I LOVED. Sleep. Really. Prioritize it. Sleep as much as you can. (I know this looks differently for everyone). I feel like sleeping was the only time I didn’t feel nauseous, so I loooooooved sleeping & it allows your body to rest after working SO HARD. (Looking for tips on how to have the best sleep of your life? Look no further than my holistic sleep guide— it’s free!) 

• Sneaking in protein: I know it’s often the last thing you want first tri (especially from meat sources) but protein *does* help with nausea. Nausea gets worse when your body is breaking down ketones, so having protein and regular smaller meals helps prevent this . If meat sounds disgusting, even a small spoonful of peanut butter, some almonds, mixing in protein powder, etc. can go a long way. 

• Hot water bottle: Just something to have on my tummy (again, not too hot!), but this was sooooooooo comforting to me. Adam joked that this was like an extra limb on me— I had this warm water bottle on my tummy alllll the time.

• Acupuncture: I did get acupuncture to help with nausea, and I honestly do feel like it helped. But I didn’t get it until like ten and eleven weeks and I started feeling better around twelve weeks, so I don’t know if it was just the timing of what I was experiencing in my first trimester, but I *did* feel better after my sessions. Definitely something worth looking into if you’re experiencing nausea! While I would’ve loved to go really consistently, it is a bit of a costly so I only did it a few times.

• Prayer and meditation: This was huuuuuuuuge for me. Turning inward truly helped me to pray and surrender and trust that my baby was being given what it needed and that  I just needed to push through it. Getting quiet and spending some time in prayer and meditation really helped me remember my WHY, and that this will alllllllll be worth it without a doubt.

• Walks and movement: I honestly did stay pretty active in my first trimester, simply because it’s just a part of who I am. Working out just feels like a part of me, and getting outside *did* help even though it was often the last thing I wanted to do. Were my workouts really intense? oftentimes, no. But even just a small, slow walk did really help me (both physically and mentall). Getting a brief strength session in helped me feel like myself and DO SOMETHING for my body (when so much felt out of my control, it felt good to be “in charge” of how I worked out). If nothing else, getting outside for a walk helped to remind myself that the world is bigger than lying on the couch and feeling nauseous. (sounds dramatic, but was so TRUE first tri)

as always, momma nature to rescue.

• LMNT electrolyte powders: Oh my gosh. Even when everything sounds disgusting you do NOT want to get dehydrated. These natural packets of electrolytes helped me stay hydrated and added a little flavor to water because even plain WATER was making me nauseous (think of them like a clean ingredient powerade). I MUCH prefer these to “liquid IV” as those have sooo much necessary sugar. These packets are a great healthy option for hydration and were a total game changer for me, and I HIIIIIGHLY recommend.

• The reminder that nausea indicates less of a chance of miscarriage: This was simply comforting to me. While NOT having nausea isn’t a bad sign (truly!), the data does show that women who experience nausea in the first trimester tend to have better outcomes and less chance of miscarriage. Knowing this and holding tight to this DID help me because the gross feelings felt PURPOSEFUL and easier to accept. Another perspective shift that was crucial when I was feeling at my worst. 

• Sparkling water: Again, when plain water wasn’t doing the trick (orrrrr because it was making me nauseous), I LOVED drinking sparkling water throughout my first trimester and stay hydrated. I would often add splashes of organic lemonade, cranberry juice, etc. to add a bit of flavaaaa.

• Journaling: Similar to prayer and meditation, journaling created a safe space for me to release how I was feeling. Journaling through my workbooks was such a powerful time of the process.

• Peppermint tea: Or any tea, really. I tried to be constantly sipping on something. (You can explore a lot of my favorite teas here)

• Flexibility and accepting help: With what I thought, with what I expected, with myself. Blog posts that would normally take me a week to write I just couldn’t get to, emails that took me days to respond, and I just felt like I was slower alllll around. Our house was messier. I needed to ask for more help from Adam, my mom, my friends…it felt odd to me, but being flexible in how I needed to be cared for was so important during this time.

• Dry brushing: This is a self-care habit I’ve practiced for a loooooong time for lymphatic drainage and a skincare boost, and I really enjoyed sticking with it throughout my first trimester as well just to keep my circulation going. (learn more about dry brushing here)

• Advocating for yourself: Just a note to express your concerns to your provider and be OPEN. When I was worried about the weight loss, I made sure I was addressing it proactively at appts. Knowing they were aware gave me peace of mind. There was a stretch of a few days where I was throwing up CONSTANTLY. I truly could not keep anything down, including fluids, and I was getting nervous about dehydration— so I reached out and add a plan of action with my care providers. Just knowing they were aware and following their guidance was really helpful. If you don’t tell them— they won’t know!

• Having no plans: Try not to put too much on the calendar! Seriously. I am SO GLAD that my morning sickness just so happened to fall during a period where we had less weekend plans. I truly SAVORED these days without plans and it’s so nice to have the flexibility to NOT do stuff when you’re feeling crummy.

• Give yourself grace & take it day-by-day: Here’s the thing— first trimester will look differently for ALL of us. Some of us feel great! Some of us feel terrible! Some of us have bad nausea while others deal with heart burn! Some of us are working— some of us aren’t! So often we compare who had a “better” or “worse” experience than us and compare. But there’s no need! Someone could’ve had a completelyyyyy different experience than you, and both perspectives are valid. WHATEVER your story is with first trimester— allow it to be yours. We ALL have a different pregnancy and comparing yours to someone else’s isn’t helpful. Just try to stay in your own lane, do the best you can for YOUR pregnancy, and give yourself grace. There is not one “right” way to navigate first trimester— tune in, follow your intuition, do the best you can to nourish that little babe, work closely with your provider, and write your OWN first-trimester story. It won’t look like anyone else’s and that’s ok (and beautiful!)

well, there you have it!

Probably more detail than anybodyyyyyy asked for about my first trimester: the ups and downs, the moments of weakness, the nausea and aversions, and finally the beautiful surrender and acknowledgment that what I’m doing right now is bigger than me — and that the expectations that I had for myself, and my body, and this pregnancy were okay to be held loosely. 

It’s honestly just so odd— because once you’re “out of it”, your brain kind of forgets what it was REALLY like— which is why I’m glad I took notes and my journal. Like, even re-reading this post, I’m like— was it actually that bad, Kate??? You sound dramatic. But, the truth is, it was tough. Was it impossible? No. Was it enjoyable? Nooooo, ma’am. But, on the “other side” of it, I can say it was SO, SO worth it.

I hope some of this information can be a resource for you, and again, thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support for us and our lil one. Cheers, friends!

here’s what’s next…