What to Expect During the 1st Trimester

If you’ve been trying for any amount of time that dreaded two-week wait between ovulation and when you’d see a positive result can be torturous. It’s a bit of a cruel joke that period and early pregnancy symptoms are so similar. But when you do finally see that positive it’s good to know what to expect what changes will be coming and just how quickly you can expect to be dealing with things!

It’s important to remember every pregnancy and every person is different (& every pregnancy for a person can vary widely too) so you may experience all, some or none of these to varying degrees. 

Symptoms:

Tender, swollen breasts. Soon after conception, hormonal changes might make your breasts sensitive or sore. It may get less severe in your first trimester, but until then padded bras are a superhero providing armor from wince-worthy contact.

Nausea with or without vomiting. Morning sickness, mistakenly named can actually strike at any time of the day and doesn’t care if it’s 3pm, 3am or 730am. Usually due to rapidly rising hormone levels, you can find some relief by avoiding an empty stomach, eating slowly and smally meals and the obvious of avoiding your trigger smells. Staying hydrated and foods with Ginger may help. Motion sickness bands (link), Preggie Pops (link) or even IceBreakers Sour Watermelon (link) (weird I know, but I’ve heard from several Mamas this was their favorite go to because they could find it almost anywhere). Contact your health care provider if your nausea and vomiting is severe or you can not keep anything down.

Increased urination. You might find yourself spending a lot of time in the bathroom, yes the jokes are true you basically have to pee all the time from the moment you’re pregnant thanks to the increase of blood volume during pregnancy, causing your kidneys to process extra fluid that ends up in your bladder which means you have to pee approximately 55 times before noon.

Fatigue. You’ll probably feel like some goblin is stealing your energy, the goblin’s name is Progesterone and thanks to your soaring levels you’ll be extra sleepy. It probably seems counterproductive and the last thing you want to do but some light exercise and good food can make a world of difference.

Food aversions. You may find yourself running from the kitchen while making dinner or dreaming about quesadillas, yep you guessed it you can blame those pesky pregnancy hormones! Avoid your trigger foods and indulge in your cravings (in moderation, especially if you’re craving tres leches cakes or chicken alfredo) just make sure you’re getting your nutrients from all food groups. 

Heartburn. Pregnancy hormones relaxing the valve between your stomach and esophagus can allow stomach acid to leak into your esophagus, causing heartburn. If you find yourself being one of the unlucky women to suffer from heartburn try eating small, frequent meals and avoiding fried foods, citrus fruits, chocolate, and spicy or fried foods.

Constipation. That goblin Progesterone not only slows you down and makes you tired, but also slows down the movement of your digestive system and iron supplements can add to the problem. To prevent or relieve constipation, include plenty of fiber in your diet and drink lots of fluids, especially water and prune or other fruit juices. Regular physical activity also helps.

Bloating. You’ll probably be bloated, don’t freak out if you find your clothes to become uncomfortable almost immediately. All the extra blood flow to your uterus and water retention is bound to make your pants a little tighter. This can be especially true in subsequent pregnancies since your body already knows what to do and is all “I got this! Baby making time!” You could also feel fantastic and not touch maternity clothes until well into your second trimester, remember that whole “every pregnancy is different” thing?

Your First Trimester To Do List:

Figure out the date of your last period. You will be asked this A LOT so go ahead and have that date nailed down as it is used to determine your due date before your first prenatal visit.

Grab a high quality Prenatal. If you’re not already taking a high quality prenatal with folate go ahead and grab yourself one and get to taking it ASAP, prenatals help ensure you and your growing babe are getting the proper nutrients to grow strong and healthy and avoid things like Spina Bifida. If you’re experiencing all-day sickness taking your vitamins before bed often helps squash any nausea. 

Call your provider & schedule a prenatal visit. If you don’t have a provider starts shopping around for one it’s good to write out what you want in a provider and if you know what kind of birth you want to have it’s good to discuss that with any potential provider as well, after all, they will be a big part of this exciting overwhelming time in your life!

Each practice is a little different and your history will determine how early they want to see you and if your appointment consists of urinating in a cup and a “Congrats! You’re Pregnant! How’re you feeling? See you in ___ weeks.” or if you’ve got labs to measure HCG Beta Levels and a dating ultrasound in your future. There is no one “right way” and always feel free to bring as many questions as possible, to be sure your worries are put to rest and your provider is on the same page as you!

Download a Pregnancy App. If you’d like some fun updates about what your babe is working on developing and those cutesy size comparisons to produce then I suggest Nurture, Ovia Pregnancy or Pregnancy + (cost a few dollars but has neat features like seeing examples of babe in simulation, ultrasound, and 4D ultrasound along with the other standard features) 

Grab Some Books! While you’re in the learning mood, go ahead and add to your library & snag these birth and baby books, they’re tried and true and will keep you from Googling your symptoms.

Eliminate the “Pregnancy No-Nos.” If you’re not already, now is the time to eliminate alcohol, heat up your lunch meat (if you’re craving it), cut out uncooked sushi and lower your intake of high mercury fish like swordfish and shark.

Exercise. If you’re working out routinely you should be good to continue, listen to your body and stop all contact sports. If you’re not already working out, now is a great time to add in some light exercise to help with circulation, minimize discomfort as you and baby grow and help prep for labor and birth. As always, discuss any new routine with your provider.

It seems early but start considering:

• When and How you will announce

• If you want to do Maternity Photos

• Who will be on your Birth Team

• Whether you will have a birth photographer, Fresh 48 Session or Newborn Family Photos to capture these milestones in your family’s history.

Pro Tip: Look around your area and see what your options are for birth location, Doulas and Photographers. Often these Birth Professionals take on a limited number of clients to ensure their availability. Reaching out early for interviews and quotes will help you plan your budget and get deposits in on time to secure those professionals you really connect with.

And who knows maybe focusing on all these fun parts of pregnancy & growing your family will help distract you from the horrible morning sickness and newfound breast tenderness, and if it doesn’t hey at least you’ll be prepared.