Taming the First Trimester

For some, pregnancy is a breeze. My first pregnancy was a cat walk (for the most part), in that I never got sick and felt really good 95% of the time. My biggest complaints were a strong intolerance for the smell of garbage and I didn't crave veggies during the first trimester. Oh, and how could I forget, I was 30+ weeks pregnant during Queensland summer, which was tough.

This time around has been a doozy, and I've had some really, really rough days (yup, not just morning sickness, all-hours-of-the-day-sickness).

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​Here are a few things that have helped:

1. Ginger tea
I'm not a fan of ginger, but when I found out that it was a quick and easy remedy for morning sickness, I was all about it! Ginger is a part of the zingiberaceae family, alongside the well known turmeric and cardamom, and it's most commonly used for reducing nausea, pain and inflammation. I try to add it to my cooking, especially if I'm making an asian dish, such as this.

Need tea inspo? You might like this or this brand.

2. Candied Ginger
I purchase this from The Source Bulk Foods to have on hand in a jiffy. It's great to eat as is, or to place in a cup of tea, or mug of boiling water for a quick fix.

My daughter likes to snack on these as well, so win-win! 

3. Plain biscuits
I normally avoid plain biscuits because they have zero nutritional value and serve no purpose except a massive hit of carbs to your daily intake.  Every night I'd place a mini pack of Premiums (4 crackers) on the night stand, and if I needed to take the edge off, I'd grab 1 or 2 on my way back to bed and catch some more Z's after my morning trip to the loo. I also needed to take my steroids as early as possible each morning (no later than 7am), so if I felt like I could stomach it, I'd take my tablets with the crackers and head back to sleep. This was a bland and tolerable snack that really works wonders for me. 

4. Frequent, small meals
5 times a day, 8 times a day, whatever you need to keep that sickness at bay.
For me, in the early days, it looked a little something like this:

6:30am: Small brekkie with morning meds (simple toast, peanut butter with banana and hemp/chia seeds)
7:30-8am: Second breakfast (eggs and a fruit salad or a smoothie)
Morning tea: 10am (homemade energy ball, or 2)
Lunch:12pm (Salad with veggies, nuts and a protein) 
Afternoon snack: 2/3pm (apple with peanut butter or a hard boiled egg x 1)
Dinner: 5-5:30pm (nothing too heavy)
7pm Evening treat: Cob's organic popcorn, a cold orange, or a mediterranean platter with preggo-safe cheese, nuts, pickles and dried fruit 

5. Ask for help 
"There is no award for being a martyr," I say. Stop trying to do it all for the praise of... whom? Ask your parents, friends or neighbors if and when you need assistance. Call the babysitter to come over and stay in the house while you nap. Make yourself a priority because you can't pour from an empty cup. I'm not a first time mum, so I need to keep well in order to look after my daughter and keep my own body a healthy and happy place for my growing bub.

6. Connect with your community
Pretty straight forward this one. If you're pregnant with your second child, make sure you hit up everything on offer in your town, such as: music classes; playgroups; church groups and gymbaroo. Keeping busy is a great way to help pass those long pregnancy months, and you will probably meet some other mums that are expecting as well.

If you're a first time mum; keep busy! Go to prenatal yoga classes, volunteer, join a book club or keep pinning all your favourite baby things on Pinterest. The first trimester can feel like forever and a day, especially if you aren't feeling well! Focus your energies on productive activities and keep a positive mindset!

Know a friend who is pregnant and might enjoy this advice? Pease share this post with them!

​EMK x