The First Trimester (what got me through)

The first trimester: How quickly the initial excitement fades as the reality of the "what-the-eff-is-happening-to-my-body" symptoms set in. Between the nausea and the secret-keeping, those first 12 weeks can seem to stretch on forever. Luckily I stumbled upon a few things that helped get me through ...

Lemon and Ginger Tea
Everyone knows that ginger is supposed to help with nausea, but I read somewhere that you need to be taking it on a daily basis before it starts to make a difference. I drank this tea on the regular during those yucky weeks of all day nausea ... and it did seem to help. (Bonus points for the probiotics).

Carbs, carbs, carbs
For awhile there, I wasn't able to stomach anything but simple carbs. I stocked up on crackers, bagels, cereal and anything else that made me feel good. I usually felt best when I had a full tummy, and would sometimes throw up (gross, yes) if I let myself get too hungry.

Forever 21 Longline Knit Camis
I kid you not, I wear one of these almost every day, even now at 24 weeks. I bought one on accident pre-pregnancy (I thought it was a normal length tank), and hardly ever wore it. Once I got pregnant and the belly started to get a little bigger each day, I realized this was the perfect tank to put under all those those shirts that would soon be too short on me. And they're only $4! Stock up on the cheap stuff when you can, because maternity clothes are expen$ive.

BKR Water Bottle
I know you're supposed to drink a lot of water when you're pregnant, and I had been on the hunt for a new water bottle anyways, so I used this as my excuse and went with one of the pretty BKR bottles. There are so many colors to choose from, and I get compliments on my water bottle all the time.

Vitamins
Take your vitamins, y'all! I've been taking this one since before I was pregnant. I hate swallowing pills so I mix my liquid vitamin with a little bit of pomegranate juice and suck it back. I like that it has the DHA in it, so you don't need a separate supplement. Chase it with some OJ or Mango juice if vitamins are making you sick.

Cocoa Butter
Boobies, belly and thighs, everrry day. Never too early to start slathering on the lotion, right?

An Extra Pillow
Congestion is a fun little pregnancy bonus symptom. At night I made sure to prop that head up in an effort to keep the nasal passages a bit clearer.

Rubber Bands
You know, for this fun little my-pants-are-too-tight trick!

Books & Apps
I've been reading the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting, and Your Pregnancy Week by Week, both of which I borrowed from a friend. I also checked in with these two apps every morning: Ovia for updates and it's list of approved/unapproved foods and medications, and Glow for a daily update of what's going on with my baby.

An Understanding Husband 
(This is a big one!) Even though this pregnancy has been pretty drama free on all fronts, I know there were times that my dear husband probably wanted to kill me. The first trimester is full of moments where you just want to lie there, and you can't be bothered to complete even the simplest of tasks. I know it was not fun for him to have (at times) a seemingly helpless wife, and I could sense his frustration, but he loved me anyways and we made it through the tough days.

Fun, right?!