First Trimester Update

Well I'm 15 weeks and STARTING to feel a little more like myself. Like most women, I'm relieved the first trimester - full of queasiness and fatigue - is over. And I'm actually excited to have a pregnant belly and not to just feel bloated.

(I KNOW it's early, but isn't this belly riding high? Not sure if that's all the exercise I've been doing or an indication of something else??)

When pregnant with Quincy, I craved salt like crazy from the get-go. With Gabe, I craved citrus. This pregnancy is marked by a distinct absence of any craving so far and a serious lack of appetite for dinner in particular. All three times bread and cheese have been staples of my first trimester.

Another interesting factoid about this pregnancy is that I weigh exactly the same at 15 weeks this time as I did with pregnancy #1 and #2, BUT I started off 10 pounds heavier than I did with #1 and #2. So far I've lost weight but my body has ended up in the same place - our bodies are so amazing, ladies!

Now that I'm feeling a little better, I am going to get serious about eating more veggies and upping my daily protein to the recommended 80-100 grams. I have to practice what I preach after all!

I also wanted to share my hacks for surviving first trimester based on my experience as a Bradley instructor and as a third time mom.

1. NAP. When I worked in downtown DC with my first pregnancy, I was lucky enough to have a couch in my office and I totally grabbed a 20 minute catnap during my lunch break. Then when I was pregnant again and worked from home, I napped when my toddler napped. This time, I was worried I wouldn't find time to nap because my eldest dropped his nap about two weeks before this one was conceived. So I got creative. I put the baby down for his afternoon nap, put Quincy's favorite cartoon on, and I nap beside him on the couch. It's not deep sleep by any means but I do feel better after 30-40 minutes of rest. If you can't nap during the day, take a quick snooze as soon as you get home so you don't crash insanely early.

2. Keep crackers or a banana by your bed. Sometimes I would wake up feeling super queasy and eating just a little bit of something would help.

3. TUMS. It helps ease the queasiness and is a great calcium supplement.

4. Even when you don't feel like eating, eat or you will just feel worse! Also, drink lots of water even though your hormones make you pee all the time.

5. To extend the use of your regular pants, use a hair tie! See pictorial here. OR buy some of these belly covers to cover the top of your pants and hold them up with the elastic. Pro tip: These also come in handy to cover your postpartum belly when you want to nurse!

6. Don't feel like you have to give up caffeine altogether! You can have up to 100mg a day. I would have one soda or one coffee almost every day I was pregnant with babes one and two - alas this time my homemade black coffee is giving me heartburn so I'll get a decaf latte when I'm out and about or else I'll have the occasional soda (gasp the homesteading mama drinks soda!?). That little pick me up has done wonders.

7. You CAN work your abs! (and you don't to your own detriment!) Bradley teaches exercises that work your back, belly, and butt - the muscles we need most for an efficient labor and delivery. My first pregnancy, I totally let my abs go because I "didn't want to hurt the baby." Maintaining your core is only going to help your baby and mitigate postpartum low back issues. I kept up crunches until 9 weeks when I started to become conscious of my uterus getting bigger and since then I've been doing crunches on my side, planks, and other creative ab exercises. Don't underestimate the power of good posture and getting in the habit of engaging your core even while you're just standing in line at the grocery store.

Fellow mamas, leave your tips for surviving first trimester in the comments below!