Overcoming 1st Trimester Symptoms (morning sickness, breast tenderness, acne, fatigue and more!) | Ep. 03
Today’s episode of the Learning To Mom Podcast we’ll be chatting about the most common first trimester signs and symptoms which are: morning sickness, fatigue, exhaustion, breast tenderness, frequent urination, mood swings, food cravings and aversions, acne. If you can get through this first trimester- you’ll be okay.
Hello! It’s Laila- your mom friend. Here to give you the rundown on all things pregnancy and birth so you can be empowered, informed and even be encouraged. On this week’s episode, I’m gonna share how to overcome some of the negative “side effects” or symptoms, that you experience in the first trimester. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not to be taken as medical advice. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice.
This week’s episode I’m going to discuss the most common side effects or symptoms of first trimester and what you can do to overcome them.
Hello! It’s Laila- your mom friend. Here to give you the rundown on all things pregnancy and birth so you can be empowered, informed and even be encouraged. On this week’s episode, I’m gonna share how to overcome some of the negative “side effects” or symptoms, that you experience in the first trimester. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not to be taken as medical advice. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice.
This week’s episode I’m going to discuss the most common side effects or symptoms of first trimester and what you can do to overcome them.
First, depending on where you are in your pregnancy…. you may not be experiencing any of these because it typically doesn’t hit until you're about 6 weeks along. And by 8 weeks pregnant, 90% of women experience symptoms. Some women experience some signs and symptoms RIGHT AWAY- Like they go and take a pregnancy test because they’re like, “I feel pregnant”. So each woman is different. For the majority of us, we are strugglingggg in first trimester because of these symptoms and we are all hoping and praying that our body ONLY feels this way in the first trimester. There are some women who feel nauseous or exhausted or have tender boobs, like we’ll get into all those symptoms but they’ll feel them throughout the entire pregnancy and ooooof that’s really rough and I really hope if you’re feeling these symptoms, you only have to endure them throughout the first trimester.
What I think makes 1st trimester the HARDEST trimester to get through is because 1. These signs and symptoms are really really tough but 2. You’re typically “hiding” your pregnancy in first trimester so your having to come up with excuses why you’re not drinking, why you want to go to bed at 7pm and why you threw up in the trashcan because you smelled your coworker’s lunch.
So today’s episode we’ll be chatting about the most common 1st trimester signs and symptoms which are: morning sickness, fatigue, breast tenderness, frequent urination, mood swings, food cravings and aversions, acne. If you can combat these symptoms and at least not feel like you’re DYING these first 12 weeks- you’ll be okay. The goal here is to make 1st trimester a little easier on ya.
So the first symptom we’ll chat about today is…
Morning sickness
First and foremost, SPOILER ALERT- morning sickness is NOT just in the mornings. It can be all day long or just at night or just after lunch or wheneverrrr. Each pregnancy is different.
For me, I threw up consistently every single morning and night from about week 6 to the beginning of 2nd trimester. I got lucky that it was never during working hours. Like from 8am to 6pm, I was safe. But I would throw up outside of those hours. I really don’t think I had it any worse than the average woman.
I do remember losing a few pounds and being concerned about it because I just couldn’t keep anything down which really wasn’t fun because like THAT’S how much I threw up- that I lost weight. But very very thankful that I didn’t have nausea past the 1st trimester.
A few tips and tricks I learned to help…
Get out of bed SLOWLY. Do not just JUMP out of bed, or JUMP to stand up. Give yourself time to adjust slowwwllllyyy.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Instead of having large meals, eat more snacky quantities of food. But make these snacks, still nutritious. Make sure you’re trying to eat your veggies, fruits and healthy fats. Some nutrition is better than 0 nutrition, so just keep that in mind, but also- MUCH easier said than done depending on how bad you’re experiencing nausea. Just having smaller meals help prevent your stomach from becoming too full or too empty. An empty stomach can make nausea worse- that’s why a lot of times you’ll vomit and it’s like yellow bile. That’s also why a lot of times it’s RIGHT as soon as you wake up. Try to start the day with a cracker before you get out of bed or something.
Some foods that are typically more tolerable for women in the first trimester that can help with just having something in your stomach are:
Blueberries
Nuts and seeds
Cheese
Oats
Yogurt
Bananas
This next one is much easier said than done and that’s to avoid triggering smells. I had such a strong aversion to chicken throughout the entire pregnancy, that I couldn’t even smell it. If I did, I would throw up. So I avoided chicken like it was the plague. Another time I remember throwing up in the car because Matthew and I just got to his truck at the airport parking lot after a long trip and the smell of diesel exhaust made me gag for a solid minute. That was really unpleasant.
Stay hydrated- you should be doing this anyway because you’re pregnant, but it also helps with nausea. PRO TIP: Drink ginger tea (because ginger has natural anti-nausea properties), or gatorade (or something like it) for the electrolytes since you’re losing electrolytes when you throw up.
Lastly, there are medications and supplements you can take to help with morning sickness, talk to your doctor about it!
NEXT UP- Fatigue
This is THE most common side effect of the 1st trimester. It’s really wild because you’d think you would be most exhausted when the baby is BIG like third trimester- but nope, you are EXHAUSTED in the first trimester. Which is so frustrating because you’re not really telling anyone yet but you are absolutely WIPED out. Honestly, the 1st trimester exhaustion was really hard for me to get through. This was my typical day during the 1st trimester: wake up, throw up, work until 5 or 6, eat a dinner, throw up before bed and be asleep by 7.
Here’s the thing about fatigue though.. It’s not something that you have to “get over”- it’s not something that you need to overcome or just GET through. Your body is exhausted because it’s doing SO much work, it’s forming eyes and ears and organs and everythinggg
So you yourself are exhausted and you need to honor that because your body is telling you, “i need rest. This is hard work.”
So instead of telling you tips and tricks for overcoming fatigue, here are some tools for you to better equip your body and give your body the BEST rest it can so that your body is more effective.
One. Get at least 7 hours a night. I know it’s hard, again- easier said than done, but you are tired because your body is telling you that you need rest, so honor that. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and listen to your body's signals for rest during the day. Take short naps if needed!!!
Two. delegate tasks. There is nooo shame in delegating tasks and asking for help. I know it can be silly looking because no one would even know youre pregnant yet, but seriously- do not take on any more projects at work, don’t volunteer for stuff, don’t over commit to social stuff. Lean on your partner, family, or friends for support with household chores, errands, or other responsibilities. It’s all about conserving energy.
Three. Eat a balanced diet and drink water!! I feel like this one is just like a given and is really obvious. I would say though, calories in general is more important than 0 calories. Noted: I am not a doctor, sooo maybe that’s bad advice. But the 1st trimester, it can be really hard to get anything down. So if the only thing you can get down are saltine crackers, then eat the saltine crackers and worry about eating a balanced diet when you’re not concerned about throwing everything up.
Next common symptom in the first trimester is Breast tenderness
THIS is the one that a lof of women are like like, “im pregnant, my boobs are tender”. I can’t relate haha, I don’t think my boobs were ever tender and they never changed either- I didn’t get “pregnancy boobs”.Even throughout the entire pregnancy, they were never tender and they never got bigger. They got a lot bigger postpartum when I started breastfeeding, but nothing changed during pregnancy.
So because I don’t have any personal advice here.. I did some research and here is what I found.
According to a forum on what to expect.com, many women found a lot of relief when they would put a cold compress on them either just when they were laying down, or putting a cold compress on their boobs.
Other things that I read on this forum that worked for other moms included:
Wearing a more supportive bra (moms particularly were raving about the Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback Nursing Sleep Bra)- don’t worry, it’s linked in the shownotes for you- i got your back!
If you’re a stomach sleeper, put a pillow going long ways (up and down) in between your breasts when you sleep so you’re not sleeping on them.
Next up- Frequent urination
Bad news for ya mom friends… having to pee a lot is pretty much a staple in pregnancy during the entire pregnancy. But the reasons differ. Like in 1st trimester it’s because of the hormone changes, and in the 3rd trimester, it’s because baby is sitting on ontop of your bladder.
Quick tips here for this one….
Limit your caffeine intake so you pee less.
Lean forward when you pee so that way you’re emptying your bladder all the way
Practice kegel exercises!! This won’t necessarily limit your need for frequent urination, but by strengthening your pelvic floor, you won’t pee yourself so often
Next symptom of 1st trimester pregnancy we’re talking about today is Mood swings
My oh my was I mooooody. But perhaps part of this was just that I mentally was not in a good place since I never dreamed of being a mom, and we weren’t even engaged yet and yada yada yada.. I struggled mentally during my pregnancy, that’s no secret. So it might have been due to hormonal mood swings, but I also think it was me just coming to reality that I was going to be a mom when I didn’t want to be. The hormonal shifts definitely did not help those mood swings. Poor poor matthew that’s for sure!! He is a SAINT
Some tips and tricks for handling mood swings in a healthier way, really follow everything you’ve heard about increasing your mental health.
So you’ll want to get plenty of sleep
Take a break during the day to relax
Get regular physical activity
Eat well
Spend quality time with loved ones
Get outside
Do meditation or prayer- I know spending time in prayer helped me a LOT.
Alright- we’re almost to the end of the list but the next symptom we want to talk about today is food cravings and aversions.
EVERYONE and their mother would ask me “oh what weird food cravings do you have?” and I was so bummed that I didn’t have any! A lot of women crave pickles, or chocolate or ice or mustard.. The list goes on and on. I did crave sweet stuff, but honestly, I don’t think I craved it really any more than I normally do- I just have a bit of a sweet tooth.
I read an article on Intermountain Health Care.org and they suggest,
“One of the best ways to head off pregnancy cravings is to make sure you have well-balanced meals throughout the day. Eat breakfast, get regular physical activity, and make sure you have a lot of emotional support. When cravings hit you hard, distract yourself. Go for a walk, play a game, visit a friend. If that’s just not working, you can help satisfy cravings by paying attention to what your body is telling you, and finding an alternative.If you still find yourself hankering for ice cream, have a little. Moderation is the key to a healthy diet during pregnancy.”
And I’m just gonna say it, since we’re all thinking it- whoever wrote this must have never been pregnant before. All those things are much easier said than done. If you start to have a craving, go on a walk??!? If the hankering is still there- have a little bit, but in moderation. Like hahahaha hmmmm okay.
As far as food aversions go…. I had this one. I could not stand chicken- and for me, this lasted through the entire pregnancy. It’s not that I couldn’t even eat it, I couldn’t SMELL it. I couldn’t look at it. Which really was a pain because chicken is everywhereeee. It’s like the easiest most convenient meat to eat. But a fun fact for you, 6 in 10 pregnant women will experience food aversions during pregnancy. So more than half!
Here are some tips for overcoming food aversions
Cover it up- throw it in a mixed bowl with different spices, throw it in a smoothie.
Change the texture or the way it’s prepared. Instead of eating it fried, have it grilled. Instead of having it grilled, bake it, for example.
Alright- bringing us home, last “most common 1str trimester symptom” is acne.
With all the hormonal changes going on, pregnancy acne is commonnnn. It’s one of those things that no one is looking or caring about it besides you, but when you’re the one who’s experiencing it, you think it’s the most embarrassing thing in the world. You’re supposed to be “glowing” but you’re over here with really bad inflamed acne. Been there! With myla’s pregnancy, I didn’t really experience any pregnancy acne, I did experience some more pimples due to the added stress, given our circumstances. But I have a loottt of expertise in this area because I used to have really horrible acne. In late high school to college, I suffered with really really bad acne. I even was on accutane for a bit of time, it was THAT bad. I tried everything. I cut out gluten, I did a paleo diet, I visited two dermatologists, took supplements, had facials, tried accutane like I mentioned, I drank all the water, I cut out sugar, never slept on the same pillow case for two nights in a row, I tried curology, proactiv, cetaphil, cerave, YOU NAME IT
What actually WORKED to clear my skin was that I completely stopped wearing makeup. Just cold turkey and that was really hard at first because I used to hide behind a pound of makeup to try to cover it all up. So one day I just didn’t put any make up on and went to class and I was really embarrassed until my skin started clearing up… I really like murad’s Acne control line is my favorite and the only thing that helped me!
Now that we chatted about the most common 1st trimester symptoms and how to overcome them, I did want to make a note about weight gain and weight loss, because as I mentioned, I actually lost weight in the first trimester. But I want you to know, that not all women do- so if you’re staying the same weight or gaining weight, that’s okay and NORMAL!
As a general rule, most women gain 2 to 5 pounds in the first trimester. You will gain a lot more than that in your second and third trimesters most likely, but it’s just because you feel so horrible in the first trimester, that food is so hard- so you don’t gain that much compared to the other trimesters.
I was concerned about losing weight in that first trimester and my doctor told me, “don’t worry about it now because pretty soon you will be gaining plenty” So if you’ve lost weight, don’t panic.
On the note of weight gain though, how much weight you should gain overall in pregnancy, depends on you yourself and your health prior to conception- so that is a conversation you should have with your doctor because each woman is different.
Now there are quite a few other symptoms that we didn’t do a deep dive on.. But I wanted to make you aware of them so you can know what to expect or what’s normal.
Constipation
Increased sense of smell
Dizziness and lightheadednes
Increased heart rate
Headaches
Increased vaginal discharge
Nasal congestion and nosebleeds
Insomnia
Backaches
Digestive issues
Increased saliva production
Changes in libido
I hope this episode helped and gave you some good tips for how you can overcome some of these common side effects or symptoms of first trimester. Pro tip for you, take a little diary log of how youre feeling and all the symptoms that you feel and how often so you can talk to your doctor about it. Many times we think, “oh I’m probably not experiencing it any more often or worse than any one else” and then we suffer in silence and we tell the doctor it’s not a big deal. But you might actually really be struggling much more than other women and you wouldn’t know unless you keep a log of all your symptoms and bring it up to your doctor.
I’m really hoping for you that these symptoms go away when you enter the 2nd trimester. Just make sure that you’re resting, staying hydrated, eating what you can, but also just give yourself some grace and as your mom friend- let me encourage you that if you are craving a huge DQ blizzard, go get you one or you’re craving peanut butter on top of pickles, go ahead- I give you my blessing haha. Remember that this will pass, you won’t feel like this forever and it really will ALL be worth it when you have your baby in your arms, I PROMISE.
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Here's the link to the bra to help with breast tenderness in first trimester:
Link to the bra: https://amzn.to/3ODpnax
*Links may include affiliate link*
