First trimester pregnancy tips! What you HAVE to know to thrive…
Just found out your pregnant? I remember thinking, “So what’s next?”. Well there is a lot to happen next! Don’t panic though this post will give you the rundown and tools to make your first trimester experience bearable!
There is a downloadable checklist at the end to help condense the information you need, so don’t panic if your baby brain is already in full force! The first trimester is hard on us all.
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Grab our First Trimester Survival Guide Book!
Pregnancy can be a really intense time! Especially when you first find out… and not long after finding out you will be in the thick of the first trimester.
The first trimester can be one of the toughest times of your entire pregnancy.
On top of this being the time where your body begins to adjust to huge changes, mums tend to keep their pregnancy quiet at this stage till they reach the more talked about ‘safe zones’.
The worst of the symptoms tends to happen when only yourself and a few others may know! Hardest secret to keep when you might just throw up when someone orders the lamb shank next to you…
First trimester pregnancy tips symptoms…
The First Trimester can house a range of changes for new mums!
Fatigue
- Fatigue- The tiredness in the first trimester is super common. Unfortunately it can also be super bad! Some people are lucky enough to have no tiredness and others can hardly function even with 15 hours sleep! I was in the latter category. Listening to your body is so key, when you need to lie down DO IT. You might need to tell your boss when you are ready so that you may be able to do some work from home or cut down on hours if you are seriously fatigued. Make sure you are going to bed earlier so you can make up for the sleep you need as it will definitely increase.
Morning sickness
- Morning Sickness- Morning sickness is tough and very real for many women. I struggled with hyperemesis and needed hospital fluids to help dehydration. There is a few techniques to manage morning sickness and I am going to put them here as they were strategies I used. Sea Bands: I used these nonstop in the early days I wouldn’t even take them off to shower that is how much I depended on them! Get Sea Bands . Nausea Tablets: You can purchase ginger tablets that are natural anti nauseas. Next level up is to get your doctor to prescribe tablets for you. If your sickness is really bad you may need to ask about dissolving tablets that you place under your tounge. This stops the water and tablet coming back up and doing the opposite to what they are meant to! Crackers: Something dry and easy to eat at night and in the morning as well as when you don’t feel like eating can be so important. If you get hungry you will generally feel more sick and end up trapped in a vicious cycle. Water: It may sound silly but water is so important especially if you have been sick. Water prevents dehydration and even tiny sips are super important for you and bubs. I took water everywhere and even helped with nausea in the car. Get My Dream Water Bottle. Sleep: Make sure you stay on top of your sleep as sickness can hit really hard when you become tired. Make sure you really take care of your sleep schedule and ensure you sleep as needed.
Emotions
- Emotions- Depressed feelings: In the first trimester your hormones are totally raging and they could be raging like they never have before. This can be really hard for your body and mind to adjust to. Sickness can affect so much of our lives and make us feel totally hopeless and useless. I know I battled with those feelings too. It is really important to talk about your feelings with your support people or it could totally overwhelm you! It is so important you feel them and understand your hormones how they are, it is totally normal to feel that way.
- 12 week scan-This is the most exciting part of your whole first trimester… It definitely was for me. When I saw my baby for the first time my eyes were filled with tears. I had just got through what was the hardest, sickest period of my entire life. Seeing her wee heart beating and wriggling around for the first time I was filled with love not resentment, and excitement not dread. It is ok to feel that way.
Midwife
- Midwife- Choosing your midwife will be a part of your first trimester it is super important for your to choose someone you like and who makes you feel safe and heard. They are going to be a part of your life for almost a year. Chose someone who works well for both you and your partner.
Breast Changes
- Breast Changes- You may notice changes in the appearance, size, feelings, comfort and discomfort. For me I got my first pre-milk in at 6 weeks and then at 12 weeks (one went before the other). It is important to wear a perfectly fitting comfy bra to ensure the health of your breasts throughout your pregnancy.
Hunger
- Hunger to none- Start of my pregnancy I was a triple cheese burger large combo EVERYDAY with orange juice sort of girl. By 6 weeks my want to eat was gone. Eating is so important as your body is sustaining a little life but it can also be so hard. In my sickest point the only thing I was able to eat was fresh subway. You are going to have to eat what you feel like if that is all you can stomach!
Taste changes
- Changing taste- There may be a point where your taste changes to a metallic or off taste in your mouth. At first you may just think you need to brush your teeth but it won’t take long for you to realize that this probably is more permanent than you first thought. Eat the foods your feel like or have a craving for.
Cravings vs aversions
- Cravings vs aversions- Understanding cravings vs aversions is super important. Cravings are when your body really wants a certain food! My first pregnancy symptom was an insane craving for orange juice. I didn’t like orange juice before that! Aversion are things that might just make you feel like you’ve spun around 100 times. For me cooking meat the smell was awful and lamb was totally off the menu till 20 weeks!
Hormones
- Hormones- Remember to go easy on yourself! Your rising hormones are to blame for everything that is going on for you! It is sometimes hard to remember your only human and the mood swings and cravings will go…
Blood tests
- Blood tests- To confirm your pregnancy they will blood test you for your HCG levels and to test your immunity for a few diseases! This is the first bloods you will get done, then at between 10-12 weeks you will get updates bloods if you have chosen to get genetic testing done.
Heart beat!
- Heart beating at the end – By the end of this trimester your baby’s heart will well and truly be beating. Don’t forget your doing this for them!
Stuffy noses
- Stuffy noses – The whole way through your pregnancy or on and off you may get stuffy noses or bleeding noses! Your body is so full of fluid and new blood volume this is totally normal!
Ligament paint
- Ligament pain- I battled badly with crippling ligament pain from about 8- 10 weeks, the best tactic was either gentle stretching and a warm wheat bag was the best by far.
Grab our nesting list so you don’t miss a thing!
The first trimester houses plenty of challenges but when you see your baby for the first time it is all worth it!
The First Trimester Weeks – A brief look at what to expect…
To write this section I have referred back to my “Up The Duff” book which has a writing/record part so you remember how you felt at that time! Get Your Copy Here
First trimester pregnancy tips – week by week
Week 1: Week 1 doesn’t involve a lot, for most couples it is the part where they decide to have a baby or are trying to have a baby! Maybe some women start taking prenatal vitamins etc.
Week 2: This is just before the fertilization takes place, your ovulation period is happening and then your body will start to create a perfect environment for your baby to survive in the womb!
Week 3: Next we have fertilization!!! This is where your baby starts as a little ball of cells! How exciting… This is when you may notice a little implantation bleeding as your baby settles into their new home! Tiredness may also start to kick in and you may find yourself a little grouch as your hormones begin to change.
Week 4: The baby will have well and truly found her spot and grabbed on… you may find you miss your period now, that you need to pee more frequently and that you might even get “The Ick” towards your partner. (The Ick is where you might find yourself very grumpy and mean towards them) Your hormones are starting to rage and you may find yourself feeling fussy!
Week 5: You might finally have a positive pregnancy test as your hormones rise enough to be detected! How exciting, morning sickness might have hit at this stage! You will possibly notice fatigue and grouchiness around this time.
Week 6: Time to visit the doctor and organize a midwife! Things are changing super fast but you won’t see any external changes for a while!
Week 7: Body changes are happening for sure! You might be noticing breast changes, more queasiness or being sick, more fatigue your little embryo has little arms and leg buds! Those legs will be kicking you in no time!
Week 8: Your baby will now be looking like some sort of odd prawn! Remember to lie down as you need it your body is creating a whole other human! It has finally reached 1cm… You will probably find nausea and taste changes are very real. Week 8 was a bad week for me…
Week 9: Not to much has changed symptom wise but baby has grown 2cm bigger and is now clocking in at 3.5cm long from head to bum.
Week 10: Your embryo is officially a fetus this week. Your getting closer to your anatomy scan and blood testing to check for any possible conditions your baby may have.
Week 11: The placenta is starting to get bigger! Your baby is looking like a tiny human, you may go for your blood test sometime this week if you’ve chosen to do some genetic testing.
Week 12: Scan time! This is when they check that all your baby’s arms and legs are present. They will check the nuchal fold and a few other things and take your first photos. Your symptoms may start to ease off at the end of this week! Time will fly by! First trimester pregnancy tips are super helpful during this time!
So What Are The 5 Earliest Signs Of Pregnancy?
Fatigue
1- Fatigue: This was my biggest symptom. I was totally utterly exhausted for absolutely no reason. This ended up being the reason I took my test. I had worked like 3 measly hours and I was exhausted after a huge sleep the night before. It was tired like I had never been before!
Cravings
2- Cravings: Orange juice, orange juice and more orange juice. Before I fell pregnant I didn’t even LIKE orange juice! Cravings can be a big insight that something is changing…
Mood swings
3- Mood Swings: I was oddly emotional similar to being premenstrual but not quite… I just felt different.
Fussiness
4- Slightly Increased Fussiness: I suddenly was feeling a whole lot more particular about what I was eating. I also wanted to eat a lot of the things I liked.
Feeling rundown/unwell
5- Feeling like you are coming down with something: I felt awful, I thought I had covid. Your whole body begins to change with the change in hormones and you will feel it for sure!
That’s all for this post guys! If you haven’t heard I have just released a surviving the first trimester guide book! A basic 8 page eBook jammed full of tips you NEED to survive your first trimester! Grab your copy with the button below!
Grab your free first-trimester checklist at the bottom of this page! It is full of first trimester pregnancy tips!
That is all for today guys! See you on Monday! Let me know if this helped reduce some anxiety for what’s coming for you! Check out our third trimester post if you are further along or keen for more reading!
Related posts:
Third trimester daily routine…
Normal feelings during pregnancy…
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