7 Things I Wish I had Done in the First Trimester
The first trimester of pregnancy is by far the most overwhelming in my opinion. Your entire life changes with a couple pink lines, and you’re not quite sure what to do next. Even after going through the first trimester a second time, I still don’t feel like I got it right. If we decide to have another baby, there are some things I will definitely do differently. Here are 7 things I wish I had done in the first trimester.
I Wish I Would Have Relaxed More
I spent the first trimester of both of my pregnancies absolutely terrified that something might happen to my baby. The fear of miscarriage almost overshadowed the joy of knowing that a new life was growing inside of me. I wish I would have relaxed more, but the truth is, if we do decide on baby number three, I’ll probably be just as worried. I think it’s just maternal instinct and our love for our unborn babies. If you’re in the first trimester and struggle with the fear of miscarriage, I encourage you to check out this post. First trimester fears were such a big part of my pregnancies that I wrote an entire post on how I dealt with them. I also used positive affirmations to help me stay strong and hopeful throughout my pregnancies. These affirmations were so helpful that I created an adult coloring book of them as an added way to relieve stress and find calm during the first trimester.
I Wish I Would Have Taken More Pictures
I was awful at taking bump photos during my first pregnancy. I had every intention of taking them once a week. When that didn’t happen, I told myself I’d take them once a month. When that didn’t happen, I made my husband promise me that we’d take one last bump photo when we got to the hospital. That didn’t happen either. I wish I could say I did better the second time around, but I actually did worse! Now that both my babies are living life on the outside, I really wish I had more pictures of my growing belly to look back on.
I Wish I Had Gotten Organized
With my first pregnancy, I had no idea what I was doing. Who does? I’m a planner, but for some reason, I didn’t do a great job of getting organized and planning out my pregnancy. I think my lack of knowledge kind of had me stuck and not knowing what I should be doing. While everything worked out in the end, my lack of planning resulted in a very busy last few weeks of pregnancy. I had gained 50 pounds, was suffering from sever pelvic girdle pain, and was still waddling around trying to cross things off my do list (I don’t recommend it). Luckily, I learned a lot during my first pregnancy, stayed organized during my second pregnancy, and even created a pregnancy planner for new moms, like me, who want to stay stress free during pregnancy. You can check out the planner and everything it includes here!
I Wish I Had Journaled
During my first pregnancy, I had every intention of journaling, or at least jotting down important things that happened as Weston grew inside of me. Guess when I started journaling? Two days after his due date! I was still pregnant and impatiently waiting to go into labor when I decided it was finally time to write down everything I wanted to remember about my pregnancy. You can probably guess how that went (not great). When I got pregnant with Elliott, I was too busy chasing around a toddler and working on this blog to even think about journaling. I don’t wish I had made daily entries or anything like that, but I do wish I had little notes to look back on. Like how I felt when I found out he was a boy, or how emotional I got when I saw his squishy face during the growth scan at 37 weeks. If you’re sentimental at all, take some time during your pregnancy to jot down different highlights. I promise you won’t regret it. (I wish I had journaled so much that I added 9 journal pages to the pregnancy planner as a bonus. You can see an example below!)
I Wish I Had Tried Nausea Remedies Sooner
There are two things you should know about me. I hate spending money and I don’t believe a lot of products will do what they say they’re going to. This was true for nausea remedies. I just told myself that nausea is something pregnant women have to live with and I planned on spending the first trimester of my pregnancy absolutely miserable. That’s when a co-worker (who was also pregnant), gave me her leftover Preggie Pop Drops. They actually helped. I couldn’t believe it. I was almost mad at myself for not trying something sooner. The second time around, I stuck with the Preggie Pop Drops, but also tried some other nausea relief products out of curiosity. Some worked better than others, but you can read the entire run down here.
I Wish I Had Exercised
When you’re nauseous, tired, and generally feel like crap, the last thing you want to do is exercise. But, the truth is, exercise can help with all of those things. Even a quick walk around the block can help you feel so much better. Exercising throughout pregnancy is great for you and for baby. It helps with weight gain, nausea, fatigue, stamina, and helps prepare your body for the greatest workout of your life… delivering a human. Toward the end of my first trimester with Elliott, I discovered the Juna App. If you’re looking for a program that was created specifically for expecting moms at all stages of pregnancy and postpartum, this is the program for you. It even includes a nutrition guide with meal plans and recipes for pregnancy and beyond. It’s so easy to follow and the workouts are curated for each stage of pregnancy. You can even get a free trial of the app to be sure you love it.
I Wish I Had Told my Closest Friends
Many people decide to keep their pregnancies a secret, and for good reason. But, the truth is, I wish we would have told our closest friends and family sooner. Even if something terrible had happened, I still would have wanted the people closest to me to know what I was going through. Drinking fake glasses of wine, having no excuse for wanting to go to bed at 7, and constantly watching what I said really wasn’t necessary. Obviously, this is personal and up to each individual, but if I ever experience the first trimester again, I plan on telling the people closest to me a little sooner.
If you’re in the first trimester, congratulations. While it can be tough, it’s a wonderful phase in life. It’s the beginning of the most amazing journey you’ll ever take (in my opinion). And if you’re struggling with first trimester fears, nausea, fatigue, and all those other awful first trimester symptoms, just remember that it’s all worth it in the end. Best of luck, mama!
Related:
- 17 Instagram Accounts to Follow if you are Pregnant
- 12 Freebies for New and Expecting Moms
- 15 Pregnancy Hacks you have to Try
You can find a list of my favorite pregnancy resources here!
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