It seems a little late to write this post but I wanted to make sure I really reflected on it before I shared. The first trimester was not easy, honestly for either of us. Which is why I think it’s important to share the first trimester, from both perspectives.

Which is exactly why I made him sit down and do a video diary with me about it. I knew I couldn’t convince him to actually write his thoughts, so the video was the best choice. Watch it below to see our honest opinions about my first trimester:

Let’s get right into it!

Everyone obviously has a different experience with their first trimester. Mine was awful, to be completely honest. I had just seen my best friend go through the whole pregnancy process and she really handled the whole thing with grace. She didn’t seem to have much, if any, sickness. The discomfort she had, she worked through. How could my experience be SO different?!

At my first doctor appointment, I felt just fine besides the obvious nerves. It was only days later that my body did a complete 180. The start of week 6 came and everything hit me like a ton of bricks.

MY SYMPTOMS:

Nausea but no vomiting
Dizzyness. To the point that I couldn’t even sit up in bed. RC had to carry me to the bathroom and the couch for a change of scenery.
Anxiety and crying. I’ve never cried this hard in my life. The frustration of being so sick was so overwhelming. I think RC was scared-he had never seen me like that after all these years. (And believe me, I’m an emotional person so he’s seen me break down and cry my eyes out several times).
Tired. Obviously. SO TIRED. Not only was my body trying to do so much and adjust to everything, but it wasn’t getting any sustenance.
EVERY food aversion. I couldn’t eat ANYTHING! Everything made me sick. There were several days where all I could stomach was a single sip of water. This really stressed RC out because it just made me weaker and more upset.
Physically, I was having crazy abdominal pain. I have a retroverted uterus so it points towards the spine instead of my front. During week 6 and 7, I could feel it moving and adjusting and I didn’t think I could make it through that pain. I remember telling RC in a moment of weakness, that if we didn’t want kids so bad, I wouldn’t continue with this pregnancy. That’s how painful it was. I also wasn’t sure how long that pain would last and that’s what really scared me. I share that thought with you because it’s important to be transparent. It’s also important to know that those thoughts DO happen and it doesn’t mean I don’t love the little boy I’m carrying. At that time, it was just pain and agony to me and not something I could relate to.

THINGS I TRIED:

One of the first things I did, which I know now is wrong: is use a heating pad on my stomach. I couldn’t take the pain and didn’t want to take any pills. I felt so bad after talking to my doctor about it but she assured me since it was only once, it wasn’t a big deal. But do NOT do this. You can, however, use a heating pad on your back or other areas of your body during pregnancy.
Ginger candies. Yuck! I did not like these but they work for some people.
Sea Bands for Mamas. My sweet sister brought these to me but they unfortunately didn’t help me either.
Preggie Pop Drops. These helped me more than the ginger candies but they were so hard to suck on. They were SO sour but apparently that’s something that really helps the nausea. I would say these are worth a try.
Morning sickness spray. Target has a little pregnancy section with the preggie pops and this spray and some other things. I just grabbed it all! It helped me but not an overwhelming amount. I sprayed it on the bottom of my feet, and my wrists and sometimes all over my body when I was being crazy.
Morning sickness tea. RC made this for me a few times before bed and it did help me sleep without waking up to a bad dizzy spell. It actually tasted good which was a relief.
Zofran. After not getting out of bed for a couple weeks, RC was so concerned. He made me a doctor appointment before I was meant to go back. My doctor prescribed me Zofran, after thoroughly discussing it with us. The pharmacist actually also warned RC when he went to pick it up. None of this helped my anxiety but we didn’t know how else to make it through this. I ended up taking 3 pills over the course of 3 days. It seemed to help give me enough of a fighting chance to get some food in me and reset my body. I’m sure if I kept taking it, it would have helped a lot but I didn’t want to chance it. I’ll let you google it if you are interested and you can form your own opinion on the subject.
Unisom and B6 mixture. Another popular pill that doctors prescribe pregnant women, is Diclegis. My best friends mom, who is a pharmacist, said that you could take unisom and B6 instead of the Diclegis because that’s basically the same chemical makeup. (Please talk to your doctor before you try any medication while pregnant). I spoke with my doctor and she confirmed that to be true. She suggested I take half a unisom 30 minutes before bed and a B6 when I wake up. This saved my life. It really helped me and I am still doing this to this day.

THINGS I ATE:

When I could actually eat, these are the only things that I could stomach for a solid month. Talk about a diet-yuck!

Dry toast, and then eventually toast with a little peanut butter or a little butter.
Applesauce. This was easy to eat and actually made me feel like I was eating something with flavor. Sad I know!
Pretzels.
White rice-sometimes and only a few bites.
Soft baked belvita bars. I ate one of these every single morning before I got out of bed. This was eventually when I went back to work and could walk around for a little bit. But if I didn’t eat this immediately before I sat up, I was sick the whole day.
Chocolate Ensure. I would drink this on the way to work, everyday. It helped give me some calories and made my stomach not feel so empty.

WHEW. Are you exhausted yet? That was a lot to write but I hope that it helps someone out there that’s reading it.

There was a LOT of trial and error for RC and I, since we’ve never been through this before. I really could not have made it without him. He picked up the slack in every aspect of our lives and took care of me every second of the day. I am SO lucky to have a partner that didn’t crumble under the pressure, but really thrived. I’ve never felt so proud to be his wife.