How to Survive Your First Trimester

It probably comes as no surprise that I disappeared from blogging for weeks and weeks and then, suddenly, come back to let you all know that I’m pregnant with Baby K 3.0!  There’s something about the first trimester for me that knocks me off my feet and rips every single ounce of creative energy and motivation away from me.  Sometimes I don’t even know how to survive the first trimester!  Seriously!

As of tomorrow, I am 14 weeks along and am finally starting to feel like myself again.  I feel like I learn so much about myself during the first trimester of each of my pregnancies and, since I’m now a seasoned pro, I’ll share some thoughts with you too!  😉

How to Survive Your First Trimester

Listen to Your Body

Everyone’s body responds to the first trimester differently.  The first trimester of every pregnancy is different too.  Listening to your body and responding to what it needs is vital.  This first trimester is a lot like my first trimester with Caleb, even down to knowing that I was pregnant before actually taking the test to confirm it.  While it’s similar, everything is more this time.  I’m more tired, more nauseous, more averse to coffee, more bloated…  I’m sure a lot of that has to do with having to chase after two other kiddos.  I’m listening to my body and eating what and when it’s telling me to.  I’m taking a step back from obligations that my body can’t handle.  My body and the little one growing in it is pretty much in complete control of my life and giving into that allows me so much freedom.

Sleep as Much as Possible

Pregnancy exhaustion isn’t like anything I’ve ever experienced before in my life.  I’ve been exhausted both before having kids and definitely since having kids but, even during the wake-every-few-hours newborn stage, I’ve never been as exhausted as I am when I am pregnant.  I’m sure all you pregnant mamas out there know exactly what I’m saying!  My only advice for you is to sleep whenever you can!  During my first pregnancy, I was working full time so during lunch breaks I would sit in our break room and doze.  I also fell asleep at my desk once!  Thankfully all the other gals in the office were moms and knowingly laughed with me about it.  With my other two pregnancies I’ve taken full advantage of nap times.  When the boys go down, so do I!  Caleb’s nearly four but still naps for an hour and a half every day and I have been making sure to rest for that hour and a half.  I’ve also been going to bed early and napping after Nate gets off work.  Fit in snooze sessions whenever you can.  Your body will feel so much better if you do!

Talk About Your Feelings

First trimester feelings are ROUGH!  All the new hormones rushing around your body can make you crazy.  Maybe you weren’t expecting your pregnancy and feel a little upset, maybe you’re worried about a miscarriage, maybe you’re not feeling supported.  All those feelings are 100% valid and need to be talked about.  Share with your husband, talk to a friend, process with your OB-GYN, see a counselor…  Just make sure you’re not bottling it up.  I learned this the hard way.  While I was pregnant with Josiah, I struggled with really bad first trimester depression.  It got so bad that I found myself wishing I would miscarry so that I could feel better.  This was a child that was so desired and loved and yet I was wishing to miscarry.  At that point I realized I needed to be talking about my feelings and shared those thoughts with Nate and my OB-GYN.  Even just talking about it helped and we also came up with a game plan to get rid of some of the depression caused by the raging hormones.

I learned my lesson and, this pregnancy, have been able to talk about my emotions.  This pregnancy my emotions have been almost 100% different.  Instead of wishing for a miscarriage, I’ve been worried, almost convinced, I’ll have one.  The past year has been full of a lot of hardships, the biggest being unexpectedly losing my dad, and there’s been a part of me that doesn’t believe good can happen.  With the way things have gone, there’s no way this baby will be born healthy and well.  I know that isn’t truth and talk through that emotion a lot and I know talking about it has kept me from sinking into worry and depression again.

Tell Whoever You Want

When did it become a rule that you couldn’t share that you were pregnant until you were out of your first trimester?  I understand the idea behind it and certainly respect people that want to keep it to themselves but that’s totally not me.  I’m one who likes sharing my life with others so I choose to tell my friends and family about my pregnancies basically as soon as I find out.  If my pregnancy did end in a miscarriage, I would have friends and family rallying around Nate and me as we grieve.  I choose to keep it off social media until after my first trimester because people who don’t really know me in person don’t need to know something that intimate about me.  That’s me, though.  You do you.  If you’re wanting to sing it from the rooftop, do it!  If you want to keep it quiet until you’re 20 weeks along, do it!  This is your pregnancy and you don’t need to follow society’s “rules.”

Be Informed but Not Stressed

We live in a Google happy society.  Twitch in your leg, Google it.  Minor cramp, Google it.  Itchy finger, Google it.  This can go both ways since it’s great to be able to shoot down fear but it also can heighten fear unnecessarily.  My biggest tip during the first trimester is to keep yourself informed but not over-informed.  Be self aware and know your limits.  If you know you’re one that reads a worst case scenario and takes it to heart, don’t read things.  If you’re someone who feels better with all the information, get that information!  There are far too many things that could worry someone in the first trimester and, most of the time, there’s nothing you can do about it one way or the other so do your best to let it go.

Give Yourself Grace

You’re growing a human.  Give yourself grace.  These weeks will fly by and soon you’ll *hopefully* be back to yourself.  Don’t stress if you can’t cook dinner for your family and get takeout every night!  Don’t stress if you have to back out on some obligations.  Don’t stress if you have no creative energy to blog for over a month *cough*me*cough*.  Grace upon grace upon grace!

Your Turn:
What was your first trimester like for you?
What was the thing that helped you get through your first trimester best?

If You Liked This Post You Might Also Enjoy:

• The Truth About First Trimester Depression
• Pregnancy with a Toddler
• 24 Weeks of Pregnancy with Josiah