Some days I really love being pregnant and some days I wish this torture would end!
I know that most pregnant women have their on and off days, heck every person has this.
The first trimester can be tough for many of us and the pregnancy symptoms that come along with it aren’t fun either.
I want y’all to have a little smoother first trimester, if that’s possible!
With each pregnancy symptom I will also give you little tips to help ease these pregnancy symptoms.
I’ve asked many moms and pregnant women so y’all have a wide variety of tips!
Also if you’re wanting to know how to control your weight gain I have this other post that informs you on your pregnancy nutrition. It has healthy snack ideas as well!
Or you can take this awesome course that Allie made from The Perfect Pregnancy Plan. It goes over how your pregnancy nutrition can help your baby into adulthood. It’s very interesting and goes into great depth! You won’t regret it.
Nausea/ Morning Sickness
I remember during my first trimester I was always tired and felt nausea! Luckily I didn’t throw up at all.
I know lucky me! I can feel your eyes glaring at me right now.
The nausea was so real though, I think I was just too stubborn to puke.
Causes of Nausea/ Morning Sickness
The main cause of nausea or morning sickness is the rise in hormone levels particularly the estrogen and progesterone hormone.
Stress or fatigue can also cause a physical reaction in your body making you feel nauseated.
Reduced blood sugar causes nausea. Your blood sugar levels can lower more than normal because your baby and the placenta use glucose to grow.
Also your body is using the insulin more effectively which can make you feel nauseous.
Ways to Ease Nausea / Morning Sickness
- Snack often and have small meals.
- Eat easy to digest foods such as bananas, applesauce, crackers, toast, rice, jello, popsicles, ginger, or lemon water.
- Avoid foods and smells that trigger your nausea.
- Drink lots of fluids between meals. You will want to avoid drinking while you are eating.
- Eat some peppermint gum or drink peppermint tea.
- Change your prenatal vitamin if that is causing you to feel nauseous. You can also take it with food to help the nausea.
- Go outside and get fresh air if the weather permits.
- Get lots of rest because fatigue can trigger your nausea.
- Brush your teeth or rinse your mouth out after you puke.
- Talk to your doctor about either taking a vitamin B-6 supplement or to get a prescription to ease your nausea.
Fatigue
Once I graduated to adulthood I always felt tired. Boy was I wrong on what tiredness really was.
Pregnancy hit me with a new one. Now I know what true fatigue is, but I know it will only get worse once our little boy gets here.
Causes
This is another lovely symptom of increasing hormone levels. Progesterone levels increasing is the main hormone to cause fatigue.
Your body is also starting to produce more blood to carry nutrients to your baby and placenta so it’s working in overtime!
You’re growing another human being inside of your body, you will definitely be feeling it!
Your blood sugar and blood pressure are lower so this makes you feel more tired.
Ways to Ease Fatigue
- Take things slower.
- Ask your hubby or partner to help with the chores so you can rest up!
- Get more sleep by going to bed earlier or taking naps.
- Try to relax more, you can either meditate or do yoga to help you.
- Work out to boost your energy levels, but don’t push yourself to hard.
- Eat foods that give you a burst of energy such as; fruits and veggies, nuts, toast with peanut butter, or yogurt with fruit and granola.
Ultimately you need to listen to your body. If you are feeling extra tired slow down and relax or nap if you can.
Your body is growing a baby you need to rest and take good care of yourself!
Constipation
I luckily didn’t experience this till my 3rd trimester, but this is very common for women to experience in their first and sometimes throughout their entire pregnancy.
Causes
High levels of progesterone slow the movement of your food because this hormone relaxes the muscles of the digestive track.
Your growing uterus is pushing on your digestive track as well and this will only get worse.
Ways to Ease Constipation
- Eat fiber rich foods.
- Exercise helps boost your bowel movements. If you do kegel exercises regularly this can help keep your bowels moving things more regularly.
- Drink more water.
- Eat smaller meals and make sure not to over fill yourself while you eat.
- Eat probiotic foods such as yogurt. The live and active cultures in yogurt help break down your food better.
- Talk to your doctor about what stool softeners you can take because some can be harmful to your baby.
Heartburn/Acid Reflux
Causes of Heartburn During Pregnancy
A rise in progesterone relaxes your lower esophagus which is meant to keep the acid in your stomach from coming up.
Ways to Ease Heartburn/Acid Reflux
- Avoid spicy, fatty, and greasy foods.
- Eat smaller meals and eat slowly
- Don’t drink water during your meals, but rather drink in between them.
- Take some anti acids. Most people stock up on Tums.
- Don’t lie down after eating, wait at least an hour till you do so.
- Wear loose fitting clothes, even though you are more likely doing this!
Frequent Urination
I peed a lot before I got pregnant, but boy did this increase a ton after I got pregnant!
It feels like every 30 minutes I’m walking up the stairs to go to the bathroom and at least 4 times a night.
Its like a never ending cycle of going to the bathroom and it just gets worse from here!
Causes
Your uterus is putting pressure on your bladder and this will just get worse as you progress further in your pregnancy.
Also the extra water that you are supposed to be drinking will make you have to pee more. This does not mean to drink less water though you still need to be drinking much more than before your pregnancy.
Ways to Ease Frequent Urination
- Lean forward when you pee to help fully empty your bladder.
- Drink less water at night to avoid having to get up often in the middle of the night. Just make sure you are still getting a good amount of fluids during the day.
- Avoid drinking a lot of caffeine because this makes you have to pee more.
- Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles so you don’t leak when you cough or sneeze.
Light Spotting During Pregnancy
Now with this one I don’t have any ways to help ease this pregnancy symptom, but I think it is very important to discuss because it could be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
Before we got pregnant with our healthy little boy I had two miscarriages and spotting during pregnancy was a very scary thing for me.
When I got pregnant with our boy I had light spotting and I totally freaked out because with the first two I lost them and I didn’t want this to happen again. Luckily it didn’t.
I want y’all to know all of the signs to help ease your fears and also so you can be informed.
Spotting during pregnancy can be common for many women during the first trimester because the embryo is being implanted into your uterus. This is otherwise known as implantation bleeding.
If you are noticing bleeding that is more than spotting such as, filling a panty liner in an hour, call your doctor right away.
The unfortunate thing is bleeding is a waiting game. If your spotting stops you more likely aren’t having a miscarriage, but if it persists and you are having cramps this can be a sign of miscarriage.
You won’t fully know if you miscarried unless you have an ultrasound or you bleed like you are having a period and don’t feel pregnant anymore.
Miscarriage is a very emotional thing to go through and surprisingly affects a lot of women.
According to WebMD 1 in 4 recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first trimester.
There is another reason you could be spotting though.
Spotting during pregnancy and pelvic pain could be a sign that the embryo is implanted outside of the uterus which is considered an ectopic pregnancy.
The doctor will be able to tell if your pregnancy is ectopic through an ultrasound and blood tests. They will likely do a pelvic exam first to test the tenderness in your abdomen.
If you are unsure about anything always call your doctor that’s what they are there for!
Comment if you have any other ways you eased these pregnancy symptoms!
