First Trimester Essentials

Hello, everyone! As promised in my last post, here are is my first trimester essentials. I wanted to break the two posts up for length purposes and I finally got around to writing everything down.

In general, I feel like I jumped quickly to gather the essentials I needed during this pregnancy. Like, I waited no time to pick up what I required because I didn’t want to be uncomfortable at all. If I had to sum up a word that describes what I wanted most, it would be “comfort.” A second word would be “clean.”

I loved feeling cozy and fresh throughout the first weeks because internally I felt so crumby so often. If I wasn’t nauseous, I was sore. If I wasn’t achy, I was tired. If I wan’t tired, I was emotional. If I wasn’t emotional, I was sweating or freezing and couldn’t control my body temperature. Haha, it was a roller coaster and getting as comfortable as possible was the name of the game for me.

Before we get started, I feel like I have to add a TMI disclaimer to this post. Look, I’m not writing about anything risqué or inappropriate, but pregnancy is a weird (but beautiful!) time for the female body. With that being said, I am absolutely dedicated to transparency, especially when it involves pregnancy, motherhood, womanhood, etc. So, here are my first trimester essentials:

Vitamins

Let’s start with the basics: the prenatal vitamin.

I started using the New Chapter Advanced Perfect Prenatal Vitamin about a month before conceiving. I was on a different prenatal since the new year, but I became very tired of the “fishy” aftertaste and couldn’t handle it anymore. To be fair, the old prenatal vitamin I was on is highly regarded, but it just didn’t work for me.

I also loved the New Chapter Advanced Perfect Prenatal Vitamin because it is food-based. Food-based supplements are typically easier to digest and absorb because the vitamins and minerals are in a naturally digestible form for humans. It’s most of the same stuff we receive naturally from our food, and I love that. I also love that this prenatal contains a methylated folate as opposed to folic acid. I have nothing against folic acid, but I rather the natural form of folate. There is also a substantial portion of the human population, too, who cannot absorb folic acid. I didn’t feel like getting tested for the genetic mutation, so I just found a prenatal that had the methylated folate right in it.

Another reason I liked this prenatal was the added ginger. It seemed to help my nausea in early pregnancy, especially when I took one pill with each meal.

Speaking of nausea, another vitamin I made a point of taking is a B6. When I was in the throws of constant nausea, the B6 helped ease the queasiness.

Clothing

The Loungewear

They say with your second and subsequent pregnancies you “pop” or show more quickly. I felt this was accurate with this pregnancy. Almost immediately I felt at least… puffier? Like, my clothes became more uncomfortable and tighter sooner.

Well, I hated that feeling. Nothing is worse than being nauseous and simultaneously feeling like your pants are a little too tight. Oh, and add in some heartburn.

This wasn’t working for me and I immediately ordered comfy lounge clothing. I love these maternity biker shorts because they are so soft and stretchy. (Also, a pack of three is like $20 on Amazon and how can you beat that price?) I also love these maternity leggings from the same brand.

Underwear Essentials

A piece of clothing I want to write about are these maternity underwear. Okay, look, these underwear are ugly. (UGLY, ugly…) These are like those ugly granny panties that Bridget Jones was talking about, okay? But let me tell you something: they are so comfortable and truly a necessity for me. I cannot handle anything tight around my baby belly and these fit perfectly over the belly. Say what you want (but thank me later). I also love that these underwear are made with breathable cotton, which is great for pregnancy.

A second underwear essential for me were these Commando Nipple Concealer Top Hats. (Remember when I mentioned TMI-stuff? This is one of those things.) One of my first pregnancy symptoms were tender breasts. This is very common. It’s also common for breasts to change a lot during pregnancy. When I first started noticing how much things were changing, I went to the bra boutique and the lovely assistants recommended these to me and they’ve been amazing. I mean, even if I wasn’t pregnant, these might still be a wardrobe essential for me.

The Stylish Clothing

I have two words for you: PinkBlush Maternity.

I am planning on writing a whole post about PinkBlush in general, but for now all I am going to say is that the skirts and sweaters are amazing. This leopard skirt has been my favorite!

Other Comfort Essentials

Being I “popped” more quickly, sleeping became a little more uncomfortable sooner. I need my sleep. In all honestly, I already struggle with sleep issues like insomnia so the idea of getting even less sleep was not cutting it for me. What To Expect published an article on pregnancy pillows and I took their advice! I ordered the Pharmedoc Pregnancy Pillow and it’s been amazing. It’s soft, molds to the body well, and feels very supportive. I also love that one side detaches to be even more personalized if needed. 10/10 would recommend! (Just don’t ask my husband… haha!)

Another comfort essential for me were these Cora pads. Again, not to get too TMI, but things become different “down there” when you’re pregnant and I really loved feeling fresh and clean. Like the underwear I talked about earlier, these pads are made with 100% organic cotton.

Along the lines of feeling clean and fresh, I love a good bath in the evening. (And yes: pregnant women can take baths as long as the water is not boiling hot like the depths of hell, haha…) I have really been enjoying the Pink Stork Pregnancy Bath Flakes. I love that they are unscented and paraben-free, contain magnesium, and I also felt like the bag lasted me a while.

Lastly, of course, the Stanley Quencher is a necessity. Honestly, any water bottle is a good option but I do love my Stanley cups. I loved having a cold drink that I could sip throughout the day, especially when nausea was a 24/7 reality for me. It was so nice.