My Pregnancy Tips for Each Trimester

Today, I’m trying something different and talking about a subject that has nothing to do with art - pregnancy. This article felt really personal, which is why I decided to share with my trusted GPS members only.

Mentally, I’ve talked on my blog how difficult it was to be pregnant again after losing our first child. Looking back, my second pregnancy was physically pretty normal. And I’m beyond grateful for that! Today, I’m going to talk about how I felt during each trimester and what helped. I know better than anyone that pregnancy can be a tough topic for some people. If this is you, just ignore this post and checkout one of my hundreds of other posts about art!

First Trimester

I first had an inkling I was pregnant again because I started craving mac n’ cheese - something I don’t normally like that much. Then, I was hot all the time. That’s when I knew something must be up.

My first trimester was pretty rough. I was nauseous and had headaches ALL THE TIME. Also, I was exhausted and I would get dizzy every time I stood up. What helped most with the nausea were these Preggie Pops, recommended by one of my doctors. I don’t know what’s in them, but they’re natural and work SO well. Every time I felt a wave of nausea coming on, I devoured one and the morning sickness was instantly gone. I carried them in my purse everywhere I went. They were all over our house.

Because of the nausea, certain foods bothered me too - onions, tomatoes, and garlic specifically. Anything with intense seasonings or that was hard to chew. I hated salad, because I couldn’t digest it. Apples too. Therefore, I gave myself permission to eat whatever sounded good, which ended up more carbs than I’d usually eat. I loved noodles, bagels, and crackers. In order to make pregnancy less stressful, I decided not to weigh myself for nine months. At the doctors office, I told them I didn’t want to know the number on the scale, just that they should tell me if I needed to worry. I’m so glad I did this because we have no control over how much weight we gain during pregnancy. Every pregnancy is different, and often the number on the scale keeps us from listening to our bodies and resting when we need rest. I just tried to eat as healthy as I could and let go.

In the first trimester, I had to resort to prenatal gummies only, because other vitamins made me sick. I knew they weren’t the best, but they were all I could handle at the time. These One-a-Day gummies are the only gummies that had enough folic acid (800 mcg), something I found surprising. I discovered that this Walgreens version tastes way better than the name brand.

Then there was the exhaustion. I was tired throughout the entire first trimester. Sometimes I would lay on the couch for hours watching design shows because I didn’t want to move. And I think my body needed it. I would go to bed early and allow myself to sleep in as much as possible. Luckily I’m self employed, because some days I slept in until 11 am.

I resolved the headache issue on my own. I soon realized it was from not drinking enough water, specifically during the night. Every time I woke up to use the bathroom, which was a good amount, I would take three large gulps of water. Suddenly my headaches were better. Also, I would drink these LMNT electrolyte packets during the day, which really helped. You need A LOT of hydration when you’re pregnant. Luckily, the dizziness went away on its own as I headed into the second trimester.

Second Trimester

When they say your second trimester is physically a breeze compared to the first trimester, they’re right.

A few weeks into the second trimester, a lot of pesky symptoms started disappearing. Foods didn’t bother me as much. Salad and apples suddenly sounded good. I took this as an opportunity to eat healthier and cut back on carbs. I was hungry all the time, so I beefed up on protein at lunch and dinner. I even had a snack before bed every night to make sure I stayed full while I slept. Apples and peanut butter was my go-to bedtime snack. I had more energy again, so I’d try to squeeze in 20 minutes of walking per day. If the weather was bad, I’d do 30 minutes on our elliptical and go very slowly. I continued my walking habit into the third trimester.

One symptom that hit harder in the second trimester was good old constipation (sorry if this is TMI). What helped me with this was chia seeds with breakfast every morning - whether that be chai pudding or sprinkled on top of whatever I was eating. Also, I had a scoop of Metamucil every day for the entire pregnancy, which seemed to help. Arnold palmers helped too, for some weird reason. The best discovery I made were the Starbucks pineapple refreshers. I didn’t drink them daily, but they were a miracle worker.

With the second trimester came new aches and pains. Every new symptom freaked me out, but I soon realized they were normal - like round ligament pains and lower back pains. Prenatal yoga helped a lot with this. I would try to do 10-15 minutes of pregnancy-safe stretches every other day. Downward dog was one of my favorites. Also cat/cow and butterfly position.

In the second trimester, I needed bigger clothes - specifically pants. I bought a bunch of these maternity joggers on Amazon and wore them almost every day. Also, I bought these roomy nightgowns, which were perfect for lounging around the house. I tried not to buy many maternity clothes, since pregnancy is short. Luckily, many of my normal clothes are oversized since I work from home. I fell in love with these oversized Everlane t-shirts, sizing up just in case.

At some point, I needed a maternity pillow too. I’m picky about the sheets we sleep on, so I couldn’t find one I liked. I ended up making my own version. I bought extra king pillowcases to match our sheet sets (these Purple ones are the best), and flanked my body with two king pillows on either side. This was super comfy, since our sheets are cool and breathable and I was hot all the time.

One other weird symptom that came with the second trimester was discoloration on my face. I realized I was more sensitive to the sun, so I started putting on EltaMD sunscreen under my makeup daily. Also, I stopped exfoliating, because redness would stick around longer than usual.

Third Trimester

As they say, the third trimester starts to get uncomfortable again. Not right away, but gradually. It’s weird how symptoms from the first trimester start to reappear - like indigestion and exhaustion. Heartburn became a real problem for me in the third trimester. I like to have black tea every day, so I started mixing my tea with oatmilk. In a pinch, I would have Tums, but I tried not to take them too often. I had to be careful about what I ate, avoiding fried and acidic foods. I even had nausea spells which usually passed after 20 minutes. I read that it’s the baby pressing on your organs that can make you feel sick.

As my belly grew, I became more diligent about applying bump cream, something I started at the end of the first trimester. This Honest one is my favorite.

Sleep became tougher in the third trimester. I couldn’t get comfy on either side, so I tossed and turned a lot. This resulted in tired days. Once again, I became too tired to walk daily. Some days I just had to listen to my body and put my feet up. Ryan had to help me extra with my print shop. Because of my newfound exhaustion, I couldn’t get as much work done. This was just something I had to accept. Luckily, I used the second trimester to get a lot done, which I’d highly recommend. By the third trimester, we had most of the baby nursery done and I’d crossed a lot of things off my to-do list. We didn’t have a baby shower, so I had purchased everything on our list at that point. The third trimester is the perfect time to pick names and read baby books, anything that doesn’t require much energy. For picking baby names, we really liked the app Kinder, where you swipe left or right on names (like you would with a dating app).

In the third trimester, doctors require you to take that awful glucose test. I’d taken this test before and I can’t stand the drink. It makes me gag, so I couldn’t fathom drinking it pregnant. Luckily, my doctor recommended a healthier option - The Fresh Test. It was SO much easier to drink. It just tasted like lemonade. To do this test, you purchase the powder online, and take it to a Labcorp location along with 10 oz of plain water. You mix the drink there and consume, just like you would the traditional beverage. If you haven’t looked up what’s in the traditional glucose beverage, you’d be shocked. No wonder it’s hard to drink. They haven’t reformulated it since the 1960's.

As first time parents, we were looking for simple, to-the-point, birthing and newborn classes to take online. Mainly, because I got triggered easily reading about labor after the loss of our first baby. I had read in an article that the free series from Pampers was pretty good. And it was! The course had nine short segments covering pregnancy to newborn care. All I needed to do was provide my email. The series wasn’t too long and provided most of the info we needed and nothing more. Between that and watching Youtube videos, we were able to get the information we were looking for.