Let's be honest for a bit - when you first find out you're pregnant you get hit with all kinds of different emotions. When my boyfriend of three years and I found out we were expecting five months ago, it hit us all at once; we were overjoyed, nervous, excited but it all feels so surreal until the changes start happening in your body. Contrary to some experiences, I didn't start "feeling pregnant" until half way into my first trimester and it was a ride! Honestly, I was blessed to have a relatively easy first three months, no extreme morning sickness or anything like that, but there were a lot of changes I had to adjust to regardless and I thought sharing my experience might help any other expectant mommies out there! I'm going to go through some common myths and share everything from what I ate, to what I wore. I would love to hear your stories so please leave any comments or questions you'd like at the end of the post. All the good info is after the jump, XOXO!
Myth #1 - You Are Eating for Two
We've all heard it or seen portrayals of pregnant women with tubs of ice cream or eating a whole pizza or strange combos like pickles and peanut butter or some other concoction. While I don't doubt that experience rings true for some, it really hasn't for me. I am well into my second trimester and the amount of food I eat daily hasn't changed at all since before I was pregnant. But what did change dramatically is what I preferred to eat (especially in my first trimester) and how regularly I needed to eat.
One thing I learned the hard way is that I needed to eat something every two to three hours. It wasn't a lot of food it was more like grazing. Your stomach gets a lot smaller when your body starts to make room for the baby so overeating is a sure way to cause extreme discomfort, nausea, and heartburn but here is the kicker, under eating or not eating when you are hungry can have the same affect. Having, fruits, nuts, and protein bars on hand saved me during the first trimester.
One of the most surprising and sometimes annoying things about how my taste changed during the first three months is how I had an aversion to food in general. Some of things I LOVED, I could no longer stomach, i.e. Indian food/avocados. And some things I would never usually like to eat I craved, i.e red meat, dairy, sardines (!).
I did have about four days out of the first three months that I couldn't hold down much, on those days water (preferably coconut water) and crackers are your new best friend. Here are some of things I ate the most during those months:
1) Organic fruits with high water content - especially watermelon, grapes, pineapple, and strawberries
2) Gluten free breads, waffles, and pancakes (my favorite brands are Rudi's and Nature's Path Organic)
Hugo's Restaurant in Studio City, CA also makes some ridiculous tasty gluten free pancakes and french toasts:
3) Vegan cheese products (dairy replacements) - Daiya Cheese and Amy's make the best tasting, if you are not up to making it yourself.
4) Proteins - Eggs, baked chicken, hormone free burgers, and hemp protein smoothies.
5) For the sweet tooth - fruit popsicles (this actually works great to soothe nausea as well) and coconut milk ice cream ( I love the So Delicious brand and it also does well to soothe an upset stomach)
6) HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE! It seemed like I couldn't drink enough water and I'm already a heavy water drinker, I barely do juices even, but the importance of getting enough water seems to increase 10x during your first trimester. Coconut water straight from the coconut is best solution, but if you can't get that, my favorite bottled brand is Harmless Harvest RAW coconut water. Alkaline water is also a great alternative to regular, filtered water and will leave you feeling more hydrated and can help cut down acid reflux, which is a common pregnancy side effect.
Health/Wellness
The right supplements can also help you minimize the side effects of hormones gone wild in the first trimester. Below is the list of the supplements I'm currently taking:
From bottom left:
1) Garden of Life Vitamin Code RAW Prenatal
2) Kimberly Snyder Beauty Detox Probiotics
3) Natural Vitality Natural Calm Plus Calcium
4) Garden of Life Vitamin Code RAW D3 - 5000 IU
5) Sibu Beauty Cellular Support with Omega 7
The tea that I pictured at the beginning of this post is a black licorice an mint tea which I call the mortal enemy of morning sickness and nausea. My grandmother actually sent me a few months worth of dried peppermint leaves from her garden, which if you can get them in that form, its the most effective. If not, there are plenty of natural/organic peppermint or ginger tea options in most grocery stores that will make a huge difference as well.
Beauty/Toiletries
It's also very important that your beauty/self care regimen be toxin free. Everything from shampoos to lotions can get into your bloodstream, which consequently can get into the bloodstream of your developing baby. Fortunately for me, I already have a toxic free beauty regimen, but if you are looking for some good natural replacements for the products you currently use I have listed some of my favorites below:
From bottom left:
1) Primal Pit Paste - natural stick deodorants that actually work!
2) Derma Klear Akne Treatment Soap with Sulfur - sulfur is great, safe natural alternative to acne medication ingredients that aren't pregnancy safe to keep your skin clear and glowing throughout your pregnancy
3) Shea Moisture Cosmetics - this makeup is a great natural makeup line formulated particularly for women of color, I use this line almost exclusively and love all their products and colors.
4) 100 Percent Pure Purity Hydrating Tonic - I use this on my face every morning instead of washing it with soap, washing with soap once a day in the evening actually prevents over drying of skin, which can lead to break outs! Who knew, I actually picked up the little trick from the Dr. Oz show and my skin has responded beautifully.
Oh! And also almost forgot - Belle Butters! This a great whipped shea butter that is very easily spreadable. I began using this immediately all over my breasts, stomach, and butt to help prevents stretch marks ;).
Myth #2 - You have to spend a lot on maternity clothing
In your first trimester, you shouldn't have to spend any money at all on maternity clothes. Actually I would suggest investing in maternity undergarments. Your uterus is really the only thing expanding in those first three months, so I tiny belly pooch is pretty easy to hide. If your anything like me though, one of the first biggest changes you'll experience is an increase in breast size - I went up a full two cups! It also may start to be uncomfortable to button your pants because of a light pouch. I bought a belly band right away so I wouldn't have to buy maternity pants. My must haves for maternity undergarments are below:
From top left:
1) Isabel & Ingrid Maternity Bellaband - this ingenious little things lets you wear your pants with your fly open, just slip it on under your clothes and just like that you've turned your favorite skinnies into maternity jeans.
2) Destination Maternity Nursing bras - lots of options for comfortable, wireless bra options to support your swollen and growing pregnancy boobs. They will also come in handy once the baby is born, because they come with an easy to remove nursing flap.
3) Destination Maternity Sleep bras - these made a world of difference for me in terms of breast soreness, before i started wearing them I would wake up to almost excruciating breast soreness in the morning. They also are said to help prevent sagging and stretch marks.
4) Pea in the Pod Maternity Panties - I bought these in every color. Just 100% cotton panties that are breathable and have stretchy waistbands for comfort.
For clothing, I just opted for looser silhouettes than my usual preferred body con styles because I wanted to hide my little pooch until we were ready to announce it. Loose blouses, shifts, and skater skirts were my best friend. Some of my outfit posts during my first trimester are posted below.
Last but not least, accessories are everything! Even though I wore heels in my blog posts, I wouldn't recommend wearing them regularly as they can add additional back pain to an already vulnerable lower back. I practically lived in flat sandals. And cute sunglasses are oh so perfect for the days where your feeling sick and tired and don't want it to show in your eyes ( I'm horrible at hiding how I feel lol!). Two of my favorite brands are below:
From left:
1) Sam Edelman 'Gigi' Sandal - these are classic and so comfortable; I have them in several different colors.
2) Quay Australia Sunglasses - this brand is my new obsession for sunglasses. They are high quality, very on trend, and reasonably priced.
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