One of the most frequent things I googled during my first trimester was about what would ease the discomfort of the first trimester symptoms like nausea, food aversions, and fatigue. My nausea was not really that bad, but it was more of a discomfort with always feeling hungry but not wanting to eat anything and figuring out the balance there.
Some things that have made me feel better:
- Ginger Ale, ginger tea, peppermint tea, nausea candies and supplements from Pink Stork helped for the nausea that I did have, but luckily I didn’t need them too often.
- Eating frequent and small meals. I know that sounds counterintuitive because usually when you are nauseous food is the last thing you want, but if I ate at frequent intervals I would usually stave off any nausea.
- Keeping snacks on my night stand, in my car, and taking food with me everywhere I went.
- Rest. I’ve never given myself this much grace with my rest but I have good reason I guess. Normally I love to be doing things, and always feel better when I am productive, but this has really forced me to slow down and listen to my body and not feel guilty when I spend 5 hours on the couch watching Downton Abbey in the middle of the day.
- Therapy. I called a therapist the day after I found out I was pregnant. I knew my history with anxiety and emetophobia and felt it was a smart choice to take care of my mental health during this major life transition. It has helped me process so much and realize just how capable I am of handling this. I recommend going to betterhelp.com which is where I found my therapist. Their rates are better than most traditional therapists and you will be matched with a therapist that fits your needs.
What have I been eating during my first trimester?
I read somewhere that pregnancy is a crash course in intuitive eating and it is so true. I’ve never been more in touch with what my body wants and doesn’t want. Most of the time I would have a feeling of “I’m hungry, but I don’t want anything” which is a very uncomfortable feeling.
I would feel so hungry- like I’m gonna pass out if I don’t eat something right now, then look in the refrigerator and say “I don’t want anything in here.” It felt like nothing hit that satisfaction button, so I was just uncomfortable all the time, eating food just to feel not nauseous and weak, constantly looking for anything that would hit the spot. This is where I think the traditional notion of “pregnancy cravings” comes from, because sometimes nothing sounded good to me except for one very specific thing that I then HAD to go get.
And my appetite has been massive, I can just eat, and eat some more. Old societal programming would normally have made me feel guilty for how much ice cream and bread I’ve been eating. So I’ve been learning a lot of lessons about listening to my body, and being extra kind to it. After all, I am growing a whole human, and my body really has needed all of the food I can get.
- Carbs of any kind (bread, crackers, english muffins, waffles, pasta, rice, pita bread, naan bread, chops cereal)
- Berries…all day long!
- Yogurt and cottage cheese
- Ice cream sandwiches and chipwiches. Which have been a godsend, for some reason those were one of the few foods that really satisfied me.
- Cucumbers with hummus
- Eggs & sausage
- Salads
I’ve really wanted refreshing foods like cucumbers, salads, and berries. Which is great because those are the only fruits and veggies I’ve eaten in three months. I have no interest in other fruits or cooked vegetables right now. For some reason ice cream sandwiches feel very refreshing to me too, and am averaging two a day!
This aspect of pregnancy can be very triggering for people who have experienced disordered eating or unhealthy relationships with food. My advice to anybody going through their first trimester is to throw everything you think you believe about food out the window and eat what your body wants. I am not a nutritionist so I’m not giving nutritional advice. Just be extra kind to yourself and always be in communication with your body. Every day I ask myself “what would feel good to me right now?” Sometimes it’s ice cream, sometimes it’s cucumbers. I try to focus less on how “healthy” a food is, and listen to what will help me feel good and satisfied, or at the very least, not nauseous.
