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First Trimester Tips for First Time Moms
If you’re a new mom going through your first trimester, you are probably feeling all the feels! And you’re probably wondering what to expect in the first trimester of pregnancy.
On one hand, you’re over the moon after seeing those two little lines appear (or if you used a digital test like me, seeing the word “PREGNANT”)
On the other hand, your head is probably spinning thinking about all that needs to get done and what the future holds.
Take a deep breath, mama!
I’m here to share some first trimester tips to help guide you on your journey. There’s a lot on your plate but focus on these simple steps first. Here is a basic first trimester to-do list to get you started.
If you enjoy this post, grab this FREE printable first trimester checklist!
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Tip #1: Keep a Journal From the Start
You will thank yourself later! Keeping a journal during my pregnancy has been great for many reasons.
First, it’s a keepsake to look back on to remember exactly what I was feeling all throughout my pregnancy. It will also come in handy when I’m pregnant again in the future so I can compare my symtpoms and know exactly what to expect for my body.
Second, it’s been very therapeutic, especially on some of my tough days. Overall, I can say that I’m having a fairly easy pregnancy experience. But I still have days that are harder than others emotionally.
Keeping a journal has helped me walk through my emotions and it’s a great outlet to work out my feelings.
I have personally been using a plain journal from Target but actual pregnancy journals are awesome too!
If you’re looking for a classic pregnancy journal, check out this one from Amazon.
Tip #2: Read Up!
During your first trimester, you’ll be full of questions. While you anxiously await your first doctor’s appointment, take some time to read up on pregnancy.
Look up articles and blog posts online (like you are right now!) or grab a physical copy of pregnancy books.
An obvious choice is the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book. A friend bought this for me and I’ve been enjoying it so much! It really is the perfect 101 guide for pregnancy tips.
As a way to unwind, I like to read a little bit at a time before going to bed. I’ve personally enjoyed reading about each week/trimester as it’s happening or about to happen.
Grab your copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Tip #3: Start Adjusting Your Diet BEFORE the Nausea Kicks In
This may depend on how early you find out your pregnant. If you’re like me and kept a VERY close eye on your cycle, then you may have found out your pregnant early enough before the morning sickness kicks in. This is a first trimester tip I wish I knew sooner.
Something I wish I did in my first trimester was make adjustments to my diet BEFORE I started not feeling well. I was in a mindset of “I’m going to enjoy everything I can before I get morning sickness.”
My morning sickness started fairly early, around week 6. But it was week 5 that I started to already have some tummy troubles.
I didn’t have nausea but I realized that I couldn’t eat as big of portions as I normally did without feeling bloated and for lack of a better word, gross. Because I was still eating as much as I normally would, this also caused some constipation and discomfort as well.
As soon as you know you’re pregnant, even if you’re feeling like a million bucks, do yourself a favor and start eating smaller portions. It can also be helpful to start cutting out foods that you believe will be problematic in the upcoming weeks.
For example, I LOVE salmon, but I had a strong feeling it wouldn’t sit well with me during first trimester. So I made the decision to avoid it until I got my normal appetite back.
Tip #4: Give Yourself Variety in Bland Foods
There are plenty of food-related first trimester tips first time moms need to know! This tip may or may not be helpful to you depending on your cravings and aversions.
Sticking to the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is always a smart idea when your stomach is upset. However, it may be possible that even these bland foods might gross you out. But if they don’t, then take some notes on how you can make bland foods not-so-boring!
RELATED READ: 20+ Ideas For What To Eat In First Trimester
In my first trimester, I was fortunate enough to have mild morning sickness. I only experienced nausea but never threw up. However, I was still extremely cautious of my diet because I was so anxious about potentially getting sick.
This may vary among women, but I was told that morning sickness is usually at its worst during weeks 8 & 9 of pregnancy. Luckily, mine never escalated, just stayed the same.
When I felt I was in the clear of my morning sickness getting worse, I tried to mix up my food options. Grocery shopping was frustrating enough because I didn’t know what I would be in the mood for during the week, let alone in the next hour.
I stuck to bland options but made sure to change it up as much as I could.
RELATED READ: 8 Must Have Pregnancy Products From Amazon
For example, for a few days in a row I would have toast with peanut butter for breakfast. But then I would switch from peanut butter to just regular butter to experience a different taste.
Then I switched from sliced bread to english muffins. This may not sound super exciting, but I think you get the idea.
Instead of only eating saltine crackers as a snack, try eating goldfish too.
Any way you can add variety, do it! It will make you dread your meals a little bit less knowing that you aren’t eating the exact. same. thing. all the time.
Tip #5: ALWAYS Keep Snacks on Hand
In your purse, at your nightstand, in your desk at work, etc. I felt that half of the time, my nausea was caused by hunger. The other half was just from being pregnant.
I always made it a point to keep a small pack of goldfish in my purse to eat on my way home from work because I knew that was a time when my hunger would kick in. My nightstand always had saltine crackers on standby.
PRO TIP: Make sure to ALWAYS eat a few crackers or some other snack before you even get out of bed. Hunger nausea can creep up QUICK and I learned that the hard way. Give yourself a minute to munch on a snack and drink some water before you get up.
The last thing you want is for nausea to kick in and to not be prepared!
Tip #6: Stay Hydrated
Since this is a tip we are given all the time, pregnant or not, I will keep it brief. But make sure you keep hyrdrated whether it’s with water or a sports drink.
I went through a phase where I only wanted to drink bottled water and not our filtered water from the fridge. I could only tolerate our filtered water if it was ice cold.
Weird, I know.
The bottom line: do whatever you have to do to keep yourself hydrated. If you need to only drink bottled water, do that. If you need to mix it up between water and sports drinks, do that too.
Tip #7: Start Your Maternity Wardrobe
Notice I said START, not buy a ton of brand new clothes. Your sweet bump won’t make an appearance for a while, but it can’t hurt to get prepared with a couple of essentials.
For me, the essentials were maternity leggings, comfortable bras, and under-the-bump underwear. Although my bump was non-existent, this underwear was so comfortable to wear while I was feeling bloated.
RELATED READ: Tips for Buying Maternity Clothes for New Mamas
Tip #8: Start Creating Your List of Questions for Your First Doctor’s Appointment
Eariler, I talked about how now is the time to start reading up on pregnancy. As you’re reading, you’ll probably have lots of questions.
A helpful first trimester tip is to start a list of any questions you have. It may feel like you have hundreds and that’s okay.
You will feel better knowing that you have your questions prepared and have time to look over them before your first appointment.
As the weeks go by leading up to your appointment, you can go through and decide which questions are an absolute priority and how you can narrow down your list.
Personally, making lists in general eases my anxiety so this may do the same for you!
RELATED READ: The Best Questions to Ask Your Doctor at Your First Prenatal Appointment
Tip #9: Become Mindful of What You Need to Cut Out
One of the last first trimester tips I have is to start being mindful of what you need to cut out. If you’re a regular coffee drinker, you’ll need to cut back on your caffeine. Obviously, you need to stop drinking alcohol and/or smoking. Your exericse routine may or may not have to be modified.
Start taking time to reflect on what lifestyle changes you’ll need to make in order to have a healthy pregnancy.
Wrapping Up First Trimester Tips
I know that the internet is flooded with pregnancy tips, hacks, and must-haves. I hope that you found this list of first trimester tips helpful and straight-forward!
Always keep in mind that each woman and her pregnancy is different. What was helpful for me may not work as well for you, and vice versa.
Be sure to, first and foremost, go to your doctor with any questions you may have regarding pregnancy.
What first trimester tips have you been given that was most helpful to you? Share in the comments below!
If you found this post helpful then be sure to check out my eBook, Positively Pregnant, to learn 5 different strategies for having the most positive pregnancy ever! Get the full details here.
Is your second trimester just around the corner? Check out this post: No-Nonsense Second Trimester To-Do List
BEFORE YOU GO…
As promised, you can snag your first trimester checklist here!
These are awesome tips! I’m just getting into my 3rd trimester and felt so lost in my 1st!
Congratulations!! I’ll be starting 3rd trimester very soon! Navigating first trimester was interesting to say the least lol
The list of questions is such a good idea! I always end up forgetting what I wanted to ask once I saw my doctor.
Having a list has been so helpful! I feel like I always have a bunch of questions so having a list keeps me organized.