My 1st Trimester Must-Haves

Every pregnancy is different and every soon-to-be mom has a unique experience. I had one of those 1st trimester experiences people write horror stories about. I was sick everyday, most of the day. Was it worth it? 100% - but that doesn't discount how difficult it was to get through some days...

In an effort to be transparent, I want to share my experience truthfully, the good, bad and ugly. I also want to share some of the things that helped me manage and get through those first 12-15 weeks.

My nausea isn't completely gone (though I'm currently 21 weeks). At this point, I believe it's here to stay, but it has gotten immensely better. I can eat a wider variety of foods now and I can go about my normal day (for the most part).

In the beginning, I had to take some time off of work here and there and when I was working, it was usually while reclining on the couch surrounded by my safety foods and plenty of fluids. So what were my 1st trimester must-haves? Let's get into it...

• Stomach Settle Ginger Drops

These are a great way to help settle your stomach because they have ginger and B6. However, because of the B6, please make sure to check with your doctor first. I wasn't taking any B6 supplements outside of this and the B6 in my prenatal vitamins so I was in the clear here.

• Pepermint Gum

Peppermint has been shown to help settle the stomach, it can also help in a pinch if you don't immediately have food available. I still chew on peppermint gum whenever mid-day nasuea hits. Beware of going overboard as some gums can have a lot of excess chemicals.

• Ice Facial Roller

1st trimester nausea during a heat-wave can be a real killer. I used my cold facial roller (and still use it) to help cool me off whenever I felt warm. It has the added benefit of calming me down when I'm anxious.

• Assorted Crackers

Crackers are a stomach bug staple, making them really easy to lean into during pregnancy nausea. I found that it was key for me to have a variety of types of crackers around. Usually after 4-5 days the smell and taste of one type of cracker would make me sick so I'd have to switch it up. I found myself rotating between 3-4 types of crackers for the whole 1st trimester.

• Sea Bands

Accupressure is a great way to relieve nausea. Shout-out to my fellow Outlander fans on this one... This is similar to what Jamie uses to relieve his sea sickness. Sea bands are a great way to use accupressure to help with some morning sickness. Keep in mind, it might not help with all, depending on the cause.

• Belly Bottle Pregnancy Water Bottle

I found that around week 6-7 I was really struggling to drink enough water. Water itself would actually make me nauseous. My sister bought me one of the Belly Bottle pregnancy water bottles and it became a lot easier to steadily drink water throughout the day. It's also fun to add a new week number sticker every week and track my pregnancy. Still struggling to drink water? Try adding Crystal Light or something similar (but check with your doctor first if there are added chemicals, etc.).