Surviving the 1st Trimester as a Second Time Mom

First trimester the second time around was MUCH tougher for me than it was with my first baby. I'm not sure if it's because this one is a girl and my first is a boy, or what but MAN it knocked me out. My morning (all day) sickness was probably the worst symptom. That and being obscenely tired all the time. Dealing with those symptoms while chasing a toddler around the house was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I wanted to share some of the things that helped me survive the first trimester as a second time mom.

• Sea Bands- I wore these from the second I woke up to the second before I closed my eyes to sleep. It may be a placebo but I noticed an actual difference with them on vs not wearing them. Now, they did NOT completely take away my morning sickness but they did take the edge off.

• Unisom/B6 *** The actual most helpful thing for my morning sickness.*** I resorted to medication because I have emetophobia and I was having a lot of anxiety from the morning sickness. I took a whole Unisom tablet before bed every night until I was probably 18 weeks pregnant? If it didn't last me the whole day the next day, I'd add another half when I started feeling bad. This was a literal lifesaver for me. I took the B6 with the Unisom for a while but eventually stopped taking that and just took the Unisom. (NOT MEDICAL ADVICE!!!! Please speak with your doctor before taking any medication!!!)

• Unlimited screentime for my toddler- I needed to veg on the couch and not move as much as I possibly could. There are seasons for everything and the first trimester was a season of TV for us lol.

• Napping when my toddler napped- It took everything in me to make it from the time my son woke up to the time I put him down for nap, so by then I was also ready for a nap. Every day I would nap the entire time he napped. I had to or I literally couldn't function the rest of the day. This helped SO MUCH. By halfway through the second trimester it wasn't as necessary so I was able to get some things done during nap.
• Liquid IV electrolytes- Water tasted horrible to me for half my pregnancy. It happened with my first one too. I drank a ton of cran-apple juice and milk but Liquid IV was delicious and helped me increase my water intake. My favorite flavor is Tropical Punch! They also make sugar free versions but I can't handle any artificial sweeteners so I get the regular one.
• Eating a snack RIGHT before bed- My go to was a bowl of cereal, but I would also do a cheese stick and a few ritz crackers or a bowl of ice cream.
• Eating RIGHT when I woke up- a quick high protein breakfast was crucial to help keep my blood sugar stable. Some mornings was a fried egg on avocado toast, other mornings was a bowl of yogurt with granola and chocolate chips.
• Epsom Salts/Magnesium Baths- I'm not sure if these did too much but they sure felt nice. It may have helped a teeeeny bit with the pregnancy constipation (IYKYK) and was just overall relaxing. Just make sure you don't make it too hot! I linked the one I got to try out first, and then I just bought whatever random magnesium bath salts I could find after that. Now in my 3rd trimester I still take magnesium salt baths and they really help with my lower back pain.

If you're struggling through your first trimester of pregnancy right now, remember this is just a season! A fairly short season in the grand scheme of things. It feels impossible to survive when you're in the thick of it, but you will make it out. In just a few more weeks you'll start to feel that baby moving and forget all about how terrible you felt lol. And if you're one of the unlucky ones who experiences sickness the whole pregnancy, take heart in knowing it can only last until birth! It will end and you are strong enough to make it through! <3

I hope some of these tips can help at least one person out there, and to all of you I say: GOOD LUCK! WE GOT THIS!

Jessica

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