On Morning Sickness and Other First Trimester Struggles
I kept telling my acupuncturist that I was excited for morning sickness to kick in after we had a positive pregnancy test. Extra validation that everything was going smoothly. She told me to be careful what I wished for — and I should have listened!
I remember it first rearing its ugly head at 5 weeks + a few days. I had my typical elixir before heading out to meet Ravi for a walk and came back around 9:30am for breakfast. A wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. Nothing made it better — naps, tea, all the carbs…nothing.
Over the next 4-5 weeks, it was varying degrees of extreme fatigue, sensitivity to smells, and nausea for most of the day, but especially in the afternoons and evenings. Having never experienced it before, I can now officially say that it’s truly awful. And to add to the discomfort, you’re trying to pretend everything is fine and normal since you haven’t announced the pregnancy yet.
Luckily, around 10 weeks I started to see the light. And while nothing truly made my morning sickness go away, there were definitely some things that made it more bearable.
Here’s what helped me get through those first weeks:
Eat First Thing.
Though I never needed crackers by my nightstand, if I didn’t have some sort of food in my stomach within 30-minutes of waking it was game over. I’d force myself to down a glass of water and then go straight for the oatmeal, chia pudding, banana bread, or toast with peanut butter. I also didn’t crave coffee, matcha, or tea for weeks which was so out of the norm for me. It was definitely an adjustment to have my whole morning routine uprooted. I remember thinking “and the surrendering begins.”
Make Protein Your Friend.
It’s honestly the last thing you want to eat, but your growing body and baby need those amino acid building blocks. Protein also helps stabilize blood sugar and most experts agree that dips in blood sugar levels make morning sickness worse. (It’s why a lot of women feel it first thing in the morning after fasting overnight.) I couldn’t do traditional proteins like chicken for weeks, so instead focused on hard-boiled eggs, fried eggs with butter and toast, canned salmon (random that I could tolerate it), grass-fed + cultured cottage cheese, and protein powder in smoothies.
Hydrate.
Another thing that’s really hard when you feel like nothing will stay down. But hydration is so important to not only help with nausea but to also prevent constipation which for me was a real struggle. I keep an insulated bottle of water with me at all times to sip on throughout the day. It helps to have it a little cold I find and I’ll also add a pinch of sea salt or trace mineral drops to help hydrate my cells vs. peeing it all out. Lemon and ginger are also great additions for adding to water (or making a tea) to help with morning sickness.
Side note on constipation, because I know I’m not the only pregnant lady experiencing it.
Other things besides staying well hydrated that seemed to help were (and still are) 2-4 prunes in the afternoon, digestive enzymes, chia pudding, ripe bananas, daily walks, not forcing it, and the occasional Miralax or Colace when things are really bad. (Always ask your doctor what’s best for you.) I also noticed that once I came off the progesterone injections and suppositories at 10-weeks my bowel movements became easier and more regular.
Eat less more often.
I found eating big meals wasn't working once nausea sank in. I felt better with smaller, more frequent snack-sized meals throughout the day. Having something always in your stomach seems to help most women and also stabilizes insulin levels.
Cold, Creamy, Crunchy.
Not sure why but all I wanted for most of the first trimester were cold, creamy, and/or crunchy foods. Everything from cereal with milk to cottage cheese to taco salads to coconut yogurt bowls to thick smoothies to avocado toast to baked potatoes.
Front or Backload Your Day.
My nausea and food aversions usually hit around 3pm every day. This meant most mornings I could eat somewhat normally so I tried to take advantage of it by front-loading all the good for me foods before a dinner of white rice with butter. I know other friends who had it opposite and could eat a more normal dinner. Pay attention to your patterns and try to take advantage of those golden moments. (And if you’re nauseous all day, simply do the best you can lady — it’s about survival.)
Embrace Naps.
First trimester tired is another level — sheer exhaustion hitting you out of the blue. There were days when I was perfectly energized and then a few hours later hit a wall. At first, I tried to power through, but it became apparent fast that all I could do was surrender and lay on the couch to nap. Even 30-minutes makes a huge difference. Your body is going through so many changes that it needs the rest. You wouldn’t be tired if it didn’t!
Try Acupuncture.
I’ve been religious about going to acupuncture weekly since before our transfer and it’s truly helped with every phase so far. When I was struggling with nausea my practitioner worked certain points and placed acupressure beads on my wrists that lasted for 2-3 days after my appointment. They’re like the TCM version of Seabands.
Ask About Supplements.
I also think having the right prenatal is crucial to helping with morning sickness. This is the one I take with a relatively high dose of B6 which has been shown to reduce symptoms. As always, consult your OB before changing up any supplements, but generally taking up to 25mg 3x/day of B6 is safe.
Go Easy On Yourself.
Lastly, remember that you’re growing a human! The first trimester is an introduction to surrender and realizing that your body is no longer yours alone. It’s a very trying time, but also incredibly beautiful. Go easy on yourself and take it one day at a time.
And because I’m sure you’re curious about food cravings, here’s what I relied on for those first 10-weeks.
First Trimester Food Cravings
Mary’s Gone original crackers with cruncy peanut butter
Good Cultture 4% cottage cheese with tons of black pepper
Chicken sandwiches (not deli meat) with Dijon/mayonnaise
Hard boiled eggs on flax crackers with mayonaise
Baked potato with butter and black black pepper
Brown rice, broccoli, eggs, butter, black pepper
White rice with butter and black pepper
Avocado toast on super crunchy, GF sourdough with dill
Cinnamon raisin bagels with peanut butter and banana
Cereal with almond milk, walnuts, and berries or banana
Overnight oats with almond butter and raspberries
Canned wild salmon with avocado and sauerkraut
Raw carrot sticks
Sumo oranges
Food I couldn’t stand the sight/smell of were cauliflower, kale, turmeric, chocolate, coffee, alcohol (when Ravi had a cocktail), salads/lettuce, sweet potato.
