First Trimester
The first trimester of pregnancy is a dynamic three-month journey for you and your developing baby. By 8 weeks, your baby has a beating heart. In the first 10 weeks alone, your baby will develop all of its organs. The work that your body can do is beyond comprehension. Now, it may not feel as glorious as it sounds, as the first trimester usually brings with it nausea, fatigue, mood imbalance, and nervousness. Despite your new symptoms, they are all perfectly normal! But, how do you manage your joy (keeping it from turning to irritation), while learning how to adapt to your new and changing body? This is about taking care of you.
1. Manage your nausea with spices, minerals, and touch
• Ginger has a long-standing history as a beneficial anti-nausea spice. Try Gingerroot tea throughout the day, or chew on crystallized ginger. Data suggests ginger at doses of 1 gram shows most improvement for symptoms.
• Magnesium is a wonderful mineral used as effective management of nausea. And we are often walking around very deficient in this crucial mineral. Try 400-600 mg of magnesium glycinate daily.
• Finally, there are pressure points on your body that when massaged network to improve health. Remember when you were carsick and wore bracelets with a small plastic ball positioned on the center & backside of your wrist? Put massaging pressure there throughout the waves, and feel some relief.
2. Manage your fatigue with appropriate rest, protein, and B vitamins
• Naps are not just for cats. A good siesta mid-day can improve your vitality until nighttime sleep. We suggest at least one rest in the day to improve your stamina, even if it’s just putting your feet up and closing your eyes.
• Adequate protein during the first trimester is important, however, difficult to consume if you feel nauseated. Try a smoothie with rice-based protein powder, a spoonful of almond butter with cinnamon on top, or a soothing cup of yogurt of kefir. Luckily your protein needs don’t increase in the first trimester (as long as you are carrying only one growing baby & you’re not an elite/professional athlete), so focus on what you can do, and know that close is good enough. At a minimum, at least 75 grams of protein per day is a standard recommendation.
• B vitamins are crucial for your energy support. Ensure that your prenatal has a full array of B vitamins like those found in our preGenesis® prenatal.
3. Manage your mood with phytonutrients, and essential fats
• Remember all the colors of a rainbow, ROY G. BIV-Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Just follow the rainbow to health! We recommend at least one food from each color everyday. You can easily achieve this goal in a daily smoothie. These colorful nutrients help support your changing mood.
• Essential fats like EPA/DHA are not only important for baby’s brain development, but your brain development as well. As your brain is starting to activate areas that are associated with mothering, you need DHA support. Try for low-mercury, cold-water fish 3X a week, eggs are also an “egg-cellent” source of DHA, and choose plant-based sources of essential fats like flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, almonds, and algal oil (algae oil).
4. Manage your nerves with stress management
• Did you know that unmanaged stress can affect the health of your family for up to 4 generations? That feels big. But the take home? You are powerful and your daily management choices will determine how your days through pregnancy and motherhood play out. Choose to manage your stress, even if it’s learning to tap into something you do every minute of everyday! Breathwork is a powerful tool to decrease stress. It will not only calm your nerves, but will improve the stress response that your baby has as well. Try for at least 15 minutes of relaxation daily.
5. Manage your changing body with movement
• Sometimes the best way to deal with change is to move and change with it. Movement throughout your pregnancy is part of daily stress management. It will improve the health outcomes of your pregnancy, and will help you gain healthy pregnancy weight. Movement is a natural anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, without any of the negative side effects.
Looking for more Movement Recommendations? Check out our GrowBaby Moving Guide