First off, if you have found this post and are pregnant, CONGRATULATIONS!! I am so excited for you to start this part of your life! And I am proud of you for doing the research to make yourself better during this challenging time. So glad that you have found this post so you can learn from what I have discovered during my first pregnancy. This post contains affiliate links to connect you with my favorite products at no additional cost to you, while helping my out. Thank you for supporting me!

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and bringing another life into the world is such an honor. But I’m just going to say what I wish someone told me, being pregnant is kind of miserable! At least at the beginning anyway, until you fall in love with the little creature that is growing in your belly. Then perception changes and you can see that it’s all going to be worth it in the end. But for now, I want to help you get through your pregnancy as comfortably as possible.

Let’s talk about some of the big issues. We’ve got nausea, sleep problems, and nutrition. That’s what I’m going to talk about today. and I’m going to share with you some of the tips that I’ve found useful to make my life a little better while my body changes.

Please, get rid of the Nausea!

For me the nausea started way early. Like before I even had a positive pregnancy test. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant so I had taken certain precautions to get myself ready, i.e. not drinking, taking prenatal vitamins and making healthy eating choices. But nothing prepared me for the nausea that would come in waves and just knock me down. It wasn’t that I threw up too often, but just felt miserably nauseous. So I began to scour the internet for help.

So I found a few things that worked for me. The easiest for me to do anytime, anywhere being adding lemon to my water. This did WONDERS for me. I read something about the acid helping to settle whatever was bubbling up out of the stomach. Get some lemons to slice if you want to be fancy or if you’re at a restaurant, but if you are an exhausted pregnant momma, just get some of that lemon juice from the grocery store by the mixers. Make sure it’s 100% lemon juice so you’re not getting any extra junk in there you don’t need. Then just add to your water whenever you’re feeling queasy.

The next thing I added that was Sea-Bands. They use pressure points and acupressure to relieve nausea. They come in a clear case so they stay clean in your purse and you can just put them on when the nausea hits or wear them all the time. You can get them in gray or a different color. Help me out by getting them through this link!

Besides those two things, the other integral part of “feeling better” for me was eating better. Even though I was craving cereal, cheeseburgers, pizza, popcorn or other junk food; they usually made me feel pretty crummy after I ate them. So when I made healthier choices like oatmeal, homemade turkey burgers, or cucumbers as a snack I usually felt better.

This moves us right along into the next category.

Nutrition not for you, but for Baby.

What you put into your body is going to nourish your sweet baby! They say what you eat is what your baby will crave. So let’s try to get JR off on the right track and make healthy eating choices. I’m not telling you to count calories or be a drill Sargent, but to use the 80/20 rule. 80% healthy good choices allows for 20% not so great choices… Basically you have to give in a little bit, that’s what keeps you on the wagon, per say.

Following the advice of my OB, I don’t recommend drinking any alcohol, because is it really worth it? Studies are unclear about what amount of alcohol will cause fetal alcohol syndrome, so its better to just stay away. Mocktails are fun and plentiful these days. Just think of this as one of your first sacrifices you are giving up for your growing family. Don’t be resentful. This is just the beginning of what you will do for the love of your family and your child.

Moving on, soap box away… Let’s talk Prenatals. Now, I’m not going to give you a breakdown of which vitamins you need and how much, since I’m not a doctor. But you want to get a prenatal that has Folic Acid. This is the important one that helps to prevent birth defects. Another thing that is great for brain health of baby are Omegas or Fish Oil. Talk with your doctor to see if there is anything else they recommend for you. Personally, I also take Magnesium for headaches and Vitamin B for energy. This is my prenatal that has pretty much everything expecting mommas need in it.

Another thing that is good to consider, especially if you are dealing with a lot of nausea, is taking what I call green juice. It’s Amazing Green powder or capsules you can take to get your greens in without having to work to actually eat all your veggies. Although eating fruits and vegetables is really good to help you feel better, if you can manage. This is pretty much the next best thing. You can find these in the grocery stores or health food stores, but be sure to check the expiration dates. Or you can get them easily delivered from Amazon. Personally, I prefer the berry flavor. But you can get the original flavor and mix it up with anything. Put it in a smoothie or juice. My preference is to have it with a Gatorade. We get ours delivered from Amazon. Just put water and gatorade powder in a gallon jug in the fridge. That keeps Momma from having to carry it in from the store. Plus, it’s better for the earth, than having to recycle all those bottles.

Sleep is good for Momma and Baby.

For me, sleep has always been a challenge. As a trafficking survivor with PTSD, nightmares tend to keep me up. But we’ll leave that topic for another day. Besides that, being pregnant has brought a whole new set of sleeping issues. For one thing being comfortable.

My husband knew my hips were going to be needing support so he got me this pillow for between my legs. That has been great! It stays between my legs whichever side I roll to. You can get it here.

Once my boobs started growing and getting heavy, it was just uncomfortable to lay on my side and have them hang there! So I started looking for sleep bras and other helpful tools. Eventually, I just used one of our king size fluffy pillows to hug and support my chest while also being able to tuck it under my belly and support me there. That works perfectly for me! I didn’t feel the need to buy a special pregnancy pillow. I hate buying things just for the name… So I’m glad that I could use what I already had! You can get pillows anywhere, just make sure it’s got enough support but is still soft enough to be form fitting for your spaces.

Since I have allergies coupled with the swollen nasal passages from being pregnant, my breathing has been a challenge. The thing that has been super helpful for me is the Breathe Right Extra Strength Tan Strips. I found the best price through my Costco membership, but you can easily get these on Amazon too. I like the sensitive skin ones. It’s AMAZING how much better you can breathe with those suckers on! You can also get it in Calming Lavender.

Now you have everything you need to get you through your first set of symptoms during pregnancy! Hope that you have found this helpful. Please feel free to leave comments about what you have liked in the comments below! If you have any other questions, definitely leave a note and I’ll be happy to share my wisdom. Good luck!