First Trimester Necessities – A Few Of My Favorite Things

I was talking to a couple of friends last night about morning sickness and how awful we felt during our first trimesters.  It got me thinking about the things that helped me get through those first few months.  That said, here’s my list of first trimester necessities:

Nausea Busters

Saltines (keep a baggy of them with you in your purse)

Ginger Ale (ginger in any form is a wonder)

Spearmint/peppermint gum (doesn’t work for everyone but sometimes just the scent made me feel better)

Preggie Pops (easy to carry around in your purse and yummy)

Sea-bands (yes, the sea sickness wrist bands. I felt like wonder woman wearing them.)

Hot water with fresh lemon and a little sugar (My great grandmother used to give this to my mom when she didn’t feel well- it tastes delicious and is very soothing on the tummy)

Severe Headache Remedies

Regular strength tylenol

A coke and a tylenol (if its really bad) 

*Talk to your Dr. about this before trying!

Health/Beauty Supplies

Pre-natal Vitamins - Have your doc give you some samples and see what works best for you--some are very strong and might make you sick.  The DHA vitamins made me very sick. Also some Rx pre-natal vitamins can cost $50-80 a month!  Know that you do not have to go with these.  I loved Pre-Nate Elite but the price went from $20/month to $60/month, so I got the generic.  Ask your doctor if there is a generic for the brand or if you can take an OTC pre-natal vitamin like One a Day or even a store brand.   No sense in going broke before your little money sucker arrives!  But DO take a pre-natal vitamin everyday.

Palmers Cocoa Butter - My cousin told me about this during my first pregnancy and it really worked.  Basically you slather it on your belly (and some use it on their girls too!) before bed each night to keep your skin supple and to prevent stretch marks.  However, I really don’t like the smell and might switch to Mambino Organics.  You can find Palmers at CVS, as well as at Babies R Us and online.  Mambino is carried at some Babies R Us, in higher end maternity stores, and online. 

Pantiliners – Really? Do I need to explain why?  Just have them on hand.  

Lingerie Solutions

Bra Extenders -  You might want to wait to get some new bras until you’re a littler further along…cause yes, the girls are going to get even bigger.  For now just get some bra extenders.  Basically, it allows you to wear your regular bra after your back morphs and gets broader.  They run about $5-10 for a 3 pack and you can get them at Target, Walmart, or online at Amazon.com.  I love these and just put mine on my bra yesterday. 

Be Band/Bella Band - Pants getting snug? Basically the band extends the life of your pre-prego pants and also helps you keep up maternity clothes that are a bit too big. The Be Band and Bella Band are virtually the same thing but the Bella Band is the higher end/more expensive of the two.  You can get the Bella Band and almost any maternity store.  The Be Band is sold at Target.  Both can also be found online.  I’m 17 weeks along and still able to wear my True Religion jeans thanks to the Be Band.

Ok, so I don't have any of these yet but am looking into getting a few to stave off muffin top.  Be Band and Bella Band now also have tummy smoothing tank tops.  My friend Megan also recently posted on her blog Modern Mom (http://Modermom1.blogspot.com) about Yummie Tummie (www.yummietummie.com) a new brand of high end shape wear that  promises to smooth out your midsection.   If you're in that weird stage of pregnancy where you look more like you have a beer gut than a baby on board...you might want to consider this.  

For your convenience, all the items mentioned in this post can be found in EITB's recommended products store on Amazon.com!

http://astore.amazon.com/expect-20