In case you missed the announcement, I am pregnant with baby number EIGHT! As much as I can, I aim to have a natural pregnancy and birth each time. To help out all the new soon-to-be moms, I put together this list of my top first trimester must haves for a natural pregnancy.
While I love all of the excitement that comes with the first trimester, I don’t love some of the crazy symptoms. After sharing about some of the major changes I had been experiencing, I started thinking about all of the products that I loved using during that time.
If you just found out you are pregnant, congrats! Check out what you should do right away.
A lot of these items are great for any time during your pregnancy, but these are the essentials that especially helped get me through those first tough months. I will be sharing my must haves for the second and third trimesters soon, so make sure to bookmark or pin this page.
This post contains affiliate links.
FIRST TRIMESTER MUST HAVES
Prenatal Vitamins –
A quality prenatal vitamin is a must have during your entire pregnancy and through your breastfeeding and postpartum journey. My diet is made up of mostly unprocessed, whole foods and I still take a daily prenatal vitamin. As hard as it can be with fatigue and nausea, the first trimester of pregnancy is an especially important time to eat as healthy as possible. During these first 12 weeks, baby is developing its heart and nervous system, as well as all the rest of its organs! A quality prenatal goes a long way when your diet is less than stellar.
Currently, I am taking and loving the Pink Stork Premium Prenatals. I realized a little while back that I need a prenatal with folate and not folic acid, and Pink Stork has that. Their prenatal has added ingredients to aid in alleviating morning sickness and gut health and I definitely noticed a difference in my first trimester!
Nausea Remedies –
I also love Pink Stork’s Gut Health crystals. Again, this helped me so much with the dreaded morning sickness. There are studies out there to show that morning sickness in pregnancy can be attributed to gut health, so I wanted to do anything I could to help alleviate that. They also have a great Morning Sickness Tea if you are a tea drinker and Morning Sickness Candies, which are organic and contain vitamin B6 and ginger.
If you are on the go often, these tummy drops may be really helpful during those times of uneasiness. They are easy to keep in your purse so you can just pop one in your mouth at anytime and they taste good!
This Gut Health oil is great for helping to naturally keep your digestive system balanced, which means less morning sickness! It is something you can take even when you are not pregnant. I even give this to my kids.
You also may want to check out Emilia’s tips on Everything You Need to Know to Cure Morning Sickness! I wish I came across this earlier!
I have also heard that Preggie Pops are great for nausea. Personally, I also swear by Digize essential oil. I have never loved another oil so much – even when I hated the smell! The relief!! I keep a bottle by my bed and a roller in my purse.
For the Belly and Body –
It’s important to keep your skin hydrated during pregnancy, especially your stomach. There are many different types of creams that you can use to moisturize your stomach and to prevent stretch marks, but one of my favorites is this Soothing Belly Butter. This creamy body butter is specifically designed for our growing bellies! It has a slight chocolate scent and makes me feel like I’m pampering myself!
You can also use 100% pure coconut oil. Coconut oil is highly emollient and can help keep skin hydrated. It feels heavenly and the light coconut scent makes me feel like I’m at the beach.
I don’t know about you, but when I am pregnant, my skin takes on a life of its own! Some days, I will feel beautiful and glowing, and other days I will feel like an alligator! It can be frustrating! Thankfully, I found a line of safe skincare that actually adapts to my oddly changing pregnancy skin. I use this Adaptive Body Moisturizer all over my body in the mornings and this Adaptive Moisture Lotion on my face. They help my skin stay smooth and hydrated without any residue and I feel like my face is actually glowing! Maybe it’s the pregnancy, but I love this lotion!
Magnesium –
Vitamin B6 –
Vitamin B6 is another remedy you can try for morning sickness relief (source). I also take Vitamin B6 for a natural energy boost throughout the day. I take a Super B tablet which is a comprehensive vitamin complex containing all eight essential, energy-boosting B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12).
Combined with Nutmeg essential oil and bioavailable chelated minerals such as magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc, Super B not only assists in maintaining healthy energy levels, but it also supports mood and cardiovascular and cognitive function.
Pink Himalayan Salt –
During pregnancy, our need for salt increases due to our increased blood volume. Sodium is another electrolyte, so it is important to pay attention to you numbers. There is a drastic difference in your typical table salt and pink Himalayan salt, which has so many benefits.
Probiotics –
We have already talked about the importance of our gut health in relation to morning sickness. However, gut health is important for so many reasons during pregnancy. Taking a quality probiotic can help your immune system, your overall well-being, your energy levels and can even help when it comes time to take your Group B strep test.
I take Life 9 for my daily probiotic. Life 9 is a high-potency probiotic that combines 17 billion live cultures from nine beneficial bacteria strains. It helps promote healthy digestion, supports gut health, and helps maintain normal intestinal function for the overall support of a healthy immune system.
Earth Mama –
This Earth Mama Gift Set has so many wonderful products for the first trimester and beyond. The wellness body wash and the body oil are heavenly!
Comfy Leggings –
Although you may or may not need to wear maternity clothes during your first trimester, you are likely to at least experience some days where you are more bloated than others, and the idea of wearing jeans makes you groan. Pregnancy leggings can come in handy no matter what trimester you are in, trust me! Preggo Leggings are great for any stage of your pregnancy and beyond. You don’t have to chose between style and comfort with Preggo Leggings, which I love! They have all kinds of leggings, so you are sure to find at least a few pairs that you’ll fall in love with! They often have sales and coupon codes, so make sure to keep checking!
Bras –
The first trimester inevitably means we need to buy some new bras. I am always shocked by this, for some strange reason! There have been times where I have been tempted to purchase cheap bras for the first trimester, knowing I was only going to need to purchase more bras later on. However, I have learned that comfort and quality are crucial during such a beautiful time, so I have made the small investment into a few quality, well fitting bras and I so thankful I did.
Kindred Bravely has some of my favorite bras for pregnancy and breastfeeding, and their prices are extremely reasonable for the quality. They often have sales and clearance items, so make sure to take a look! You can take a short quiz to find the best fit for you, which is super helpful. The Kindred Bravely customer service is phenomenal, so make sure to reach out if you need any assistance!
Real Food For Pregnancy Book –
This book by Lily Nichols is a must read, in my opinion. Lily has done extensive research on nutrition in pregnancy – something that tends to be lacking. She advocates for a low carb diet, but in a gentle way. You do not need to be following a keto diet. Whole foods, quality fats, which vitamins and minerals are beneficial – there is so much in this book! Real Food For Pregnancy is a book I would gift anyone who discovers they are pregnant.
Do you have any other must have items for your first trimester? I would love to know!
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2 Comments
Ayanna
May 27, 2020 at 8:20 amCongratulations! This is is such a great list for so many mamas out there.
Bethany Gaston
May 27, 2020 at 12:20 pmGreat list! Someone gifted me Pink Stork tea during my first pregnancy – it’s delicious. In addition to to a prenatal, I also take a good quality fish oil supplement throughout my pregnancy for the dHA 🙂