by Robin A. Ross

Created on: July 30, 2008

Pregnancy is a very trying time, especially if you are going through it for the first time. there is a lot of advice out there, but what do you listen too and what do you ignore? Every woman has a different pregnancy experience. The worst part of my first trimester was the vomiting. I mean I was throwing up or dry heaving at least five times a day for thirteen weeks. You may have this experience, or you may be healthy as a horse.

That being said I have several tips for those of you experiencing there first trimester of pregnancy. It can be a fun and exciting time, but if you are not taking proper care of yourself it can be a nightmare.

1. Remember to eat small frequent meals throughout the day and even during the night. This was the hardest part of my pregnancy. I hated eating. I hated to have to eat frequently, and I honestly did not eat as often as I should. The thing is once my stomach was empty the dry heaves would begin. I finally gave in to the fact that I needed food in my belly at all times and actually slept with a box of graham crackers next to my bed. When I would get up to pee in the first trimester, and that seemed to be quite often, I would eat a graham cracker. It worked.

2. Sour is good. for some reason drinking lemonade helped the nausea. I have actually heard this from my doctor, and thought that it sounded completely unappealing, but to my surprise, sipping lemonade during the day made my queasiness stay at bay.

3. Get plenty of rest. Growing a baby is hard work. I think that taking naps throughout the day was and still is my saving grace. When my one year old daughter goes down, I go down for a nap.

4. Suckers and hard candy are not a bad way to drive away the queasiness. I carried around organic suckers from Trader Joes and popped one in when the queasiness was going to hit me.

5. You ligaments will stretch and it will hurt. I got so many odd cramps, but they all turned out to be round ligament pain. I would definitely consult my doctor about them, but just because you are cramping you do not necessarily need to go into panic mode.

6. Constipation is very normal, but treatable. Drink plenty of fluids and add fiber, but if that doesn't work Colace can be your best friend.

I am happy to announce that I am now in my second trimester, and the queasiness is gone. You too will get through it. Pregnancy is a journey. It is not meant to be something that you rush through. Your body is changing and growing another human being. This is definately nothing short of a miracle, and not meant to be easy.

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