Tips for the Pregnant Lady: First Trimester

Ok... stage one. Congrats on your pregnancy! You have entered the first trimester. Even though baby is currently insignificant in size, it seems like this little one (as well as a bundle of hormones) have taken over your body, leaving you with all kinds of uncomfortable side effects that aren't fun to deal with in everyday life.

Every woman is different. Many women notice a difference in whether they have conceived a boy (nausea) or a girl (terrible morning sickness). Some women have no side effects of early pregnancy at all (lucky ladies!). So for these preparations for fitness and health, work at your own pace and listen to your body.

General Tips for the Pregnant Lady: First Trimester

* Feeling nauseous? Keep yourself hydrated and keep snacks with ginger on hand.
(Personal Recommendations: When I was first pregnant, I had ginger snaps, ginger lollipops - a well-known brand: Preggie Pops, and ginger chews on hand all the time. Especially working as a veterinary assistant in surgeries, these ginger snacks definitely took the edge off the nausea!)

* If you can keep anything down at this point, make sure your meals are similar to snack size throughout the day rather than three big meals, all with good protein and complex carbohydrates. This will help with the nausea overall and help you have some energy.
(Personal Recommendations: String cheese, bland cereals like Corn Flakes, air-popped popcorn, yogurt... a few foods sounded really good to me like fruit, Mexican food, and buffalo wings, so if something sounds good - especially at this stage - go for it. It usually won't make you sick; on the contrary, eating Mexican food actually relieved some of my nauseousness!)

* As far as physical activity, I was used to doing boot camp classes, advance kickboxing, and Pilates and Yoga before I was pregnant. In the beginning of my pregnancy, I slowed down a bit (mostly because of my nausea and exhaustion) and started walking for an hour and/or worked on strength training and prenatal yoga workouts. Doing this actually gave me some strength. If you have never exercised before you were pregnant, I recommend starting now, very slowly. It will do wonders for your mood and energy levels as well as be beneficial for your baby. Start taking short walks and doing beginner workout videos to do on your own time when you feel okay.
(Personal Recommendations: Some good videos I utilized to keep up my fitness regimen were Denise Austin's Fit & Firm Pregnancy, 10 Minute Solution; Prenatal Pilates, and some other low-impact workouts from Denise Austin's Personal Training System and Basic Tae-Bo videos. Lower-body, upper-body, and abdominal workouts were also a part of my regimen.Remember: Do NOT do any exercises on your back without a pillow, even at this stage.)

* Best Tip: Go easy on yourself. It feels good to exercise and eat right, just keep that in mind, but never force yourself as you usually could before you were pregnant. Do NOT workout if you are feeling dizzy, nauseous, and just plain yucky. Give yourself some rest. You are growing a human being - it takes all the energy from you! If you work, make sure to set some time aside for a good "power" nap. These little naps make all the difference.

Early pregnancy is a difficult stage, but it WILL get better. Take care of yourself and slow down a little bit from your regular schedule. Don't be afraid to ask for help from family or friends when you feel like all you want to do is sit over the toilet or lay with a cold washcloth over your head. Believe me, you will feel so much better if you aren't stressing from handling everything yourself and dealing with all these hormonal changes - especially if you have more children than the one you are carrying now!

Take care, ladies. We'll move onto the second trimester next!