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My First Trimester Pregnancy Essentials

Note: I wrote this while I was pregnant so it will all sound like in the present tense.

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First-Trimester-Essentials-15-Items

Keep in mind that the bump was growing around Autumn/Winter, so I needed cozier items to stay warm.

Also if you are interested, you can read about how my first trimester went!

1. White and Warren Cashmere Travel Wrap

I already had this, but it became even more important that I had a cashmere blanket of sorts, because I used it to keep my core warm (neck and front half of my body), especially since my jackets which are very fitted, were NOT buttoning up without feeling too tight. So I wore my jackets open, and this huge cashmere travel wrap covered the bump for Autumn.

2. Jamieson Prenatal Vitamins

I know you can go with the fancy stuff, or organic items, but my doctor told me a simple prenatal would be fine. I chose Jamieson.

I would buy this the minute you find out you’re pregnant (or if you are looking to get pregnant, take the pill beforehand so that your body is prepped), because it already has the folic acid you need for the first trimester, and you can continue taking the pill all the way to post-pregnancy.

I stupidly bought folic acid pills for the first trimester (I have like 300 left over), then had to buy these vitamins in addition.

3. What to Expect When You’re Expecting & What to Expect: The First Year

I know there are other books you can read, but these were really the two most comforting books for me. I read through all the symptoms, had my questions about how my body was changing answered pretty comfortably, and I’m now reading up on what to expect when the baby is born (sleeping patterns, eating, etc).

It’s also nice to know what size your baby is from week to week and what they’re developing.

If you don’t want to buy the book, they’re also available as a resource online or in an ebook (usually free at your local library), but in this particular case, I preferred a hardcopy paper version I could flip through, bookmark and make notes.

4. Ginger Ale

Ginger ale was the only thing that kept my nausea down. It isn’t TOO sweet, and the fizzy properties of the soda, coupled with the ginger, made me feel a lot better in the first trimester; even though I wasn’t yakking that often, I would feel bouts of queasiness, dizziness and a lot of air in my stomach (burping fits) which was aided with the ginger ale.

I tried my best to only go for the natural organic stuff, but as all nutritionists know, sugar is sugar, no matter what form it is (glucose-fructose, white, cane, etc).

5. Harmony Organic Milk (Unhomogenized) in Glass Bottles

I live in Canada, and this is the only brand I’ve found for organic milk in glass bottles.

You need about 1000 – 1200 mcg of calcium a day.

This one has Vitamin D3 already added in it to help me absorb the calcium better. If you don’t take a lot of calcium in while you’re pregnant, you run the risk of having the baby take calcium directly from your body from your bones and in some cases, I know women who have had their teeth fall out because of this.

Organic milk in glass bottles is 4X more expensive than milk in plastic bags (yes I live in Canada), but it is worth it. BPA in plastic is not something I want to fool around with, seeing as I am growing a tiny human from scratch.

I also read studies that BPA MAY also cause miscarriages, and basically it isn’t good for you.

Total cost is about $1000 for the duration of the pregnancy, at the rate I am drinking the milk (about a liter a day). The prenatal vitamins help, as they have 200 mcg of calcium in there, but you should also eat/drink more calcium in addition to that.

6. Vince Circle Shawl Cardigan in Pebblestone

I bought this because I needed something to keep me warm (and my butt warm), while being large enough to cover the bump.

The cashmere travel scarf from White and Warren helps, but this helped keep everything all wrapped and cuddly. Essential Autumn-wear.

7. Wilfred Free Bruni Dress

Hands down the best dress ever for pregnancy. I own 2 of them, in heather black and blue, and I layer them now, as the weather is getting colder.

PERFECT for the bump, because I can just ruch up the sides if I need to.

They’re stretchy, easy to pull on, fairly warm, with good coverage of your body without being restrictive. It also really shows off the bump (very body conscious) and you can wear them after you’ve given birth.

It’s also easier to wear a dress when you do ultrasounds, you can just hike up the dress/skirt rather than having to take pants off.

8. Wolford Thigh High Maternity Tights

Right now I’m half living in dresses.

Again, I can’t wear anything that presses on my belly (it really does hurt, even if it still ‘fits’), and these tights are perfect for wearing during Autumn when it is tights season.

9. J Brand Mama J Starless Maternity Jeans

If I am not in dresses, I am in these jeans. That’s all I wear. Great paneling on the side (very stretchy). My bump is not that big, so the panels keep sliding down my non-existent hips, and I keep having to hike them up every hour or so, but they’re the only pants that will fit me right now.

10. Evian Glass Bottle (To use as a reusable bottle)

I bought a small Evian glass bottle, and found a cap from a San Benedetto glass bottle that fit it perfectly. I carry a glass bottle of water around with me wherever I go, because I’m constantly thirsty nowadays.

You can use plastic bottles that are BPA-free , or buy a glass reusable bottle for $10, but this option only cost me $2, and I have a glass water bottle for life, and I know it’s not made in China.

11. Frye Melissa Back Zip Button Boots

Great support on the soles (no need for my Birkenstock insoles!), and the back zip is surprisingly easy. It also hasn’t stretched out at the ankle or flopped into this weird wrinkly mass around my feet because the leather is slightly thicker, and the full zip is on the BACK, not the side. I do find that they look a little loose/large, but it doesn’t really bother me, as it fits my jeans better when I tuck them in.

12. Maternity Tights

I bought these from Target for about $24. I wear them around the house as pants because pants won’t fit and I don’t always want to wear a dress.

13. Maiga Cocoa and Shea Butter Cream

It’s never too early to start rubbing cream on the bump to prevent stretch marks.

100% cocoa butter and shea butter, no additives, bought in a health food store, and unlike pure 100% cocoa butter it is a LOT easier to rub on (not as grainy, don’t need to melt it in the microwave beforehand).

Be wary of the stuff in drugstores, they add a lot of mineral oil and petrolatum, and charge you a pretty penny for it (e.g. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter).

Look at the ingredients and buy the real stuff, which is oddly enough, way cheaper.

14. YumEarth Organics Vitamin C Drops

This is for when I feel slightly dizzy or faint.

A little sugar boost, while getting some Vitamin C does it for me. I’d also think about bringing a snack like a banana along, but I hate fruit that gets squished in my purse, so I just pop one of these candies into my mouth.

15. Natracare Cotton Pantyliners

There’s a lot of liquid they may not tell you about until you get it. *ahem*

I was changing twice a day and my underwear was just not doing the trick because it isn’t thick enough, and I kept soaking through them.

I tried to use reusable pantyliners in cotton but it became a bit unmanageable (like a pad), and I needed a pantyliner instead so it was thin and comfortable, and I found these pantyliners that are cotton and biodegradeable (no plastics), and I’ve been using them on and off, changing as I need to.

So far, a godsend, and I like that they really made them as natural as they could, although I am sure the cotton is bleached 😐

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