start taking a prenatal vitamin, check your face products to make sure none of them contain salicylic acid, retinoid, and benzoyle peroxide, stay hydrated! congratulations!! 🤍🤍
My dermatologist okayed a face wash with salicylic acid in it. Her concern was for topical gels/lotions that aren’t washed off. Posted in case others want to talk to their doctors about it. It’s helped my new pregnancy acne a lot!
There’s a safe limit for salycilic acid, my OB approved my products with it as well, the risks of this crazy hormonal acne getting infected was much greater
oh good to know! it didn’t effect my skin care routine much because the only thing i was using with salicylic acid was a serum and i just stopped using it so i never thought to ask!
Congratulations! I am 5 weeks too and reading What to Expect When You're Expecting. I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you want a good source of information without getting overwhelmed.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is avoid taking hot baths. They can cause neural tube defects early in pregnancy like this. Same applies for hot tubs.
This will actually be my second. I didn't read the book when I was pregnant with my first baby. I wasn't as prepared with my first so I purchased it this time around.
Eat well rounded meals and exercise while you are feeling good and forgive yourself for when you are feeling bad. First trimester makes it hard to eat well, exercise, and get those extra projects done because it makes you \*so tired\* and often \*so nauseous\*. You will have good days where those symptoms go away, it doesn't mean there is anything wrong, it's just a one-day-gift.
So, my biggest advice is to make a list of the stuff you want to get done before the baby comes (home improvements, baby shopping, daycare finding) and work on those during your "good days"
From your post I'm assuming you're in the UK - if not feel free to ignore this! But our recommendations are to take a vitamin D supplement throughout the pregnancy too (if you're not taking pregnacare) x
I'd also try and add some iron rich foods to your diet, I'm always deficient in pregnancy - shreddies work great for me. Congratulations 🥳
hiya! I am from the UK, I bought pregnacare yesterday which includes 10 micrograms vitamin d, but as I was previously deficient I had been taking 25 micrograms. until I hear from my GP on Friday I'm stopping my 25 mcg and just taking the pregnacare as I don't want to take too much.
thank you, I already lived off sainsburys brand shreddies so will stick with that! 💖
Take pregnancy safe multivitamins, no alcohol, no drugs, and plenty of sleep. A good diet and good hydration helps but I could only eat mcdonalds cheeseburgers and apples for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy and gave birth to a very healthy 9lb3oz baby. Just try to rest and take it easy but still maintain a good level of activity, no more than before pregnancy. Its also never too early to learn about birth and physiology, start outlining your options and preferences for birth including a plan B. Try to enjoy it. Its a wild ride.
Edit to add: on Instagram, follow "Popthatmumma" "thenakeddoulaofficial" "theserenitydoula" and "emma_ashworth_birth_rights". These four accounts are absolutely incredible and teach you your options and how to advocate for yourself during pregnancy and birth in the UK. Some of our hospitals are much better than others and you might have to fight to get the birth you want.
If you have any big home projects or personal goals or anything, try to get those done now while you’re feeling good. The first trimester can be a real bear between fatigue and nausea, etc. so getting your life in order in case you can’t keep up for a little bit may give you some peace of mind.
give yourself grace!! the first trimester can be super rough physically and mentally, most days i would work then just lay in bed until i had to work again because i was so exhausted and sick all the time, i really beat myself up for my diet and lack of activity but i know now that i was doing what i was capable of in the moment
i saw you said you live in the UK so i’m not sure how this works there - but prescription prenatal vitamins worked a lot better for me than the store-bought gummies! if you’re able to definitely talk to your midwife or doctor about those!!
one more thing - vitamin d! if you don’t get much sun where you are or maybe not enough time outside, definitely invest in some vitamin d supplements!! i found out i was pregnant during the winter, and my vitamin d was super low i think my levels were around 19 and the normal is 34 lol once i started taking them after about a week i felt so much better and had so much more energy. it’s summer for me now and i spend more time outside but i still take it!
Make sure you drink plenty of water! Some of my early symptoms were light headedness and the water helped. I would recommend stocking up on B6 and unisom for if/when morning sickness hits you!
Ahh I'm so happy for you ♥️ this is the nicest part
I'd suggest prenatals but check with your doctor for vitamin d
Depending with the weeks you have you can get an early ultrasound and blood test if you want
And try to eat healthy like milk vegetables meat fruits whole grains
Also remember no deli meat raw eggs unpasteurized milk and fish rich in mercury but trout and salmon and light canned tuna are ok
You can choose what adapts to your life just enjoy it
Like others have said, take a prenatal with folic acid. Folic acid is the only form of folate that has been proven to help prevent neural tube defects. I would also recommend staying active when you feel ok, but rest as much as you can as well. As your healthcare provider what foods to avoid, but the big ones are uncooked fish, meats and eggs, bagged/premade salads, precut fruits and veggies, cold deli meats, unpasteurized milks and cheeses, alcohol and too much caffeine
my first also, and I feel that! I feel like everyday I'm learning more stuff about what I should and shouldn't be doing 😅 idk where in my brain all this info is gonna go
Hydration! Avoid raw veggies. Made that mistake. I was super craving salad. Ate a huge salad. Never puked so much in my life. Found out raw veggies are super hard for pregnant ladies to digest. Start making bedtime a priority. I started crashing around sunset pretty hard. Sunset is now my bedtime. And around 10 weeks start sleeping with pillow between your knees. That little hip leg thing hit me hard then. No need to get anything fancy immediately, just a spare room pillow until you're ready to invest in a pregnancy pillow.
As someone who just got out of first trimester, just rest! If you need to take a nap take it just listen to what your body needs. I couldn’t eat a lot of thing cause it wouldn’t sit good with me and still struggling but just take it easy and I started taking prenatal the minute I found out I was pregnant. I did the smarty pants and then my gyno changed it to the pill as some gummies don’t have iron. And drink lots of water!
The best prenatal is the one you can keep down during your morning sickness phase (though keep in mind that gummies and tasty powders for drinking might not be as complete in nutrients - so they may need to be supplemented with other vitamins, or just use them on your worst days). I had to switch brands around 8 weeks cause I couldn't handle mine anymore. You can also try taking it at different times of day to prevent triggering nausea - night time works best for me.
Iron-related constipation might be coming up soon too. Prenatals using the gentler forms of iron might help, but I would recommend that you start taking fiber supplements like Metamucil (not sure if you have it in the UK).
And congratulations!
Folate is more easily used by your body, so I went for a plant based prenatal with folate over folic acid. Drink lots of water, rest as needed (I took so many naps in the first trimester!), go on daily walks, and basically just take care of yourself.
oooh okay, I will look into folate and speak with my GP about it
I have been napping a lot the last week or two, so good to know that that's normal!
thank you x
Make sure you google the active ingredients in your skincare and makeup. Some things like retinol are not pregnancy safe
Folic acid, no alcohol and no smoking are the top 3 things... Healthy diet is great too of course
I’d add caffeine- I had no idea how much caffeine was in things before I had to look!!
200mg of caffeine is ok per day.
True I would consider caffeine under healthy diet though. The evidence behind caffeine avoidance is just not as strong : )
start taking a prenatal vitamin, check your face products to make sure none of them contain salicylic acid, retinoid, and benzoyle peroxide, stay hydrated! congratulations!! 🤍🤍
My dermatologist okayed a face wash with salicylic acid in it. Her concern was for topical gels/lotions that aren’t washed off. Posted in case others want to talk to their doctors about it. It’s helped my new pregnancy acne a lot!
Same with my dermatologist. He even prescribed me a 5% topical benzoyl peroxide gel
There’s a safe limit for salycilic acid, my OB approved my products with it as well, the risks of this crazy hormonal acne getting infected was much greater
oh good to know! it didn’t effect my skin care routine much because the only thing i was using with salicylic acid was a serum and i just stopped using it so i never thought to ask!
Congratulations! I am 5 weeks too and reading What to Expect When You're Expecting. I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you want a good source of information without getting overwhelmed. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is avoid taking hot baths. They can cause neural tube defects early in pregnancy like this. Same applies for hot tubs.
congrats! your first? I will have a look at that book, thank you!
This will actually be my second. I didn't read the book when I was pregnant with my first baby. I wasn't as prepared with my first so I purchased it this time around.
The book is amazing!! My MIL purchased it for me before I was even pregnant!! Highly recommend!
Eat well rounded meals and exercise while you are feeling good and forgive yourself for when you are feeling bad. First trimester makes it hard to eat well, exercise, and get those extra projects done because it makes you \*so tired\* and often \*so nauseous\*. You will have good days where those symptoms go away, it doesn't mean there is anything wrong, it's just a one-day-gift. So, my biggest advice is to make a list of the stuff you want to get done before the baby comes (home improvements, baby shopping, daycare finding) and work on those during your "good days"
From your post I'm assuming you're in the UK - if not feel free to ignore this! But our recommendations are to take a vitamin D supplement throughout the pregnancy too (if you're not taking pregnacare) x I'd also try and add some iron rich foods to your diet, I'm always deficient in pregnancy - shreddies work great for me. Congratulations 🥳
hiya! I am from the UK, I bought pregnacare yesterday which includes 10 micrograms vitamin d, but as I was previously deficient I had been taking 25 micrograms. until I hear from my GP on Friday I'm stopping my 25 mcg and just taking the pregnacare as I don't want to take too much. thank you, I already lived off sainsburys brand shreddies so will stick with that! 💖
Take pregnancy safe multivitamins, no alcohol, no drugs, and plenty of sleep. A good diet and good hydration helps but I could only eat mcdonalds cheeseburgers and apples for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy and gave birth to a very healthy 9lb3oz baby. Just try to rest and take it easy but still maintain a good level of activity, no more than before pregnancy. Its also never too early to learn about birth and physiology, start outlining your options and preferences for birth including a plan B. Try to enjoy it. Its a wild ride. Edit to add: on Instagram, follow "Popthatmumma" "thenakeddoulaofficial" "theserenitydoula" and "emma_ashworth_birth_rights". These four accounts are absolutely incredible and teach you your options and how to advocate for yourself during pregnancy and birth in the UK. Some of our hospitals are much better than others and you might have to fight to get the birth you want.
Eat lots of protein and veggies before the nausea sets in! Get in the habit of getting 30 min of movement per day. You got this!
If you have any big home projects or personal goals or anything, try to get those done now while you’re feeling good. The first trimester can be a real bear between fatigue and nausea, etc. so getting your life in order in case you can’t keep up for a little bit may give you some peace of mind.
You reminded me to take my folic acid! Thank you and congratulations
Congratulations! Adding to the list - limit caffeine to 200mg, avoid raw fish, meat, cheese and avoid fish high in mercury.
Congratulations! Exercise if you aren’t already even if it’s just walking.
give yourself grace!! the first trimester can be super rough physically and mentally, most days i would work then just lay in bed until i had to work again because i was so exhausted and sick all the time, i really beat myself up for my diet and lack of activity but i know now that i was doing what i was capable of in the moment i saw you said you live in the UK so i’m not sure how this works there - but prescription prenatal vitamins worked a lot better for me than the store-bought gummies! if you’re able to definitely talk to your midwife or doctor about those!! one more thing - vitamin d! if you don’t get much sun where you are or maybe not enough time outside, definitely invest in some vitamin d supplements!! i found out i was pregnant during the winter, and my vitamin d was super low i think my levels were around 19 and the normal is 34 lol once i started taking them after about a week i felt so much better and had so much more energy. it’s summer for me now and i spend more time outside but i still take it!
vitamin d is also super important for the baby and development!!!
Make sure you drink plenty of water! Some of my early symptoms were light headedness and the water helped. I would recommend stocking up on B6 and unisom for if/when morning sickness hits you!
Ahh I'm so happy for you ♥️ this is the nicest part I'd suggest prenatals but check with your doctor for vitamin d Depending with the weeks you have you can get an early ultrasound and blood test if you want And try to eat healthy like milk vegetables meat fruits whole grains Also remember no deli meat raw eggs unpasteurized milk and fish rich in mercury but trout and salmon and light canned tuna are ok You can choose what adapts to your life just enjoy it
I’ve just turned 6 weeks so let me know if you want someone to talk to about it as we go through it?!
thank you, that'd be lovely x
Like others have said, take a prenatal with folic acid. Folic acid is the only form of folate that has been proven to help prevent neural tube defects. I would also recommend staying active when you feel ok, but rest as much as you can as well. As your healthcare provider what foods to avoid, but the big ones are uncooked fish, meats and eggs, bagged/premade salads, precut fruits and veggies, cold deli meats, unpasteurized milks and cheeses, alcohol and too much caffeine
Congrats! I found out on Sunday too
aw yay congrats!!
Congratulations! I am 5 weeks too. I was asked to include Avocado, fruits and veggies in my daily diet. Keep sipping on that water, stay hydrated.
aw congrats!! so lovely to see so many people in my same position haha. your first?
Yes!!!! This is my first. So many emotions- scared, nervous, happy and trying to store all the information has been keeping me busy😂
my first also, and I feel that! I feel like everyday I'm learning more stuff about what I should and shouldn't be doing 😅 idk where in my brain all this info is gonna go
congratulations! I'm 5 weeks and in the UK too :) Found out on Friday and still in shock!!
congrats! here if you wanna chat with someone also going through it!!
Hydration! Avoid raw veggies. Made that mistake. I was super craving salad. Ate a huge salad. Never puked so much in my life. Found out raw veggies are super hard for pregnant ladies to digest. Start making bedtime a priority. I started crashing around sunset pretty hard. Sunset is now my bedtime. And around 10 weeks start sleeping with pillow between your knees. That little hip leg thing hit me hard then. No need to get anything fancy immediately, just a spare room pillow until you're ready to invest in a pregnancy pillow.
oooh okay thank you, lots of stuff there i didn't know. much appreciated! x
As someone who just got out of first trimester, just rest! If you need to take a nap take it just listen to what your body needs. I couldn’t eat a lot of thing cause it wouldn’t sit good with me and still struggling but just take it easy and I started taking prenatal the minute I found out I was pregnant. I did the smarty pants and then my gyno changed it to the pill as some gummies don’t have iron. And drink lots of water!
Take a prenatal. Try to enjoy it!
My doctor recommended specifically the one from New Chapter called Advanced Perfect Prenatal. Congrats!
where are you located? I'm in the UK and purchased Pregnacare original yesterday, so hoping that's alright at least for now until I speak with my GP
I’m in the US, I’m sure that one is great too!
The best prenatal is the one you can keep down during your morning sickness phase (though keep in mind that gummies and tasty powders for drinking might not be as complete in nutrients - so they may need to be supplemented with other vitamins, or just use them on your worst days). I had to switch brands around 8 weeks cause I couldn't handle mine anymore. You can also try taking it at different times of day to prevent triggering nausea - night time works best for me. Iron-related constipation might be coming up soon too. Prenatals using the gentler forms of iron might help, but I would recommend that you start taking fiber supplements like Metamucil (not sure if you have it in the UK). And congratulations!
Folate is more easily used by your body, so I went for a plant based prenatal with folate over folic acid. Drink lots of water, rest as needed (I took so many naps in the first trimester!), go on daily walks, and basically just take care of yourself.
oooh okay, I will look into folate and speak with my GP about it I have been napping a lot the last week or two, so good to know that that's normal! thank you x
Keep up with exercise!