Ways to Make it Through Your First Trimester
Learning that you are expecting starts a clock of slightly less than 40 weeks ticking until your life changes beyond what you can imagine. That may sound like a long time, but you’ll find that the added stresses of your new life are causing you to freak out. However, the more you can get done during your first trimester, the smoother the later parts of the pregnancy will be. Take a look at the tips in this article to help you get started.
It’s never too soon to start buying maternity clothes. You might think that you can wait until you need them, but you’ll be surprised at the number of sales that will have ended the week before your jeans no longer fit. Go ahead and lay away what you think you will need. Don’t be overly proud; remember, they’re called maternity clothes because you’ll never need them again once the baby is here. There are many styles that will look cute, no matter what your body does. And when you are pregnant, just having the baby inside you will make you look beautiful, even if you don’t feel that way.
Start a journal so that you can write down all of the experiences that you felt and had during your first trimester. Time will get away from you before you have time to write it down later, and many of your memories will fade, so write them down when you have them. Take ten minutes each day to sit down and reflect, and that way when your daughter is 14 years old and is screaming at you, you can later go and sit down and read about the wonders of that first trimester. It is memories like that which will sustain you as a mother.
There are many groups with other mothers-to-be in your area that you can join for some support. Some are formed through local churches or other religious communities, but you can also check with your local recreation center, as many of them have parenting support groups for new mothers. This way, you can meet people who are going through the same changes that you are. Some of them may have gone through the experiences before you did, so they can help you learn how to deal with them.
Remember that it’s always easy to stress out. Instead, intentionally make opportunities for yourself to relax. This could be the time when you sit and write with your journal, or it could be a ten-minute window in the middle of your morning at work. Either way, you are helping yourself establish a healthy rhythm of taking care of yourself.
Make a regular habit of exercising. This doesn’t mean you need to go run six miles a day, necessarily. It does mean that you need 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise at least five or six days a week.
Pregnancy is not enjoyable for everyone, particularly some of the aspects related to your health. However, these tips will help you get into the first trimester smoothly.
