Pregnancy is such an exciting time, but it is also an extremely exhausting, uncomfortable, irritable (you get the picture), time in your life. There were days during the first trimester in both my pregnancies that I didn’t know how I was going to make it through. But I promise, you do, and it gets better. Each trimester comes with it’s own set of challenges, but I’m here to help you get through every one of them. Here are a few of my survival tips.

~ Dress in layers. With your hormones going crazy you will go from hot to cold to hot in two seconds. No matter what the weather outside. Being able to strip down to a tank top in seconds and then back up to your heavy sweater will provide instant relief for all your hot flashes and chills.

~ Always have water and snacks on you at all times. Even if you just ate an 11 course meal complete with 62 ounces of water, you will still be hungry and thirsty 13 minutes later. Make sure you are prepared so you don’t end up eating from the vending machine or at the drive through.

~ Depending on your symptoms you will need to keep the essentials on you at all times. With my first pregnancy I had constant metal mouth (it tasted as bad as it sounds), and the only thing that helped was gum so I had a pack on me at all times. With both pregnancies I had awful morning sickness and heartburn so having mints on hand helped with the nausea and having Tums helped with the heartburn. Also, both pregnancies left me extremely dehydrated so in addition to the water I also carried medicated lip balm and hand cream.

~ Get all the help you can!!! I cannot stress this one enough. This is the one time in your life when you have an excuse to be absolutely exhausted from doing nothing. Take advantage of people offering to help you. Resist the urge to tell them no and take them up on their offer. And don’t be afraid to ask for help if it wasn’t offered. Most people are happy to help but they don’t know how to without seeming like they are interfering. So ask and ask often.

~ When you get invited to parties, BBQs, and pot luck dinners, or even cookie swaps, don’t feel like you need to bring anything homemade. That’s what the prepared foods section of the grocery store is for. No matter what the occasion you can find veggie and fruit trays already made up, baked goods ready to eat, and even prepared meals for your pot luck dinners. People will understand why you didn’t want to cook, and if they don’t, eat all the good stuff and leave.

~ Since you can’t have caffeine, indulge in some fresh fruit. The natural sugars will provide you with a little boost.

~And lastly, STOP GOOGLING ALL YOUR SYMPTOMS! Just because you read it on the internet, doesn’t mean it’s true.