pregnancy must-haves: first + second trimesters

pc: maria lloyd photography

so i’m through the first trimester, and this pregnancy has been a little tougher than my last, so i thought i’d round up a few things that have really helped me get through the first trimester [things i wish i would have known right off the bat!]

morning sickness

i wrote an entire post on this, but i had morning sickness from week 6/7 on. i was expecting it, because i had minimal nausea with my last pregnancy, and there’s NO WAY i was getting off that easy this time around. i had heard somewhere that nasuea is sometimes caused by a b6 deficiency, and when i asked my doc about it, she gave me a full on regimen of b6 + unisom to try, and so far it’s worked!

cottage cheese + yogurt has also helped me get my protein intake up and settle my stomach when i couldn’t keep anything else down [i’m one of the lucky one’s and tolerate dairy pretty well – lucky me!]. i also had to start eating earlier in the day [i usually practiced intermittent fasting by default — i was too busy for breakfast] to help keep the nausea at bay.

so let’s recap:
1. unisom + b6
2. protein-filled diary products [help settle my stomach]
3. breakfast

maternity clothes

this one has been harder than last time around. i’ve started to show a lot faster, so i’ve been on the search for work appropriate clothes as well as loungewear that doesn’t cut into my sides and make me feel even larger than i already am. at the end of the day, here are my outfit formulas that have worked for the first half of my pregnancy:

workout: leggings + sports bra

i have the luxury of working out at home, so i don’t HAVE to wear anything other than a sports bra + tank. my faves? these leggings [non-maternity!], these leggings [also non-maternity], and these leggings [maternity, but looking forward to wearing them post-baby!] and any of the joylab seamless sports bras. if i am going somewhere [say, a hotel gym or outdoors] to workout, i’ll usually wear any of the athleta speedlight or lululemon nulu tanks, since they are longer and i can get away with wearing them before/during/after pregnancy.

work: denim + tank + blazers // dresses + tights + booties

front tuck + blazer for the work win

before i was visibly pregnant [and just bloated, but thought i looked SO huge], i was rocking a front tuck which i think carried me through longer than if i hadn’t. once i was visibly showing [and once my coworkers knew so it wasn’t that awkward “is kelsey pregnant, or did she eat a huge chipotle burrito?” moment], i wore these tanks with my j.crew blazers and low rise denim. once i could no longer get away with low rise denim, i then switched to the h&m maternity denim i had from last time around. i’ve also been wearing a lot of shift dresses with tights + otk boots or booties. depending on the day i’ll belt it above the bump, but a lot of times i just let it be.

around the house: my husbands sweats + sweatshirts

i wish i was more glam on this one, but his college sweatpants and crewneck sweatshirts from places he used to coach are my go-to at night. my hope is that i class it up a little bit in the future, or at least on maternity leave, so i just ordered these pants. i also love a good wildfox sweatshirt [so soft!!]. so i’m planning on snagging another one [or two!] before we head to the hospital to have baby #2.

hair // skin

last but not least, wanted to link a few items i’ve been using for hair/skin. i always use my neutrogena tan mist, but it’s been a total game-changer in how i feel about myself. when your body is changing this much, it’s nice to like who you see in the mirror, and a little extra glow adds a little oomph. not to mention, it’s been freezing cold [#polarvortex, anyone?] and gloomy here in minnesota, so the little bit of color is WONDERFUL. i also have been using collagen since before i got pregnant, but prioritize it even more now [i literally have two containers sitting at my desk at work + numerous ones at home]. oh, and the burt’s bees belly butter — my husbands cousin gifted me this with my first pregnancy, and i used it religiously. i know genes really play a part in stretch marks, but i also like to think this helps 🙂

there you have it! i’ve been trying to keep a more exhaustive list, but these are the pieces i would say i can’t live without during this [and my previous] pregnancy. any other recos for me? i have a lot of pregnancy left, so send them my way! speaking of being pregnant, my 26 week bumpdate will be on the blog tomorrow.

thanks, as always, for reading!

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