Trish: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of the birth experience with labor nurse mama today We're going to dive into the top three questions that I get over on instagram about the first trimester The first trimester can be full of questions excitement and let's be honest a lot of fear And so i'm here to help you demystify what's happening in your body provide you with some support to feel empowered And we're going to be covering the top three questions questions.

So whether or not you're curled up on your couch out for a walk or just looking for some answers, let's talk about these things together.

Hello mommas. Oh my gosh, you guys. My Instagram app is not working on my phone, which is why I've not been posting this week. Hello. [00:01:00] Okay, you guys, if you are in your first trimester, tell me so. I want to hear. Hello. Hello. Hi. Hello. I am so excited. Hi. Tell me how far along you guys are. You guys know I want to hear this. I need to know how far along are you and I am recording this for the podcast Is anybody in the first trimester if you're not in the first trimester?

I want you guys to stick around so we can give these mamas advice morel and Nubian Hello. Yes and so Send. I don't know your name. Is it send? I don't know. Sometimes I can't tell what your names are based on your username. Arizona is in the second trimester. Oh, Karini Panini. I love that username. Brand new pregnant.

Congratulations. Charlie's angel babe. I love it. She's six and a half weeks. I am so excited. I'm so glad you guys are here. So I'm going [00:02:00] to tell you guys, we're going to cover some of the top questions that I get, from people. You know, I've been doing labor and delivery for over 16 years. I've been pregnant many, many times myself.

So you know. I have a lot of experience about the first trimester, so I'm going to give you guys like some of the top questions that I get asked, and then we're just going to break it down exactly how I would talk to, you know, my daughter if she were newly pregnant, and I want to remind you guys, you may not know this because I don't talk about it all the time, shame on me, But we have a mama membership for women who are anywhere on there trying to conceive, newly pregnant, all the way to postpartum, and it's 19 a month.

It includes access to me, my doulas, my postpartum doula, my experts. We have expert workshops. We do tapping because I am [00:03:00] getting certified. I think I'm certified. I haven't heard back yet. I've tested. We also have three hangouts for pregnancy, three hangouts for postpartum where you have access to me to ask all your questions.

We love when you guys join us early in your pregnancy, like you cannot beat the access that you get. For 19 a month. It's literally incredible. We have the most amazing mamas. So if you're interested in the membership, let me know. We only have a certain amount of spots each year. So you need to let me know.

And again, yeah, 19 a month is not bad. Charlie's Angel, just for the tapping. Just for the once a month tapping and then we do tapping on the pregnancy Hangouts and the postpartum Hangouts just for that alone You would be paying hundreds of dollars. So if you don't know what tapping is, you need to know what it is Okay, so for my first trimester mamas, we're gonna talk about three questions [00:04:00] that I get asked a lot all the time.

Of course, the first question I get asked about is, like, what are the, you know, like, tell me about the symptoms of first trimester. And first trimester can have a range of symptoms. But it's going to But depend on you. So for each of my babies, which I was pregnant nine times, I had three losses, six babies.

For each of mine, the very first symptom that I always had was my breasts hurt. Well, let me say that again. They felt weird. My breasts felt like just spiders, like tingly, like all over. It was so crazy, like that would always be like, I just feel this like, tingliness, and then I would get really emotional and really tired, like could not keep my eyes open, [00:05:00] tired.

When I was pregnant with Grayson, you know, here I am working as a labor nurse, I, like a 12 hour shift was crazy. killing me. Another symptom that I had that was really strong in my first trimester was what I call the radar nose. Like this is, oh my gosh you guys, if you have not figured this out at this point, I truly believe that we have this radar nose in early pregnancy because way back when we used to have to survive outdoors.

We used to survive by our senses, right? So when you're pregnant, I think, this is my thing, is that, your radar nose is protecting you because you need to know what is going to be safe for you or not safe for you. I found that during my early pregnancy, that radar nose is what really set off [00:06:00] my nausea and my vomiting and whatever, whatever experiences I was having.

So let me give you some tips for the radar nose, but also for nausea and vomiting, because nausea and vomiting that just feeling bad in general can make you so like depressed. It really can affect you in a, in a really big way when you're, especially when you're really, really sick, which was some of mine.

I was very sick and no, you can take our birthing classes. If you join our birthing classes, you also 30 days and then it's 19 a month and you have lifetime access. to the birth classes, and we can help you come up with a plan to, spread out the classes. But my birth classes actually cover the beginning of pregnancy, choosing your provider, all the different options you have.

So no, it is never too early to [00:07:00] get educated. So Charlie's Angel, babe, I'm not sure what your actual name is. You can comment the word class and then when I'm done teaching here and on my other account I will come and chat with you. If you guys are interested in the membership, send me a DM and I'll get you a link to join.

It's 19 a month. You can cancel at any time, but you're not gonna want to. It is so Amazing. We have the most amazing moms ever. And if you join for the year, I send you a calm mama sweaty, like sweatshirt. That's so cute. Okay, so let's talk about those first, about the nausea and vomiting. So the nausea and morning sickness, the reason that it happens is your body is to those hormones and those changes.

So for the nausea and the vomiting and the radar nose, which the radar nose can lead to the nausea and vomiting, what I did, let me see if I have it in here. I should. I have one in here. What I did was I bought [00:08:00] a pregnancy safe, essential oil roller set. And this one I love so much this one I get out when I'm overwhelmed.

It's a stress relief one, but you can do like peppermint oil. You can do something that has a strong smell. You're going to take this, this roll roller, put a little dab under your nose and just spread it. Now that's what you're going to smell instead of whatever it is that sets off your nausea and vomiting.

For me, it was my husband's deodorant. It was the dog's mouth. It was When my mama's water would break I could smell it and it made me so nauseous. It was a joke when I was pregnant with Grayson. I was working in triage and I could smell if your water broke or you peed. I knew it and I didn't even have to test it.

We did have to test it for the doctors but they would have me come in because I knew I, I knew it. But the radar nose is no joke. And the reason that that [00:09:00] smell, you know, smells can really set off nausea and vomiting. So try the roller oil, put it under your nose. For the nausea and vomiting, depending on the severity, there are some different medications you can take.

You can be prescribed, Zofran. You can take, Unisom and vitamin B6. There is a prescription called Diclegis. which is a mix of Unisom and, and vitamin B6, but you, B6, but you can also make it yourself. And I have a blog post, all about that. If you want that, send me a DM, I'll send you that. But the other, so I already said like the nausea and vomiting, a lot of it is due to your hormonal changes.

Well, so is the exhaustion, and that is because your progesterone levels are rising, and they rise very quickly. And so, You're going to be exhausted. You're also building a human and you are doing so much work on the inside down low, like in the, in secret that [00:10:00] you're going to be exhausted. So remember that you are building a person.

a new little person who is going to become a son or a daughter or father or mother or sister or brother. And that takes a lot of work. So come up with some strategies to help you can, you know, conserve your energy, prioritize rest. If you can take naps, take naps, go to bed earlier. When you get to bed, turn off your phone.

Don't be like, binge watching labor nurse mama reels or any other reels, get off of your devices, maybe read a book, an actual real book, and then go to sleep, set up a bedtime routine so that you can have really good sleep routines. The other thing that I would say for the breast tenderness, I love to wear like little sports bras like this that would keep your breast nice and tight because I did [00:11:00] not like anything touching and I could not wear my normal like Victoria's Secret bras because it would rub.

So I would use just a, you know, one piece bra like that. And then, that's again, it's just preparing your body for breastfeeding. That's why it's happening. The emotional changes that you might experience during first trimester can be very exhausting. And just to give you a warning, postpartum kind of feels the same way.

So at the beginning of pregnancy, you're acclimating to them all. At the beginning of postpartum, your body is readjusting, right, to this new level of motherhood. And so the mood swings can cause joy, like extreme joy, and then you're extremely mad, then you're extremely sad, then you're, super anxious and fearful.

So that can all happen in an hour. All in an hour. I've got little Tula on my lap. You guys look at her. She's so cute. Anyhow, some of the tips that I would offer for managing your emotional [00:12:00] changes is just giving yourself grace. It's okay. You're, you have hormones flowing through you. Your body is changing.

Again, you're creating a human in there. That's a lot of work. So just Begin to practice giving yourself grace as a mother, because that is one of the hardest parts of your journey to come. And some of the things could be talking to your partner, you know, having like an emotional temper, you know, temperature gauge that you guys chat.

Like if things are getting overwhelming for you, your partner needs to step in and help you. And that, you know, that's all the way to birth and postpartum. This is why if you join my classes, we give you our coach class because your partner is freaking top level, most important part of this entire experience for you.

And then remembering to practice some mindfulness, do some tapping. If you don't know what tapping is, come into my world because it is life changing for fear and [00:13:00] anxiety and for manifestation, all the things. And then. You know, do some things that you love and say no to some things. Don't say, you know, this is a time for you to prioritize you and what you normally did.

Like, let's say you're normally the type person who goes to the gym, does a HIIT routine, does all these things. Well, maybe you don't have the energy now for that. Maybe you are super tired and overwhelmed right now. Give yourself some grace. Step back a little. I wouldn't say quit all movement because movement can actually help with all of these symptoms.

But if you're not up to your normal part, that's okay because you're working out every minute of every day right now building this sweet little baby. So give yourself grace and then do some things that bring you joy. So if normally you like to go out to the movies and go out to dinner, maybe eat in and watch a on your couch and fall asleep.

It's okay. That's another way that I always knew I was pregnant because I [00:14:00] could not stay awake during a movie and I would cry, cry, cry all the time. I'm not a crier unless I'm really angry. So that was always a big sign for me. Okay, so We're going to cover some red flags in the next week or so, so we don't want to talk about that.

But one thing I do want to talk about, because this is the number two most common question I get, is about spotting during first trimester. And I have had three losses, so I know that no matter what I say right now, if you see So if you see spotting, you're going to freak out. So I understand that and that's okay.

Own that emotion and then calm down and be rational if you can. So spotting during the first trimester is actually extremely common, but it does cause a lot of anxiety. So common causes. of spotting can be due to implantation. So a lot of women see spotting during implantation. Cervical changes at the beginning and then [00:15:00] also after intercourse.

So if you've had sex and then you see some spotting, it's very normal because your cervix is very sensitive during pregnancy. But I always suggest reporting spotting. Normally, if you have spotting early in your pregnancy, it might be a little bit red and then it goes brown. If it continues to get redder and more and darker and more amounts, then, you know, it could be a sign that something's happening.

But if you just have some light spotting, it's more than likely totally okay. So, Again, always contact your provider. That is just my recommendation because the fear can drive you insane. But you definitely, if you have any heavy bleeding or it's increasing or you have severe cramping or even light cramping, which light cramping can also be normal, let your doctor know because it will take an emotional toll.

I don't care who you are. If you have bleeding during pregnancy at any point, Until the end, it's [00:16:00] going to take an emotional toll on you. Okay, so again, I want to talk really quick again about managing your morning sickness, because that is probably the top question we get from our first trimester mamas.

And since I've been there and I've been very sick myself, and it's so depressing, you feel like it will never end. And with Miss Laney Lou, my daughter, That's her nickname. But with her, I was sick until the moment she exited my body. So I feel you, I love you, and I'm sorry if you're going through this. So Morning Sickness, which is the dumbest name in the entire universe, is, can actually hit you at any time.

Any time of the day. Mine actually was really bad in the morning and really bad in the evening. What I found is that I always kept some crackers with me and I'm not a huge carb eater. So this was like, also caused me some angst, but it was the thing I had to do and my doctor said, you know, whatever [00:17:00] you're eating, if you can keep it down, that's what you eat.

So Crackers was my thing, especially like those orange cheese crackers, which are probably so unhealthy for you. But what I did was I kept a pack of crackers next to my bed before I opened my eyes in the morning. I would chew up a couple crackers. I also kept my essential oils so that I could smell it periodically, especially working as a nurse.

80 percent of women. 80 percent of women get morning sickness, you guys, so that is significant. So it may strike, it usually starts about 8 to 9 weeks pregnant, but you may not get it. So, you know, again, dietary, adjustments, dietary adjustments, yes. change that, then you're going to add things like ginger.

I could not do the ginger candy, but ginger ale I could do. Peppermint, I kept peppermint candies. I liked those, oh my gosh, what were [00:18:00] they? Like Lifesaver peppermint candies, the white ones. I kept a ton in my work bag, my car, my purse, and next to my bed and just chew on one. Again, one of the things that really made a difference for me was.

Is eating a cracker before I open my eyes and put my feet on the floor Even if it was two in the morning and I was having to get up and For me, I couldn't drink y'all know I live on coffee could not drink it when I was pregnant But that's okay because it's probably not that good. You can have up to 300 milligrams of caffeine But coffee was not my thing.

So that was a trigger for me So realize what foods are triggering you and just eliminate them for right now The other thing that is a beast from first trimester to postpartum is dehydration. And if I can tell you that one of the biggest things that we see when we have moms come into the hospital who are so sick is that they're dehydrated.

So stay hydrated. hydrated. Even if you can only drink a tiny [00:19:00] little medicine cup of either water or coconut water. I couldn't do coconut water when I was pregnant. I would definitely throw up. But, Gatorade or Powerade or something. Stay hydrated. You can even use like liquid IV or something to that effect.

But if you can stay hydrated and keep crackers in your belly around the clock. It's going to help you decrease the nausea and the vomiting. The other things that you can do, and I have these really cute ones. I can't remember the name of them, but they're in my Amazon shop, are acupuncture or acupressure bands.

And you don't have to wear the really ugly seasick ones. They've got really, really cute ones. And I have them in my list in my first trimester Amazon shop, they, will help you as well. Again, aromatherapy, taking vitamin B6, and just really getting out in the fresh air, moving. Movement helps and resting when you need it and avoiding those odors with this.

Again, I told [00:20:00] you before that we can intervene medically with some medications. Just talk to your provider. You do not have to suffer in silence. Okay, you guys, again. I love y'all. If you have any questions about the first trimester, shoot us a DM. If you want to have all your questions answered, hang out with me three times a month on Zoom.

Come to my expert workshops. Have access to over 73, Netflix, I call them labor nurse mama, the vault, our Netflix vault of workshops for first trimester, all the things. Come and hang out with us in our membership. It's 19 a month. You cannot beat that. You cannot have access to experts. For that love.

So come and join us. We are doing a lot of emphasis on the first and second trimester the next couple months. So watch for that. Okay, you guys have a great day See you guys later

mama. I hope this deep dive into [00:21:00] your first trimester questions has brought you some comfort and clarity Remember every pregnancy journey is unique. I don't care if this is your first or your fifth There's no one size fits all answer What matters is that you're taking the time to understand your body and what it needs during this period.

So if you found today's episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, write a review, let me know what you think and share it with a friend who might need a little extra support right now. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us on social media. And if you are ready to go even further and have like an Unhinged level of support join our membership.

It's 19 a month. You can't beat that There's a link in the buy in the show notes scratch There's a link in the show notes or you can go to labor nurse mama. com forward slash cms Have an amazing day. Bye for now. I'll see you again next [00:22:00] friday