must have Archives | Page 2 of 2 | Dysfunctional Ever After

Oh, the first trimester. What a beautiful purgatory it is. For most women, including myself, the first trimester is full of all the symptoms. Morning sickness, peeing, sore boobs, you name it. Your body is going through some major changes and you’re #blessed if your body doesn’t remind you of that every single day. In my opinion, your first doctor appointment after finding out your pregnant should include a survival kit full of first trimester must haves.

What would it include? Oh, good question.

1. Small snacks

I couldn’t eat anything because I was so sick. But, the fun thing was, the only way to not be sick was to have something in my stomach. A lot of women say that having saltine crackers next to your bed and eating a few right when you get up does the trick. I think this is a good tip, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling saltines. The small Sargento Balanced Break snacks lasted me at least two hours, and sometimes I couldn’t even finish them. True story. But they kept the nausea at bay while I munched on them.

2. Prenatal Vitamins

This one is obvious, right? Your baby is a parasite, leeching everything it needs to grow into a human (which, spoiler alert, is a lot) right out of you. You need to make sure you’re stocked up on all the vitamins needed. Plus there’s folic acid, which I’m pretty sure every midwife and obstetrician recommends during pregnancy to help prevent certain birth defects.

I recommend gummy prenatals. Because of my morning sickness, and needing to have something – anything – in my belly, more often than not the gummy vitamins were my first defense against morning sickness. Plus, chugging water to take pills did not sound pleasant or possible to me.

For me, and I think most women, this isn’t just a first trimester must have, but a first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester must have!

3. Comfy Pants

So no, you’re probably not showing yet. Even if you think you are, it’s probably bloat. (Sorry to burst your bubble.) But if you’re anything like me, your lower abdomen could be super sore really early on. Come ten weeks, my belly was tender to the touch. Any sort of waistband was like a torture chamber created by the devil himself. Thankfully there is a God and he goes by the name Old Navy Yoga Pants.

4. Netflix

Netflix or any way of binging your favorite shows. My personal favorites are Netflix and xfinityTV, both of which can be streamed on your mobile devices and watched from the comfort of your own bed when you’re exhausted during your first trimester and just hashtag can’t. This was actually the first real first trimester must have tip one of my friends gave me – find shows you can binge, and binge without guilt during the first trimester. You need all the rest you can get if you’re sick!

5. Applesauce

Applesauce is amazing. It’s bland, low in sugar, easy to digest, and just the thing to look for when fighting morning sickness. We went through a lot of this. Some days, it was all I would eat. Oh man, the good days.

6. Gatorade

YAAAAAAAAASSSS! Gatorade! Save the day! We all know that water is king, but Gatorade is without a doubt queen. When you’re struggling to keep anything down and struggling to stay hydrated, a few sips of Gatorade helps you rehydrate and replenish your electrolytes. Pro Tip #1: Freeze some Gatorade in an ice cube tray and suck on that when you literally can not keep anything down. Pro Tip #2: Never do red Gatorade if you’re throwing up.

7. What to Expect When You’re Expecting – the book

I emphasize the book because the book isn’t Google and won’t lead you down a rabbit hole of “oh my God my baby is doomed”. It has all the questions you could possibly ask about constipation, discharge, sex, varicose veins, swelling, everything. What to Expect When You’re Expecting tells you what size your baby is (usually relative to a fruit, even when your baby is just literally the size of a small baby) and what symptoms you may or may not have during each week of pregnancy. The book doesn’t tell you anything you can’t look up on your phone, but it also won’t alarm you that every single symptom you have is a symptom of miscarriage or your own death.

8. Pregnancy Pillow

You’re duplicating, so it shouldn’t shock you that your body might feel a bit uncomfortable in positions that might’ve felt comfortable before. This goes double for sleeping. Never mind the fact that your body is all out of whack with your back bearing the burden of a growing uterus and shifting internal organs, pregnant women are often times advised to sleep on their sides – preferably the left side.

So you’re uncomfortable and now basically forced to sleep in a totally foreign position. This is where your pregnancy pillow comes in. I got the Snoogle, and like every pregnancy pillow it supports your bump and your back. With one single pillow your neck is supported, your back is supported, your bump is supported, and you have a pillow to put between your knees to keep your hips and back aligned. Praise Oprah. Again, this one isn’t just a first trimester must have, but also a second and third trimester must have!

9. Trash Can

You may need a trash can or two for throwing up. (It ain’t pretty, but just remember you’re growing a human and that’s pretty fantastic.) I was working on a campaign during the first trimester, so I spent a lot of my time driving to offices, meetings, and events. A lot of time. So much time that I actually had a trash can in my car with extra plastic bags because maybe I was throwing up while driving up 35E. Also, for the first three or four months of pregnancy I had a trash can next to my bed for my AM and PM vom sessions. No point in running to the bathroom every time you have to throw up.

10. Full Battery and Reddit App

Is that technically two? Oh well. Full battery because if you’re feeling crummy you’re going to spend a lot of time chilling and relaxing on the couch or in bed and you need something to entertain you.

I picked Reddit because you need a group of ladies who are also pregnant and know what you’re going through. There are a million pregnancy subreddits on Reddit, including monthly subreddits for your due date. You can talk to ladies who are going through the exact same thing you’re going through, bounce ideas off of them, vent to them, etc. Perfect for when your husband won’t get you watermelon at 10PM and you need to know if you 1) are being unreasonable or 2) need a divorce. Also perfect for real things like “is anyone else’s kid trying to kick their way out of your cervix?” The answer is yes, by the way.

There you have it. My first trimester must haves! I vote to have all of this delivered to women who have just found out they are pregnant, who’s with me?

xx.

Samm

My bed is, and always has been, my haven. It’s a place that I will gladly spend my entire day and not feel one ounce of guilt – especially in the cold Minnesota months. I truly believe that there is nothing better than taking a shower, having freshly shaved legs, and jumping into warm, clean sheets. Very rarely do all those things occur at the same time, but I’m in heaven when they do and Lord help the person that tells me I need to get out of bed and be productive. When I’m in heaven, I don’t want to leave. So I stock my nightstand full of my seasonal nightstand essentials.

With my bed being my place of perpetual refuge, it’s no wonder my nightstand is such an important part of my life. I’m not going to get out of bed for anything, and will be a total grump if I actually need to get out of bed for anything other than food or the bathroom. I need to have everything within reach. (Is this what it’s like being a millennial? Am I just living up to the world’s low expectations of my generation? Maybe. Oh well.)

1) Make-up Remover / Facial Wipes

Because no, people, I don’t always wash my face before bed. I care more about my precious white sheets than I do my face and there is zero chance I get makeup on my pillow case. My favorite wipes are Simple, but lately I’ve been using Olay Fresh Effects with the exfoliator.

2) Facial moisturizer or mask

Especially in the winter, my face can get super dry. This makes me unhappy, but I’d be even more unhappy if I had to get out of bed to tend to my unfortunate skin. With moisturizer right next to me, my dry skin is just a minor inconvenience. My two favorites right now are Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream and First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream. The Burt’s Bees stuff is THICK and super moisturizing overnight, whereas I tend to use my First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream in the morning before I put on my makeup.

3) Lip exfoliator and balm

No one wants to kiss a reptile, am I right? I am. Before bed I exfoliate my lips with my sugar scrub, and follow that up with a balm or other lip treatment. My lip exfoliator right now is Jersey Shore Cosmetics Vanilla Bean Lip and Hand Polish. (I’ve never tried it on my hands, but great for lips and comes in a tube.) Lately I’ve been loving First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Lip Therapy for after my exfoliator. Hello beautiful, soft lips!

4) Stress Relief Body Cream

This one is awfully specific and a year round necessity. I don’t do drugs, so eucalyptus and spearmint essential oils are the next best thing. I’ve never done meth, but I’ve seen a lot of A&E’s Intervention and think the two high’s are comparable. I’m not saying that my life is so stressful that I need this every day, but I personally am just a stressful person, and I have to spend a lot of time with myself. So… it’s necessary. In the winter I bathe in this every night and play slip and slide in my bed like a child.

5) Pillow Spray

Also stress relief. Also eucalyptus and spearmint. I spray it not only on my pillow, but also the part of the bed my pillow lays on, my headboard, and the sheets near my face. I want to make sure I don’t miss out on any of my eucalyptus, spearmint meth-blend. I like to think it wards off stressful dreams.

6) A Book

To keep my smarts. Obviously. Now, I admit that I don’t always read the book in my nightstand… but it’s the thought that counts. I read a few pages here and there to keep myself engaged in something other than the Real Housewives and Leah Remini’s Scientology: The Aftermath. I’ve been really horrible about reading consistently lately, so it’s helpful that I have my book so close to me. Currently reading the autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, gifted to me by my sister-in-law and definitely recommend.

7) Headphones

Turns out my husband likes to sleep. Sometimes I’m sleeping by 8:00PM, sometimes I’m up until 1:00AM watching cat videos on YouTube. I’m not willing to sacrifice my comfort for a few funny YouTube videos, that’s where headphones come in. They’re a beautiful little invention that let’s you listen to music, TV shows, whatever your heart desires, without disturbing anyone around you.

8) Room Spray

With all my time spent in bed during the winter, I need to keep the room fresh. I can’t just open the windows all the time because there’s another human and a dog living with me that I also have to consider. So? Room spray. I’ll give a dollar to anyone who can guess the preferred scent. Eucalyptus? You are so smart.

9) Hand Lotion

I have this thing about having dry hands. I never actually have dry hands, but I always perceive my hands as dry. It’s weird, but therapy is expensive so I just continuously use hand lotion. I like to use this extra intense stuff at night in the winter so I wake up with baby soft hands.

10) Candle

How else am I supposed to watch the drama that is Leah Remini’s Scientology: The Aftermath in candlelight if not with a candle? I want you to shut your eyes and think about laying in a big comfy bed with lots of pillows and blankets, surrounded by the meth-blend of eucalyptus and spearmint, in candlelight while watching your favorite show on your iPad or TV. Yes. That’s my life. It’s pretty fabulous.

11) Glass of Water

I’m thirsty, but not in the single and desperate kind of way. The winter months are dry, my husband sleeps with a fan, and our bedroom is at like 5% humidity. Our bedroom is upstairs and our kitchen is on the main level – you see where this is going. I save myself the trouble and fill up a big glass of ice water right before bed like the functional and responsible adult I am.

12) Hair Binder / Hair Tie

My hair, I am convinced, tries to kill me at least quarterly. It’s long and occasionally wraps itself around my neck in some sort of attempt to choke me while I sleep. I don’t love sleeping with my hair up, but sometimes, especially if I have a cold or am running a bit hot, I need to in order to avoid death by hair.

So tell me, what are your nightstand must haves?

First Trimester Must Haves