First off, congratulations! A positive pregnancy test can of course be an exciting start to growing your family. And it can also bring up an array of other emotions and unpleasant symptoms.
Many women experience fatigue, nausea, vomiting, food aversions and appetite changes in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Navigating all of these changes along with keeping up with your daily responsibilities can certainly be a lot to manage. Below are two supportive nutrition strategies to help you stay nourished and get through the first trimester of pregnancy.
Break up larger meals into smaller meals and snacks.
Eating more frequently throughout the day and avoiding long stretches between meals can be extremely helpful for reducing nausea.
If you’re used to eating three larger meals during the day, try breaking up each of those meals into two smaller meals with some time in between. This can also be useful if you wake up in the morning and can only stomach a piece of toast. Then you can try to have some greek yogurt and fruit or scrambled eggs an hour or two later.
Mix up protein sources.
Many women experience food aversions to meat, poultry and fish in the first trimester of pregnancy, which can make it difficult to eat enough protein. We know that protein is essential for blood sugar regulation, satiety and for the growing baby, which makes it important to find options that are palatable during this time.
Scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt, baked tofu and smoothies with protein powder are all great options to help you fit in protein throughout the day!
If you are finding the first trimester to be especially challenging, it’s not too late to get support. Be sure to reach out to your OB or midwife if you experience persistent vomiting and are not able to keep food and liquids down.
You can also seek support from our fertility and prenatal nutritionists for more targeted nutrition advice and guidance. Reach out to schedule an appointment with our expert nutritionists.