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This post is not intended to diagnose or treat and is simply based on my own personal experience.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I felt good and excited about my baby. Then around six or seven weeks, it hit- a cascade of symptoms. It seems to be a common theme when you talk to pregnant women that the first trimester is the WORST! There is morning sickness, headaches, fatigue, heartburn, breast and back pain, constipation, and list goes on! It can be hard to go on with regular life when you feel like this. I basically hibernated my entire first trimester. Below are a few tips and tricks I have used or know that others have used to help cope with some of the common first trimester trimester symptoms.
1. Nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting or "morning sickness" seems to be one of the most common first trimester symptoms that pregnant mamas experience. However, I refuse to call it "morning sickness" because in my experience, that is the biggest lie! When I started having nausea, it would start in the morning and last the entire day getting progressively worse. I only ever vomited at night- never in the morning. Of course, this experience is different for every woman.
My nausea would be triggered by smells, thoughts of certain foods, and even movement. I spent most of my first trimester reclined so my nausea would not lead to vomiting. I was often unsuccessful. Not only was my nausea horrible, I also lost my appetite almost completely. The foods I generally love, I could not stand the smell or sight of. My husband would often have to cook while I hid from the smells in another room just so I could attempt to stomach a few bites of dinner. Unfortunately, I lived off of cheese sticks, goldfish crackers, and uncrustables- not the healthiest options, for sure.
I was pretty desperate to find relief, mostly because I feared that I was not getting enough nutrition for my baby and because I was losing weight rapidly (a total of twelve pounds by the end of the first trimester!). My doctor recommended that I take Unisom and vitamin B6 (Unisom is an antihistamine and commonly used as a sleep aid. See more about Unisom here.) I personally did not want to take medications during my pregnancy if I could avoid it, so I tried taking the B6 on its own. (This was a personal decision that I made. This decision should be made with instruction from your doctor or midwife and based on your own preferences.) I took the B6 for a couple days and it seemed to actually make my nausea worse. I then found some Advanced Herbals ginger chews that would give me some relief for about 30 minutes. I usually only took them if I knew I was going to have to be on my feet such as when I made dinner or went grocery shopping. While I was not particularly fond of some of the ingredients in these chews including corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and few others, they did tend to serve their purpose. Click here to purchase Advanced Herbals ginger chews. (Note: We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.)
There are numerous other options to help manage your nausea and vomiting including some other medications that can be discussed with your provider if that is your preference. Another remedy that I have come across is simply drinking ginger tea. I have heard that this works for a lot of woman; however, this did not work for me. Other more natural remedies include peppermint tea in small doses and coconut oil in shakes or used in cooking (Howland 2017, 77-78). I have also had a couple of friends that used Preggie Pop Drops which use a blend of essential oils to reduce the nausea. I tasted one and they taste great like candy! I would definitely consider using these in my next pregnancy.
Click here to purchase Preggie Pop Drops. (
Note: We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.) Along with finding relief for the nausea and vomiting, there are other things to consider. First, if you are having difficulty getting enough nutrients, it can be important to take a quality prenatal vitamin. This can ensure that you and baby are getting some nutrients if you are unable to eat or vomiting most meals. One thing to think about is taking the vitamin at a time of that you do not generally vomit so that you are not simply losing the nutrients before your body can absorb them. (More on prenatal vitamins to come.) Another thing to consider is replenishing electrolytes after you vomit, since vomiting can lead to a significant loss in electrolytes and can lead to dehydration. I would usually mix an sugar free electrolyte drink half and half with water at least once a day. Honestly, it is not a bad idea to continue this throughout your pregnancy. (Feel free to message me for any recommendations for healthy electrolyte supplements.)
2. Heartburn
Another symptom, I experienced in my first trimester (and continue to experience and probably will experience throughout the entire pregnancy) is heartburn. The American Pregnancy Association states that heartburn in pregnancy is caused by pregnancy hormones relaxing the valve between the esophagus and stomach causing stomach acid to leak back up into the esophagus. Another possible explanation is that the organs in your abdomen are starting to shift to make room for your growing baby possibly causing pressure on your stomach. They recommended eating small meals (not a problem during the first trimester!), sitting upright after eating, eating yogurt (gag!), or drinking milk mixed with honey (American Pregnancy Association 2024).
My OB's office recommended options such as papaya enzyme capsules, Tums, Mylanta/Maalox, and Pepcid, or Tagamet. I had never heard of payapa enzyme capsules for heartburn and I may consider taking these in the future. (If I do, I will definitely give my opinion of them at a future date.) Normally, I take tums which seems to do the trick but may not be for you if you would like to avoid consuming sugar or dyes. In the past, I have taken Pepcid for a preexisting condition and did not have a good experience. It seemed to make by stomach aches and heartburn worse. As always this is something you should discuss with your doctor or midwife and the decision should be made based on your personal preferences.
Click here to purchase papaya enzyme capsules. Click here to purchase Tums. (
Note: We earn a commission if you click these links and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.) In the past, when I was dealing with heartburn and had stopped taking Pepcid, my natural health doctor recommended that I could take aloe juice for my heartburn. While I never ended up trying this, it is definitely a more natural option to help combat heartburn. Click here to purchase organic aloe juice. (
Note: We earn a commission if you click these links and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.)
3. Constipation
Constipation is another pesky symptom I experienced during my first trimester. I was not able to go to the bathroom for days at a time and when I did it was a painful experience. This is again related to the pregnancy hormones slowing down your organs for digestion (Cleveland Clinic 2021). To prevent constipation, it is important to make sure you are drinking enough water and eating foods high in fiber. As previously mentioned, I had a difficult time eating during the first trimester and that included high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. I was trying to avoid medications as much as I could so I started taking psyllium husk capsules, a natural soluble fiber that did seem to help my constipation. Click here to purchase psyllium husk capsules. (
Note: We earn a commission if you click these links and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.) 
4. Headaches or migraines
While my digestive system was getting hit pretty hard, I also started experiencing headaches and migraines during my first trimester. In the past, I rarely have had headaches and I had never had a migraine before. When I had a migraine, I would have pain behind my eyes and down my neck and any lights made it worse. The migraines would also make my nausea significantly worse. I tried several different things and never had a migraine for more than a few hours. Although I was trying to avoid medications, I would usually start by taking Tylenol (this is the only over the counter medication approved for pregnancy; please avoid all others!). Most of the time the Tylenol would barely touch the migraines. I would rest in a dark room and would place a rice sock (literally a sock filled with rice and heated to tolerable temperature) on my neck. I would try to drink fluids and electrolytes to help with my fluid volume since changes in blood volume during pregnancy are a main cause of headaches. If I could get to sleep, then I would try to sleep off the headache. This usually worked for me.
While at a prenatal appointment, the midwife I was seeing that day also recommended I could use lavender or peppermint oil on my heating pad or rub peppermint oil on my temples as more natural option. If you put peppermint oil on your skin, you may want to use a carrier oil to prevent irritation. She also said that low magnesium could also cause headaches so she also recommended taking a magnesium supplement.
5. Fatigue
I do not have a lot to say about fatigue in pregnancy because it seems to be unavoidable. However, I would recommend getting plenty of fluids and exercise if it does not make you sick. The old recommendation used to be to completely avoid caffeine during pregnancy; however, it is now recommended that pregnant mamas can have up to 200mg of caffeine per day, approximately 1-2 cups of coffee or 2-4 cups of tea (Meixner 2018). Otherwise, the best recommendation is simply to rest, and in addition, not feel bad about it! Growing a baby expends so much of your energy so as I have said before, give yourself permission and grace to rest!
I hope you find this information helpful. I would love to hear any symptoms experienced and how you combated them. Feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments- you may help another mama! If you have questions, please feel free to private message me on social media or leave a comment below! Remember, you will get through this first trimester and you are not alone!
Below is the table of "approved over the counter medications for pregnancy" that my OB's office sent to me. Unless discussed above, I do not recommended any or all of the medications on the list. I simply wanted to share this resource with you. As I have mentioned before, anything you take during pregnancy should be talked about with your provider and be based on your personal preferences for health.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Guidelines
Approved Over-the-Counter Medications for Pregnancy
Category | Medications | Pregnancy Safe | Breastfeeding Safe |
Allergies | Benadryl (diphenhydramine) Claritin (loratadine, not “D”), Zyrtec (cetirizine), Singular (montelukast), Allegra (fexofenadine) Saline nasal spray, Flonase (fluticasone propionate), Nasacort (triamcinolone), Nasalcrom (cromolyn sodium) Sudafed (pseudoephedrine, behind the pharmacy counter, after 14 weeks only)
| Yes | Only saline nasal spray, Flonase, Nasacort, Nasalcrom |
Cold | Halls throat drops, Cepacol Lozenges, Chloraceptic Throat Spray Honey, Vicks, Robitussin DM/Mucinex DM (dextromethorphan/guaifenesin), Mucinex (guaifenesin) Sudafed (pseudoephedrine, behind the pharmacy counter, after 14 weeks only) Vitamin C (up to 3000 mg daily)
| Yes | Yes, except Sudafed |
Constipation | Prune juice Metamucil/Benefiber/Citrucel/Fibercon/Konsyl Colace (docusate sodium), Senokot (sennosides) Miralax (polyethylene glycol), Milk of Magnesia
| Yes | Yes |
Diarrhea | | Yes | Yes |
Gas | | Yes | Yes |
Headache | Magnesium Oxide 400 mg twice daily (prevention, not to treat) Tylenol (acetaminophen), Excedrin Tension Headache (acetaminophen, caffeine)
| Yes | Yes |
Heartburn | Papaya Enzyme Capsules Tums/Rolaids, Mylanta/Maalox (aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, simethicone) Pepcid (famotidine), Tagemet (cimetidine)
| Yes | Yes |
Hemorrhoids | | Yes | Yes |
Insomnia / trouble sleeping | Unisom Sleep Tabs (doxylamine, ½ tab) Benadryl/Simply Sleep (diphenhydramine) Tylenol PM (acetaminophen/diphenhydramine)
| Yes | No |
Nausea | | Yes | Yes, except Unisom |
Skin treatments (anytime) | | Yes | Yes |
Skin treatments (after 14 weeks) | Nix (for head lice), Caladryl or Calamine Lotion, Benadryl Cream (diphenhydramine), Hydrocortisone 1% Cream, Duofilm (salicylic acid wart remover)
| Yes | Yes |
Yeast Infections | | Yes | Yes |
It is not necessary to take the “name brand” medication. If you are taking generic or store brand, please compare ingredients to make sure the contents are the same. Ask your doctor about any prescription medications you are taking.
Updated: 5.2024
References"Heartburn During Pregnancy." American Pregnancy Association. American Pregnancy Association, 2024. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/heartburn-during-pregnancy/.
Howland, Genevieve. 2017. The Mama Natural Week-by-week Guide to Pregnancy And Childbirth. Gallery Books.
Meixner , Makayla. "Caffeine During Pregnancy: How Much Is Safe?" Healthline. Healthline, November 20, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-during-pregnancy.
"Pregnancy Constipation." Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic, October 19, 2021. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21895-pregnancy-constipation.
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