Well, I will start this off by saying, things aren’t pretty for first trimester pregnant Riva. It was probably for the best I wasn’t able to voice all my aliments and complaints with you all because you would have been annoyed.
Whoever invited the saying, ‘morning sickness’ should have called it, ‘all-day sickness’. I honestly felt crappy most days, mostly like I had an all day hangover that never went away. Luckily at this point I was working from home and was able to take it easy and not have to socialize/meeting with clients as much. Can we get a hallelujah for Zoom and emails!?
Some things that helped me with my morning sickness were the following:
- Eating every two hours no matter how I was feeling
- These ginger sucker candies
- Peppermint Tea
- Complaining to my husband and other pregnant friends/mothers. I know, I know, it sounds dramatic, but just voicing how I feel makes me feel better.
Some other symptoms I had were headaches, __ Luckily, I did not have too many headaches, and also lucky you can have Tylenol. My sister told me her secret remedy which is Tylenol and Dr. Pepper. It did work!


Let’s talk clothes. Although I may have already had some ‘quarantine weight’ on, I found I should have taken the dive into wearing comfy clothes right away. Leggings, on leggings, on leggings! Everyone’s pregnancy is different, meaning, everyone’s body changes at different times. I felt the bloat right away and my pre-pandemic jeans weren’t going to cut it. I heard the rumor of sizing up (two sizes) on the Lululemon Align leggings and damn, that rumor was 100% fact and so helpful!!!

Now, some important things I tried to remember in my first trimester is that I can’t control what my body is doing and to have faith it was doing what it needed to do. From the day I found out I was pregnant (December 9th) to waiting for my first ultrasound/doctor’s appointment in early February, I tried to stay positive and believe this little baby would be okay! Stressing is bad for your body and honestly, you cannot control what will or won’t happen!


With all of this anxiety I had the worst time sleeping through the night. With the mixture of stress and the amount of hormones, I haven’t had a full night sleep since I found out I was pregnant. And, don’t you start with the, “good practice for the baby” garbage talk, I don’t want to hear it, ha!
What to do during the first trimester… I know you want to get stuff done and prepare for the baby, but honestly, your body needs rest and is working so hard! If you feel like you need a nap, nap! If you feel like you need a bowl of pasta, eat it! Just listen to your body and try to relax!


I know all of my complaints in this blog post don’t make pregnancy sound that galmarous and boy, it wasn’t for the first few months but, hey, I’m growing a human! I am still in awe each day that my body is growing and carrying an actual baby.

