Everything you should know in the First Trimester
Whether this is your first pregnancy or you’ve been through this before, your first trimester is a special time that lays the foundation for good prenatal development and a healthy maternal journey. Our goal at Spora Mommas is to ensure that every birthing person:
Has the tools and support they need to safely navigate their maternal journey with their current midwife or obstetrician.
Can deliver according to their birth plan with confidence.
Has the space to center their own joy throughout the process.
Can appreciate and enjoy the beauty of this stage of life.
Women of color are at higher risk for pregnancy complications due to implicit bias and shortcomings in our medical system, regardless of your education level, income, or location. These are hard facts to face, but Spora Mommas is here to empower you to more confidently navigate your entire maternal journey all the way through early parenthood.
The first trimester begins on the first day of your last period, lasting until you are 12 weeks along. During the first three months of your pregnancy you may experience many changes to your body as your baby is growing faster than at any other point in your pregnancy. You’ll be busy adjusting to, not only to physical changes, but mentally preparing yourself for what comes next. It’s an ideal time to make sure that you are taking care of yourself and planning for the rest of your pregnancy.
Common first trimester symptoms:
It’s very common to feel fatigued or exhausted during the early months of a pregnancy. About 60 percent of all pregnant women experience this, and it makes sense. Growing life is hard work! Be sure to prioritize your rest and don’t be tempted to skip meals. You need your strength momma.
Pregnancy nausea aka morning sickness is a much dreaded and well known symptom many people experience in the first trimester of pregnancy, though it does not look the same for every birthing person. Did you know that nausea protects you and your baby from harmful chemical and food-borne illnesses? Nausea is triggered to warn you of perceived food threats to your pregnancy while the embryo is developing. If you’re experiencing bad nausea in your first trimester eat foods that are comforting and easy for you to digest as regularly as you can. Drinking nausea or “pregnancy” teas that contain ginger can also help to settle your stomach.
Food cravings work in a similar way to nausea, telling you which nutrients your body needs such as calcium, iron, or folic acid. Many people notice they start to crave foods they rarely ate before, or are turned off by foods they used to love. That’s totally normal. As with managing nausea, the best course is to eat small, regular snacks that you tolerate well and crave. Just monitor what, when and how much you’re eating, trying to make healthy food choices.
First Trimester Nutrition
What you eat and your nutrition during pregnancy can have a significant impact on both your and your baby’s health. The way many of us eat, known as the ‘Standard American Diet’ (SAD), is generally energy-rich (high in calories) and nutrient-poor. Calorie intake during the first trimester generally does not differ from those of non-pregnant women, but increases between 10 and 30 weeks (last first trimester and second trimester) when there is the most amount of tissue growth. While preventing maternal obesity is important for reducing the risks and birth complications, calorie restriction is currently not advised during pregnancy and any recommendations for calorie intake should be tailored to you based on your pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain targets. However, during your pregnancy you will require more nutrient dense foods for healthy prenatal development.
Nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients like protein, without too much saturated fat, added sugars and sodium (salt). Examples of nutrient dense foods that are great to support your pregnancy are:
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Lean meat and skinless poultry
Beans belong to the “legumes” family of plants which are rich in protein, high in minerals, and include lentils, peanuts, peas, and all kinds of beans, like black-eyed peas and black beans.
Nuts and seeds
Reading nutrition labels
Swapping out foods in your diet for more nutrient dense options is easy when you understand how to read nutrition labels. Most people only tend to read the first five parts of food labels, mostly focusing on calories and fat which are right at the top. But in order to identify nutrient-dense foods we need to be sure to read further down the label to the other beneficial nutrients such as calcium, potassium and fiber.
Let’s say you are trying to decide between two packages of bread. One has about 80 calories per slice, but few vitamins and minerals. The whole-grain version has about the same number of calories, but way more protein, three times the magnesium, and more than double the fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and zinc. The whole-grain option is the more nutrient-dense choice. Other easy swaps you can make for more nutritional density in your first trimester are:
Instead of a big dollop of sour cream on your chili or baked potato, try plain nonfat Greek yogurt.
Switch from processed deli meat to sliced roasted chicken for a hearty sandwich.
When adding toppings to pizza, tacos or sandwiches, add one more veggie instead of meat or cheese.
Switch from white rice to brown rice.
Snacking
As mentioned above, you are likely to have some food cravings during your first trimester, and finding healthy snacks you can tolerate well is going to be key to managing those cravings. Snacking gets a bad rep, but doesn’t have to be bad for you, as long as you choose mostly nutrient-dense snack foods. In one study, researchers ranked the most popular snack foods according to a tool called the Nutrient-Rich Foods Index, which assesses the overall nutritional value or density. Yogurt, milk, fruit and nuts were the most nutrient-dense snacks, while candy, ice cream, cake and sugar-sweetened soft drinks were the most nutrient-poor. Other popular snacks like potato chips, crackers, popcorn and tea fell somewhere in the middle. Easy snack swaps you can make during pregnancy:
Snack on crunchy vegetables or nuts instead of chips.
Satisfy a sweet tooth with naturally sweet fruit instead of candy and cookies.
Replace sugary drinks with water, unsweetened tea, or coffee. Try adding your water with frozen or fresh fruit to mix it up and add variety.
Making healthy choices easy and affordable
It’s true that affordable, fresh and nutrient dense foods are generally less widely available to low–income groups and certain geographies, but making healthier choices and lifestyle modifications during pregnancy doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul of your diet or as expensive as many people think. Fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthier items are often more expensive at convenience stores and small food markets than in larger chain supermarkets and grocery stores. If these aren’t available to you here are some options for finding affordable nutrient-dense foods:
Try to visit more fresh markets
Make the effort no matter where you shop, to select at least some variety of nutrient dense foods.
Remember snacks can be nourishing and healthy
Taking a multivitamin in combination with a healthy diet can ensure you get all the nutrition you need during pregnancy. There are special pills specifically for pregnant people, but be sure to tell your health care professional about any other vitamins you have been taking. Prenatal vitamins are meant to be a compliment, not a substitute for healthy eating.
Water intake
Making sure you are drinking enough water during pregnancy is super important. Water helps your digestion, easing constipation, and is used to form the amniotic fluid around your fetus. It also helps nutrients circulate in your body and helps the kidneys remove any waste from the body. During pregnancy you should drink 8 to 12 cups (64 to 96 ounces) of water every day. If you aren’t used to drinking this much water we suggest getting a large (32oz) reusable bottle and making a goal to commit to drinking the entire bottle of water during three 2-hour windows. Breaking up the water goal throughout the day is easier to remember and stick to than forgetting throughout the day and trying to drink a ton of water before bed.
Example:
8am-10am: (1) 32oz of water
12pm-2pm: (1) 32oz of water
4pm-6pm: (1) 32oz of water
________________________________
= 96oz of water for the day
What to avoid
Alcohol: Despite mis-information that circulates stating that it is ok to drink 1 alcoholic beverage per day while pregnant, it is not safe to consume alcohol at all while pregnant as this may contribute to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). As the Surgeon General’s Advisory states “There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant”.
High Mercury Fish: Mercury is a toxic element that can be found in polluted water and when consumed in higher amounts can cause serious developmental problems and health issues. Not all fish are off limits though. You should avoid fish like king mackerel, tuna, and marlin which are high in mercury, but can enjoy low mercury fish like cod, tilapia, and salmon up to 3 times a week according to the FDA.
Undercooked or Raw Meat and Fish: Eating undercooked or raw fish and or meat increases your risk of infection from various bacteria or parasites like Vibrio, Salmonella, and Listeria. According to the CDC, ‘Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than other people to get Listeria infection, called listeriosis.’ Hispanic women are 24 times more likely to get listeriosis which can be passed on to your unborn baby and can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and preterm labor.
Choosing the right Pregnancy Team and Provider
Another area that causes many people anxiety and stress during the first trimester is finding the right maternal team and medical providers to support you. It’s important to find professionals to support you and who you feel comfortable with. When choosing an OB/GYN or Midwife, start with finding providers that are covered by your insurance if you are insured to reduce financial stress. Next, focus on finding someone who is conveniently located, and not too far away or hard to reach. Lastly, and very important for people of color is finding compatibility with a provider you feel comfortable with and can communicate with easily.
There are many barriers that can make this more difficult for some people including lack of insurance, living in a maternal care desert, or inability to find a provider you feel comfortable with. You can find more information on how to choose the right provider at Spora Mommas.
About Spora Mommas
Spora Mommas is an arm of Spora Health, a primary care system built for people of color. Mommas is a digital experience to make the maternal journey better for Black people and to center their joy. Interested in learning more and joining us?
