Dealing with symptoms, without pills..

[LucyFur]

I'm still waiting on a BFP but my period is late (for the first time ever) and my list of symptoms is growing, so I'll be dumbstruck if I'm not pregnant. So far I've been eating and drinking ginger to aid nausea, stomach aches and trapped wind (ginger beer really helped with that one). I also bought some anti nausea wrist bands. I was just wondering what other tips and tricks you use to combat the symptoms I've been suffering from and any others you think I may eventually benefit from. So far here are my symptoms;

Nausea.
Dizziness.
Headaches (mild).
Hot flushes.
Trapped wind.
Sensitive skin on abdomen.
Tingling in legs.
Spots.
Exhaustion.
Sore, swollen breasts/nipples.
Very frequent urination.

Ok, so maybe there's not a lot can be done about the last one, but it's driving me crazy!

 

[little moomin]

The only things really are stay hydrated, eat what you can (ginger is especially good) and rest when you can. Honestly in my experience you are as well to try and keep distracted and wait it out, there isn't much else you can do

 

[LucyFur]

I was wondering if there's anything that could be done about my lack of energy in particular. Before TTC I'd just drink a coffee or energy drink. Is there anything natural that won't harm the baby?

 

[little moomin]

Not really, just loads of water. Any stimulant is probably a bad idea. I do find peeling myself off the couch and going out really does help, but your body is doing a LOT and sometimes you really do need to rest. First tri is hard

 

[dinkery]

Well for the horrifically painful boobs I bought a maternity sleep bra. Nice and soft, and kinda keeps them from sliding around at night. Doesn't stop the pain of course, but does help. For nausea I got Preggie Pop Drops Plus. Those do help, but you have to make sure you get the ones that say Plus with the vitB in them or else it's just candy. For acne I use these great Korean sheet masks made with yogurt, and they help clear it up a little - don't want to use anything more harsh than that so although it doesn't go away I just deal with it. The rest of it I can't really help you with, sorry to say. The whole experience so far has been very draining.

 

[LucyFur]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've found a couple of my own since this thread started. I've been getting indigestion/ heartburn a lot and found that drinking milk takes it away and has the added bonus of helping me towards to RDA of calcium.

As for my sore boobs, that came back with a vengeance last night. I have a lavender microwaveable neck pillow. I put it on to heat until it was nicely warm then rested each side on each breast. It really helped the ache!

 

[Skywalker]

Well for the horrifically painful boobs I bought a maternity sleep bra. Nice and soft, and kinda keeps them from sliding around at night. Doesn't stop the pain of course, but does help. For nausea I got Preggie Pop Drops Plus. Those do help, but you have to make sure you get the ones that say Plus with the vitB in them or else it's just candy. For acne I use these great Korean sheet masks made with yogurt, and they help clear it up a little - don't want to use anything more harsh than that so although it doesn't go away I just deal with it. The rest of it I can't really help you with, sorry to say. The whole experience so far has been very draining.

I totally am so stoked! I just Googled those Preggie Pops you mentioned and they do have them in NZ! Totally going to try them!

LacyFur, if you have reallyreallyreally low energy, like me, you may need to get your vitamin d levels checked. I got my blood work back and I was "incredibly deficient" according to my doctor, which she said wouldn't account for all of my exhaustion since being in the first trimester of pregnancy alone will make you exhausted, but it definitely would contribute to the tiredness. So get that checked if you can You CAN drink a small amount of coffee in pregnancy but I stay away from it just because I take a few sips and I become disinterested in it. I just try to make sure I eat regularly and have fruit and rest when I can.

Also, magnesium helps nausea, so I drink a powdered calcium-magnesium drink when it gets really bad. Hope that helps.

 

[LucyFur]

That's good advice Skywalker. I take a prenatal vitamin daily, I'm pretty sure it's gt vitamin D in it, but I may get checked out just in case.