Pregnancy & Food Struggles: First Trimester & Listening to My Body

In some ways I really struggled during my first trimester when it comes to food. It was hard for me to get enough protein and just eat enough in general. I got really hard on myself because I already felt “mom guilt” for not feeding this baby enough and feeding it properly. But eating was a challenge. Thankfully, I haven't had any morning sickness or throwing up.

What I learned (from my doc) is that first trimester is like survival mode. Eat what you can - try to get enough protein and calories in your body. I was getting frustrated with myself for not eating my norm or not eating enough meat and protein. I always fell short and got hard on myself for that. For awhile it was just PB & J (on paleo bread) or protein bars and some smoothies + tons of collagen / collagen water to get enough protein. Occasionally some meat and veggies but not often. Big aversion to meat in the beginning.

I had to let that overachiever side of me go. I had to listen to my body and give it what it craved (within reason lol). Once I changed my mindset things became much easier for me and I was able to eat enough food throughout the day. I’ve stuck to mostly paleo with the exception of some hummus and beans (in chili). I’ve had some rice pasta and a little bit of cheese (it gave me an upset tummy though since my body isn’t used to much dairy).

My safe go-to foods are simple… one of them lately has been hash browns & eggs with salt and pepper. I’ll get into other foods that have helped me in another post soon. Food doesn’t have to be complicated and listening to my body has been amazing. Allowing myself to eat what it needs to grow a healthy baby feels really good and quite powerful.