10 First Trimester Pregnancy Must-Haves for First Time Moms

Just got a big fat yes on that pee stick!? Woohoo Mama! You must be SO excited and so am I. Welcome to the wonderful world of motherhood.

Being pregnant for the first time is SO exciting but it can also be a rollercoaster of emotions.

Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming when you think about all the stuff you need to prepare for this little bun bun.

Your body is getting ready to grow a human being from scratch and with these amazing changes you might start feeling a bit uncomfortable and need to put together a pregnancy essentials list to help you through your first trimester.

The first trimester of pregnancy is not always as glamorous as it seems and some days you might really feel like absolute poo 💩 but these pregnancy essential items below will really make a difference!

I’ll admit, I had it pretty rough the first two months, wondering if and when those hard symptoms would ever stop.

Many of the items below were real lifesavers. Personally I don’t think I would have gotten through the first trimester without these must-have items.

Regardless, my pregnancy journey was so heartwarming; I’d give anything in the world to experience it all over again.

In this post, I’ll go over 10 pregnancy must-haves for first time moms for the first trimester.

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10 First Trimester Pregnancy Must-Haves for First Time Moms

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1) Prenatal Vitamins

Ritual Prenatal Multivitamin

A good quality prenatal vitamin is a must-have for pregnancy and growing your baby.

Ideally, it’s best to start taking this about 3 months before you get pregnant but we all know that’s a little hard to predict.

A few months before you decide to TTC (try to conceive), get yourself a good prenatal vitamin and start taking them.

This way you’re already laying a solid foundation right off the bat!

Personally, I chose Ritual prenatal for their traceable ingredients and delayed-release capsule design.

Since this was my first pregnancy, I became very meticulous about what I was putting into my body to grow my baby and I opted for only the best and Ritual Prenatal Vitamins was an excellent choice.

The delayed-released capsule is designed to dissolve in the small intestine which is the best place for your body to absorb all the nutrients.

There are many different brands of prenatal vitamins out there and a lot of them have a very fishy taste.

Ritual prenatal vitamins do not!

The size of the capsules are also smaller which made it very easy to swallow. It comes in two flavors of citrus and mint.

2) Nausea Relief

If you’re one of the mamas out there who don’t have morning sickness then you’re the lucky one! But most of us aren’t blessed like that.

I sure wasn’t! I had morning sickness the first trimester and boy it was not fun at all.

When it would hit me at work or while I was driving in the car, these nausea relief items below really saved the day.

New Mom Tip: Keep a handful of these in your purse, your work desk, your car, your bedside and even your jacket pockets.

Preggie pop drops

These Preggie Pop Drops are quite sour but if you like sour stuff then you’ll like these!

I found these to work very quickly giving instant relief of nausea symptoms.

They come in many different flavors which is nice as well like raspberry, green apple, lemon and tangerine.

They also come in another version that contains Vitamin B6 or a lollipop form if you prefer that over individual medium round pieces.

Tummydrops

These Tummydrops are made with natural and organic ingredients.

They provide a quick solution to an upset stomach and also works really well for morning sickness during pregnancy.

I found these to be more soothing and helped settle my stomach for a longer period of time.

They come in many different flavors as well such as sweet blackberry, tropical pineapple and peach.

Ginger nausea tea

Tea always has a way of making people feel calm and relaxed.

This Earth Mama Ginger Nausea Tea helped with my morning sickness so much.

It’s very soothing, not too strong and the best part is it’s organic!

A great alternative to nausea relief candies if you want something to sip on instead.

Plain crackers

These plain crackers came in soo handy for my nausea especially in the morning when my stomach was empty.

I’d suggest keeping a few of these close to your bedside for when you wake up in the morning.

The sudden drop in blood sugar can really make you feel dizzy or even “hangry” at times.

Having these plain crackers were real lifesavers!

New Mom Tip: NEVER leave the house without snacks!

3) Good Pregnancy App

Ovia Pregnancy

If you like keeping track of things then you’ll like the Ovia Pregnancy app.

I personally don’t rely on my memory much as I can be forgetful if I don’t write things down.

I had been using the Ovia Fertility app to keep track of my menstrual cycle and symptoms when I was trying to conceive and found it so helpful.

When I got pregnant, I naturally upgraded to the Ovia Pregnancy app and I totally fell in love with it.

You get to watch your baby grow week by week and it’s loaded with tons of informational articles like nutrition, a breastfeeding video series and helpful tips on mental health.

You can also keep track of all your symptoms, cravings and daily nutrition goals. It’s one place where you can conveniently do everything.

Peanut

The Peanut app was created for women to have a safe space to connect wherever they are on their journey of motherhood, fertility, pregnancy or menopause.

During all of those stages in life, it can be very challenging and lonely at times especially if you’re new to all of this and have many questions.

The Peanut app can help you find the answers you’re looking for and be empowered by a community of women who went through or are on the same journey as you.

I downloaded the Peanut app and found it to be a wealth of knowledge with valuable information from other women.

Unfortunately in my area in Vancouver, BC, this app wasn’t as popular and I didn’t find a lot of women who were online a lot.

I think if you live in the USA where this app is more popular, you’ll be able to find more people online to connect with and maybe even meet up in person as well.

So give it a try, you never know who you’ll meet!

4) Stretch Mark Cream

Many blog posts out there will put stretch mark cream on a third trimester must-have list but I completely disagree with that!

Moisturizing your belly not only feels good but it’s important to make sure you take care of your skin right from the beginning of your pregnancy.

Although you won’t see much of a bump during the first trimester, you’re going to build a strong foundation for your skin for the upcoming months.

Below are a few of my favorites which I still use postpartum.

Burt’s Bees Mama Belly Butter

This Burt’s Bees Belly Butter is made with Shea butter and Vitamin E.

It’s very rich and creamy with no scent and it’s also very hydrating.

I used this all throughout first trimester during the day and night for my belly.

I actually used this for my whole body some days.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Stretch Mark Lotion

Palmer’s has a whole line of lotions created for pregnancy stretch marks.

They have products like massage lotions, belly balms, body oil and massage cream.

They recommend using them together for best results.

During the second trimester, I suddenly couldn’t stand the smell of Burt’s Bees so I switched over to this massage lotion and I am still using this postpartum!

Bio-Oil Skincare Oil

My first stretch mark appeared at 8 months pregnant.

I totally thought I was going to get away with no pregnancy stretch marks but guess not 😅.

Anyway, luckily I found this and used it immediately after I saw the stretch mark.

I still use it 4 months postpartum writing this post.

It’s part of my daily and evening routine, an absolute must-have.

After using this Bio Oil Skincare Oil for over four months postpartum, the darkness of my stretch marks have become visibly lighter and the overall appearance improved a lot.

Palmer’s Tummy Butter

Out of all the belly skincare products I used for my stretch marks and keeping my skin hydrated and healthy during pregnancy, this Palmer’s Tummy Butter is by far my absolute favorite.

This butter is very thick and will leave your belly feeling so nourished.

I use this as a part of my evening routine.

The reason is because it can get onto your clothes while it’s absorbing into the belly so just be mindful of that.

I also love the scent of this one too!

It is the most powerful creation to have life growing inside of you. There is no bigger gift

Beyoncé

5) Peppermint Oil Roller

One of the things about being pregnant is your scene of smell becomes super heightened.

Now this can work both ways!

The smells you like will be extraordinary and smells you don’t like…well get ready for some stomach turning.

My nausea during first trimester made some things I love to smell terrible and because of that, I would get headaches from such strong scents.

As you may know, you’re not supposed to take any medication during pregnancy, especially not Advil.

So I used this Peppermint roller instead and carried it around with me everywhere.

They’re so handy and works like a charm!

6) Water Bottle

Growing a human from scratch is hard work and your body is going to be working overtime to develop your precious baby.

That means you need more nutrients and also more water.

It’s so important to be well hydrated during pregnancy and it can be easy to forget to drink water when you’re so tired somedays.

The large bottle size allows you to carry more water and saves the hassle of frequently needing to refill your water bottle.

It also comes with a straw which is an absolute MUST NEED during labor.

7) Pregnancy Pillow

Around 20 weeks of pregnancy, you might be advised to start sleeping on your side and avoid sleeping on your back to reduce the risk of stillbirth.

By the third trimester, you should almost always be sleeping on your side. This includes day time naps and going to sleep at night.

This is because of the combined weight of baby and your womb putting a lot of pressure on your other organs such as the main blood vessels that supplies blood flow and oxygen to your baby and the placenta.

With the added weight of baby, sleeping and moving around in bed can get quite uncomfortable so you want to make sure you’re fully supported.

The two items below were real lifesavers and helped tremendously with back pain during pregnancy.

Full body pillow

This full body pillow hugs and supports your entire body with an ergonomic design.

If you’re having difficulty sleeping, this will help you relax!

It provides full support of your back and also allows you to tuck the pillow between your knees for hip support.

The cover is removable and machine washable.

The only thing I would say is that this pillow is quite big.

So it’ll take up almost half of a queen sized bed which means hubby may be sleeping on the couch 🤣

It can also get kinda hot and since my third trimester was in the summer, I had to switch to another pillow like the one below 👇

Boppy wedge pillow

This Boppy wedge pillow was one of my favorite things during my pregnancy.

It’s so handy and provides such good support.

It slips right under your belly and lifts your belly up to help support the weight of your growing baby.

If you’re going to sleep at night, taking a nap or just laying down binging your favorite show, you definitely need this.

This thing is small but mighty.

The cover is also removable and machine washable.

8) Pregnancy Books

Mama Natural week by week guide to pregnancy and childbirth

This was one of my favorite books during pregnancy.

This Mama Natural Pregnancy & Childbirth book became the only book I needed for keeping up with my baby’s development week by week.

The illustrations are beautiful and the author really knows their stuff!

It gives you tons of information on baby development and all things pregnancy and birth related.

What to expect when you’re expecting

Classic pregnancy book every mama should have in their collection.

Gives you practical advice and helpful tips and most importantly, tons of reassurance!

It covers just about any question you may have about your pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey but surprisingly at times, it can feel lonely.

You’re left wondering “is this normal?” A LOT and this book addresses a lot of those moments.

If you’re looking for a good laugh, check out the movie based on this book as well.

Expecting better: why the conventional pregnancy wisdom is wrong and what you really need to know

This Expecting Better book was SO informative. It challenges the status quo which I LOVE.

Instead of just following the advice you get from people blindly, it looks at the data instead.

RIt goes right into the research and the numbers to really figure out things.

Things like if you can eat sushi while pregnant and what are the real risks.

With all the information, you can then make an informed decision yourself.

9) Pregnancy Journal

This is a total must have!

You can write down all of your thoughts and feelings everyday especially if this is your first pregnancy.

Even if this is your second or third or even fourth pregnancy, I’d highly recommend you getting a pregnancy journal.

Each pregnancy is different and special in their own ways and with this journal, you can capture it all.

Now that I’ve had my baby, sometimes I pick up my pregnancy journal and read a random page.

It’s SO special to feel those emotions again.

10) Good Support System

The first trimester can be exciting but challenging at times.

So it’s really important that you build a good support system right from the beginning.

As a first time mom, everything is new to you.

It can be very memorable to share those moments with your loved ones.

A good support system can look like having someone give you a massage at the end of your day or a partner who volunteers to do more household chores so you can get some more rest.

It can also be a friend who you call if you’re feeling like some days are harder than others and need someone to talk to.

There are also many groups you can join online to find other mama’s who are also on their pregnancy journey.

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Thanks for stopping by

What are some things you have on your pregnancy must-have list?

Let me know in the comments below!

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