Traveling in your First Trimester of Pregnancy

As many of you know, we unexpectedly got pregnant with baby #3 this past July.  Not that we didn’t want a #3, I just wasn’t sure if I was ready quite yet. ;-)  Of course, we had already prebooked two trips before knowing that we would be pregnant, and the first one, in Banff, Canada at 8 weeks pregnant.  By week 6 I was soooo sick.  Literally more sick than I’ve ever been; lying in bed all day, throwing up, completely repulsed by all food and really struggling to drink water, because, yes, water grossed me out too.  It was horrible.  Finally, I caved and started taking diclegis, a category A prescription that helps with morning sickness.  After a few days of having it my system, I was starting to feel a little more like myself and more confident that I would be able to travel.

Frist Trimester Packing Lists

Here’s a list of first trimester essentials I would recommend bringing on your trip.

·         Diclegis prescription (from your doctor)- As I said, diclegis is under category A for medicine that you can take while pregnant.  It definitely helps.  My prescription says I can take 4 pills a day, but I find that taking too much makes me really drowsy.  Although I took more in the beginning, I now only need to take one at night and I am fine the next day (as long as I eat frequently)! 

·         Bottle of Maty’s Acid Indigestion Relief - Heartburn ALREADY!  I’m sooo glad I threw a bottle into my bag at the last minute!  Eating out on vacation generally means eating different foods that I don’t normally cook for myself- and there were a few nights that I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep if it wasn’t for a pill or two!  

·         Preggie pops- This is my absolute favorite thing to take if I feel like I’m about to “loose my lunch”.  They kind of look (and taste) like sour candy, but they help with nausea sooo much.  I don’t know how, but it really works.  I always carry a few in my purse and keep them next to my bed at night to take if I start getting that “feeling”. 

·         Bag of pretzels (or whatever carb helps to settle your stomach).  We tried to eat frequent meals, but there were times when we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere and I would need to eat a little snack to keep from getting nauseous. 

·         WATER- Like I said, water definitely grosses me out, which is funny because normally I LOVE drinking water all day long.  I found that I like really ice cold water, so at night, I would stick our water bottles in the freezer and then I could take small sips of the melted ice water throughout the day to keep from getting dehydrated. 

·         Eye mask- For some reason having a mask over my eyes helped me sleep so much better at night.  Especially in a few hotels where we shared a room with Dylan, our four year old, who would want a side light on. 

·         Comfy clothes- Although all my regular clothes still fit me, I did pack a lot of comfy workout clothes because there definitely were days when I just wanted to curl up in my seat while we were driving from one attraction to the next.  (Thank GOODNESS we rented a car!  It was nice to know that I had a “home base” with snacks and where I could lie down if I needed.) 

The trip actually went really great!  Although I still got nauseous quite a bit, I found that it was soo much better than being at home because I didn’t have cook my own meals, and I could order whatever I was craving.  Also, Matt was a HUGE help with the boys so I could relax when I needed.  I’m curious what has helped any mamas out there that also struggle with morning sickness?  I would love your ideas and suggestions because I’m still struggling with it!!