Congratulations, you’re pregnant! The next nine months are going to be filled with decisions about buying things you need and want to make sure you are prepared for baby. Before you go too crazy or get overwhelmed, let’s take a look at a few things that you might want for your pregnancy in the first trimester.

1. Don’t waste time looking for things.

If you haven’t experienced pregnancy brain yet, you will. Pregnancy brain or ‘mom brain’ is a real thing. For me, it manifests most obviously as forgetfulness in a BIG WAY. When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I was in the third trimester nesting phase and filled an entire grocery cart at Whole Foods. I went to the checkout, paid for my groceries, and walked right out of the store while leaving behind an entire cart of bagged groceries. I did not realize it until I pulled in my driveway at home and got out to put the groceries away! Fortunately the store had held on to them and I was able to go pick them up right away.

With my current twin pregnancy, I had a busy day of shoots and photo reveal appointments at my studio in my first trimester. I had plans to wrap up my last shoot and deliver an order to a client. I had just texted my client to say I was on my way, when I realized that I could not find my keys! I looked for an hour before I had to call my husband and have him come pick me up with a spare set. When he arrived, he said, “Let me just go check before we leave.” He walked out to the parking minute in less than 5 minutes dangling the set of keys which he had found on top of the bathroom cabinet. I SWEAR I would never have put my keys in that location– but there I was, having missed a client appointment and wasted two hours! As soon as I got home, I promptly placed an order for the Tile Device and App. I now have a Tile fob on each set of car keys, in my wallet, and in my purse. I use the app on a regular basis and am so happy that I made this purchase. Click below to see the version that works for me. It’s discontinued by the manufacturer, but I could not pass up the 4 pack price. You will want to grab this before it’s out of stock.

2. Help with morning sickness

While I’ve had at least a measure of morning sickness with each of my pregnancies, there are times when it has been much worse and I’ve found a few things that have helped.

You may have heard that ginger is a natural remedy for nausea. While it does help me a bit, I actually enjoy Chimes Ginger Chews, particularly the orange flavor. For me personally, I tend to associate the taste of ginger with nausea when I take it too much during the first trimester, so these candies really help.

I also find the motion sickness wristbands to be very effective in curbing pregnancy nausea. Here is one that I’ve used and found very comfortable:

3. The BEST prenatal vitamin

I’ve been somewhere along the pregnancy journey for nearly a decade. My husband and I got married when I was 34 and I have been taking prenatal vitamins for nearly that entire time. Some are hard to swallow, some leave a bad aftertaste, and some have questionable ingredients. Last year, a friend turned me on to Ritual Pre-Natal Vitamins, a well-researched mail order subscription. Not only are these pills easy to take, they automatically refill and arrive on your doorstep without you having to remember to re-order. Personally, when I am not pregnant, I am not as diligent about taking the pre-natals and they can start to pile up. Fortunately, it’s really easy to pause your shipment until you need more.

Another thing I like about this vitamin is that each ingredient is thoroughly researched. Take a quick look at their website to see ample evidence on why each ingredient is included. In particular, taking folate over folic acid was important to me and I trust this company.

4. Morning Sickness Tea

They say that everything is amplified with twins, and so far, I can say that is true. The morning sickness has been one of the hardest things for me to deal with. When nothing sounds good, it’s so nice to find a beverage that is satisfying and relaxing with a taste that you enjoy. Even on my worst days of morning sickness, I found the Pink Stork Morning Sickness Tea to be a life saver. To me, it tasted more like orange than ginger which I prefer.

5. Get better sleep NOW.

Before my first child was born, I remember a friend telling me: “Get as much sleep as you can now, because once the baby arrives you won’t sleep well again for months.” Or years…

Being sleepy is typical in the first trimester, and if you’re able to take a nap, most experts recommend that you do so. However, at times that can be easier said than done. For this reason, I recommend investing in a good quality, light-blocking sleep mask now. Not only will it help you get better day time naps, once you have the baby it can be difficult to fall asleep in the hospital and even once you come home.

A mask like the one pictured below will block more light and be less likely to slip off than the complimentary masks they provide at the hospital. It’s also a good way to communicate ‘leave me alone’ if you are trying to get rest in the hospital. Now that I’ve seen the improvement in sleep with my mask, I used it almost every night and find that it gives my brain a signal that it’s time to shut off.

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This week, my friend, Stacey Adams, is sharing a post about details within a newborn photography session in Albuquerque. I plan to be doing a lot more in-home sessions once the shelter in place lifts, so I wanted to share some inspo.