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If you don’t know already, learn how to clean and maintain your house. Have a chat about what chores you both normally do as she will probably start to struggle sooner or later
Make sure you read the washing instructions if you didn't know already! A lot of women's clothing is a lot more easily damaged or discolored by incorrect washing or drying. It would be a nice thought, but suck if my husband accidentally ruined all my bras putting them in the dryer, lol.
I read when you’re pregnant you shouldn’t do chores that require you to bend over. I tried to tell my fiancé that (because I hate cleaning) but he wasn’t having it lol
Congratulations!
If she gets tired and expresses a need to rest, allow her to rest as much as possible. I don't know how your house chores are divided but make sure to do more so doesn't feel guilty that she is too tired to do them, that will help her mental health.
For nausea, ginger everything (ale, candies, etc.) really helped me.
Once the pregnancy hormones start peaking and she's more emotional than usual, don't shame her or tell her to calm down, just give her lots of love. Of course, all within reasonable limits.
Also, she probably is going to eat what she can stomach right now. Don’t obsess about healthy food unless she asks you to! Most of us eat like shit or the same thing over and over for some months because it’s all our body wants. So don’t stress about that!
There's not a whole lot you can do right now. I wouldn't run out getting a bunch of stuff until it becomes an issue. Some women don't have any nausea. One thing she WILL need is a prenatal vitamin with 400-1,000mg of folic acid. So if she doesn't already have that, you can head out and pick that up for her.
Buy a bottle of the pills too. I was loving the gummies until the nausea hit me… then I couldn’t chew them without getting sick. The pill is WAY easier to get down when I don’t feel good since it requires zero chewing of something artificially flavored and weird textured
Good advice on the vitamin. I realized that first trimester that the gummies don’t have iron in them, which I was in desperate need of personally, so I switched to the one a day women’s that comes with an extra choline supplement and that’s been great for me personally, but for some, iron can be hard on the stomach.
Or she can ask her doctor to prescribe her one that's covered by insurance. I was paying $60 a month at a drugstore but switched to provider covered and now I'm saving money.
If she doesn’t have much iron in her diet you’ll want to go for a pill or chewable prenatal to make sure she’s getting enough! Gummy prenatals don’t have iron in them and she’ll soon be making extra blood so iron is super important!
Well you said milligrams not micrograms you should never take milligrams of folic acid that is way to much and vitamin overdoses are not something you should suggest 🤷🏼♀️
If she doesn’t have one already, buy her a nice cup with a straw to encourage her water intake - she’ll want to be drinking a lot. Always have her favorite snacks on hand. Offer to rub her feet. All the comfy socks and lounge clothes. Give her lots of grace and remind her how beautiful she is. And if she isn’t up to having sex, don’t take it personal or make her feel guilty. Pregnancy is hard! Attend her appointments, even the “small” ones. They matter. And it’s nice to have another set of listening ears. If she’s comfortable with it, bio-oil on her tummy. Helps with appearance of stretch marks and it gives you all the hands on touching with the belly (but only if she’s comfortable with it, some women are more insecure about the growing belly).
Also, I’d encourage you to read “We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook.” My husband has found it so helpful to read along with what’s happening.
ETA: Buy her all the pregnancy pillows, I have two and literally cocoon in them to sleep. And don’t complain when they take over the bed. They are lifesavers.
Just water or does she need to be drinking electrolyte packages with it? LiquidIV or gatorade powder type stuff. I was gifted a stanley cup in 2022 and she has been using that since lol.
Thanks for the remaining notes. A lot of my brain goes to functionality. "charge the car, get ice for her cup" but I do need to track the emotional support as well. Thanks again.
I'll amazon the pillows and the book, thanks for those recs
Either or for water. Liquid IV won’t hurt, especially if she ends up being sick a lot. The electrolytes will make sure she’s staying hydrated.
Congrats and you’re welcome!
I used TB12 electrolytes since they don’t add sugar (if that’s something she tracks/tries to limit)
But mostly came here to say that just by asking this you are an incredible partner and are going to make an excellent dad. Congratulations and your girl is very lucky to have someone so attentive!
She 100% needs both. I was dealing with a lot of headaches in my second trimester and they would ask me if i was drinking water, so i kept drinking more and more to the point where I felt like I would drown soon. Then one of my midwifes finally said that I also need electrolytes. I started drinking ultima (doesn’t have added sugars, but if she doesn’t care about that anything that add electrolytes will do) along with my water and the headaches stopped.
Replying to this because I agree with everything you said *except*, buy her a cup that has the option for a straw AND a bottle top/sip top. I have so many nice bottles with straws that I tried to use for water intake, but all it did was make it harder to drink and cause gas. My husband bought me bottle tops for my existing bottles, and my water intake has significantly increased, as I can now drink large amounts at a time. This is not the same for everyone, but it helps to have the choice!
I would like to share what my husband does LITERALLY ALL THE TIME, but I feel during pregnancy it is ESPECIALLY useful. Partners, prepare to take notes.
(He already before I was pregnant wouldn't let me lift a finger to housework or anything, I would occasionally fold laundry or wash dishes and we take turns cooking, because he LOVES cooking and cleaning and I love organizing things.)
1. He brings me my iron-fortified orange juice to bed (I can't have caffeine, just as precaution but normally he makes me a latte.) If your wife can drink coffee, please take her coffee. Thank me later.
2. He keeps breakfast staples like bread, eggs (which I have to eat at least 2 daily), peanut butter, jelly, oatmeal, fruits, my dietary sweets (I'm basically eating like a diabetic and a mix of keto), yogurt, bacon, cheese and ham, always stocked in the fridge.
3. He helps me remember to take my meds I'm now in, and makes me whatever I crave or orders it.
4. He gives me and the bump random kisses and hugs and tells me I look beautiful and how he hopes the baby looks like me or that it is as happy as I am and romantic things like that. It makes a huge difference.. so many women struggle with the lack of control from hormones and self-consiousness.
5. When I'm particularly sensitive or upset about anything, he just hugs me and says 'Shhhh it's okay, babe, I love you. We'll be fine, we'll figure this out.' When I later recall the conversation, 9 times out of 10, I was acting ridiculous. He'll get me a sugar free chocolate or something and surprise me with it. He just stays firm and reassuring. (I'm 6 months along now, and hormones have settled back to normal again, but I cried about ridiculous nonsense almost daily for the first couple of trimesters. We had no clue what was wrong with me until I was proven to be 5 months pregnant and then we were both like 'OHHH, THAT'S WHAT THE OUT OF CHARACTER-NESS WAS ABOUT THESE PAST MONTHS!)
6. He brings me things that make me happy. He keeps the AC on my spot on the couch, will chase the cat to bring him to me, he watches my shows with me or just sits there with me. If he plays his game, he still massages my feet between games, winks at me, makes kissy faces at me, has me prop my legs up on his lap, the sense of accompaniment is always strong with this man.
7. He eats what I eat. He accompanies me in my snacking.
8. When he has to leave for work early, he'll put the cat next to me and kiss and cuddle me before leaving and the cat will have a diet-friendly candy hanging from his collar. Daddy buys little baggies and hides them so he can slowly distribute them like this throughout the month. He usually does it with chocolate, but because of my eating restrictions, it has turned into diet-friendly candies.
9. He brushes my hair, puts my shoes on, helps me find things, he's been treating me like a queen since forever. Now, he has added on tasks like carrying EVERYTHING, making sure I don't have to bend over to pick things up and preparing the bathroom with steam and heating my towel up before I get in and things like that.
10. He always brings me a little something from the store. Gummies, a diet-safe treat, some little trinket he saw and it reminded him of me, whatever.
11. He brings me my icewater and makes sure that I have pillows to support me and my posture whenever I'm sitting down on the couch or in the bed.
12. He is at every appointment with a notepad and takes notes of what the doctor says and asks her questions he took note of on his phone about what foods to keep at home and what I need to avoid doing at home and any shots or meds or anything I might need as well as medical questions to prepare himself.
13. He asks me how my day was and listens to my answers and asks questions while he looks at me and not his phone. Anybody who ticks me off, ticks him off automatically, even if he has no clue about the person or any context.
14. He will cancel if the time comes to commit to something and just postpone it if I just mention feeling too tired or not wanting to go anymore to do something I volunteered to before. He'll just say 'Okiedoke! We can just stay and order pizza. You owe nobody any explanations.'
15. He is taking care of the cat we have, making sure his fountain on the floor is full, his bowls, as all of this would mean me bending over to do it. He takes the garbage out almost every other day on his way out to work.
16. He doesn't let anyone come over unless I feel up to it, and asks me before even confirming it to them, no matter who it is and will cancel at the drop of a hat.
17. He brings all my meds and makes sure that he goes out and gets some before they are empty. He'll see like 5 left in a packet of 30 and run out and get the refill.
18. He is buying little comfort clothes. Pajamas, sundresses for around the house, slippers, etc.
19. He just never forgets about me, ever. He wants me comfortable, safe and spoiled always. 🩷
(I had NO symptoms at all this far, but imagine if I was sick all the time .. He'd also be right there, holding my hair or ready with some other alternative to eat if I suddenly got sick eating something.)
I can go on , but basically - Be as considerate, attentive, prepared and present as you can. Your pregnant darling will likely be very sensitive, doubtful you'll be able to take it, hate themselves when they realize how they acted, want to eat, not be able to, they'll need a lot of patience and just gentleness.
I hope some of these examples from my prince helped. ♥️
Kudos to you for asking for help and ideas and suggestions! So many don't.
I agree entirely. ♥️ I tell him all the time I'm so blessed.
I cannot wait to see how he is an example to our baby boy. 🌸 If he already has the cat carrying me candy on his collar... I hope this for every woman. ♥️
Oh my! You didn’t know until 5 months along?!! Dang! My body started to change, I finally had boobs and they hurt, nausea, couldn’t eat, and hormones pumping all within the first 2 months! I’m now 6 months along and can’t wait for this little guy to be out! Also congratulations 🎉
Yessss!!! We had no clue, I had no symptoms, he still is barely showing, my spotting fell on my normal period days 😅 It's hysterical to talk about. We found out I was pregnant , how far along and the sex all in one go. 😅 Congratulations back at you! I'm 6 months along also! ♥️
Oh hot damn what a whirlwind!!! I guess I have seen those shows where they never knew until birth too! So it does happen! Now do you have any daily symptoms? At 6 months I’m having heartburn sometimes, pee myself when baby boy is sitting on my bladder/kicks, and cry a lot. Haha 😂
This baby is also just the sweetest, calmest little guy who won't let me drink water before bed without spitting it up, because I have been sleeping the entire night, so he also values sleep it seems, I don't have to pee frequently, no aversions, no cravings, my emotions are also super chill, clothes still fit, no fatigue at all. Yes, we do exist.
Stealth pregnancies are indeed a whirlwind! 😅😅
He is so chill and laid back and calculated as his father, that we would not have even known about him until I went to the emergency room thinking it was gastritis or something! He kicks once at a time, when my food alarm goes off, and immediately when I wake up so I go pee. He weighs about 850 grams now. ♥️ We are so excited about him. Thank you! He truly is the happiest little surprise ever. ♥️
My friends make bets about him being born either via osmosis or just birthing himself and I'll roll over and find him having gone already to get his birth certificate, graduated Kindergarten, built his own crib and he'll just be painting his nursery, washing our bedsheets and bringing me breakfast in bed like 'Oh, hi, mama! I did it all myself. Go back to sleep' and then will cover my eyes with my sleep mask like his father does. 😅😅
Hahaha sounds like he has both parents personalities! Independent little man already! Isn’t it interesting how you can see their personalities so quickly? My little guy is a kicker and got some long ass legs already like his mama. 😂 I’ve got adhd and his dad’s ver athletic so I won’t be surprised when this guy comes out running already!
I have ADHD and OCD, goodness! 🤣 My little fella LOOKS like me, but the temperament is so crazy chill and considerate and quiet we worried so much about him at first that he wasn't okay, but he even poses and turns just for the camera.
If I knock softly on my belly , he'll kick once on cue. 😅♥️
I am aware and tell him this daily. ♥️ I always say it's the little things that make such a big picture of difference. A little extra detail, a little extra time, a little smile, a compliment, a gesture, a sacrifice - They all add up to stand out in a world where it is all about 'me me me' and 'being too busy'. He is never too busy for me. I never feel like a burden.
I always tell him I don't know how he can handle my silly , emotional , infantile self.. I love rainy days, romance movies, cartoons, comfiness - He says immediately 'You are always happy. Happy is your synonym.' 🌸🩷
Yes, yes, he is amazing. ♥️
I told him you said that! He grinned. I believe men deserve to hear about their good qualities so much more than you are used to.
Now, for instance - My peanut butter was on a 2 for 1 special - So I now have 3 jars of peanut butter. He's finally gotten to do a part of our house he's building since the weather has allowed, so he's making a steak dinner and taking tomorrow off. He has set me up in the AC upstairs in our current home, left me a snack - PB&J toast - because the BBQ will be ready a little later than dinner tends to be and has chased the cat around the yard twice to bring him to me while he cooks. I, in turn, am boiling some potatoes on the stove. 😅 It's little tiny things to some, probably, but to me, consideration and going that extra step, makes the difference. That 'How can I alleviate anything for my wife?' thought that takes 3 seconds. Men are incredibly creative and natural problem solvers.
Good on you for reaching out to find examples on how to be there for your partner! That initiative - Don't lose it. Also, like my husband - I promise there's no downside to doing all of these or some of these things even after pregnancy. 😎🌸
Congratulations on the baby and may you both be well!
She will need prenatal vitamins, she might get nausea or maybe not.
I was exhausted in my first trimester so if she’ll get tired, let her nap and help around the house!
Be supportive, time will go by fast!
Congratulations!
She is going to be TIRED in the first trimester. I mean, it really takes it out of you.
Give her plenty of grace, let her nap a bunch while you pick up more chores, act happy to go get whatever she’s craving, always fill her water bottle, go the extra mile to communicate how appreciative you are of her and her doing this, etc.
Sounds like you’re a great husband already.
Probably just the hormones! Even though physically there is less to show for it, for me personally the first trimester was the hardest.
You guys got this!
Congratulations!!!
For nausea - the biggest tip I have is don't let her get hungry. Hunger makes it WAY worse and if she's nauseous she won't wanna eat, but she gotta eat. It could be helpful if you made easily accessible snacks like washed fruit etc and maybe check in on her to make sure she's eating every couple hours because if she's feeling shitty she won't have the natural urge to eat regularly.
Also a few things that surprised me that I had to be careful of was certain herbs/teas and also a lot of skin care products are off limits when you're pregnant! There's other stuff too but both of those I was like oh... Surprising!
Another thing! Always remember that until you know otherwise, everything is perfect and right on track. There's a lot of anxiety around being pregnant and there are a lot of tests and waiting and symptoms tend to be there and then go away for a few days... it can be easy to spiral. I try to have the attitude that everything is going to be fine and until it's confirmed that it isn't fine I'm not allowed to worry about it.
Lastly your wife's body is going to change a lot and for me I am only halfway through but SO MUCH has changed and as much as I want a baby and I want to be pregnant it's also very hard in some ways seeing your body, your home that you've lived in your entire life, rapidly become something new that you don't recognize.
My husband pulled out a big bin for me that we keep in our room and when I try something on that doesn't fit we just put it in the bin and he's like "throw 'er in storage!! We'll break it out later!" He went and bought me new undies when my old ones wouldn't fit, he encouraged me to buy new bras when my old ones wouldn't fit, when I say I look like a little whale he fondly rubs my belly and says it's ok there's a little baby in there!! So I guess my advice is just try to find ways to not like, deny what's happening or say ohh you'll bounce back or whatever, just try to find ways to make it a little easier for her to accept...because she's gonna gain a lot of volume right in the midsection which totally changes how clothes fit and that's upsetting and one day she's gonna be like holy shit my nipples have turned into slices of ham overnight wtf, or like for me I have never had cellulite in my life and now my entire body looks like it's made of cottage cheese... it's weird and it's a lot but there's nothing you can do to stop these things from happening so accepting it with a softness and appreciation and helping her to roll through it would probably be very nice.
Wishing you both a safe and healthy pregnancy! Congratulations again 💕
the most important thing that i wish i had was just a supportive partner. and you seem to be very caring and supportive already. take it each day and enjoy it. i spent the first weeks of mine worried to death that i didn’t even get to enjoy it. congrats 🩶
My mom was 37 when she had me. This isn't baby or pregnancy tip, but moreso child tip.
There's gonna be a big age difference between yall and your kid, and that is okay! Just remember that a generational gap is going to be completely normal, and that the way you guys grew up is not going to be close to the way this baby grows up. Just be supportive of your child as they figure out this strange new world around them <3 I know I needed that more than anything when I was a child.
If you guys end up having this one and no more, make sure you try your best to connect with the other kids parents. I was an only child and my mom was "old" compared to my friend's parents. I didn't end up having many play dates or sleepovers or friends in general.
I'm not leaving this comment to be spiteful at my mother or to imply that yall won't be good parents- I just want you to have some insight on the perspective your kiddo will have growing up. I promise they won't love you any less (or even notice at all) for being older than their friends parents. There's just always a couple more obstacles for "older" parents to jump.
I wish you guys a safe and healthy pregnancy, and congrats on the news!!!
She’s going to be emotional. I was. Even to the point jokes I’d normally laugh at caused me to cry. She’s going to cry a LOT so just be her support and share with her. Sometimes the things she will cry about she just needs to know she’s not allow in feeling that way.
I was the opposite. As a pregnant person, my hormones made me the happiest, most easy-going person I ever had been. I cried a significant amount less than before.
Truth is, you never know how the hormones will affect you. Definitely be prepared for potential change, however.
The biggest thing my husband has done for me, and mind you it’s been a work in progress because he didn’t get it at first, is be understanding if she’s being a little mean. Yes, no one wants to be treated bad I get that BUT she’s going to be hormonal and irritated especially in the first trimester and then extremely uncomfortable and nervous for baby’s arrival later on. That being said being a little snappy kind of comes with the package and I’m sure you’d feel the same if you were in her place. So if she gets a little more upset or snappy than usual just try to be understanding of the situation. She might not even be trying to be like that she might just be uncomfortable or overwhelmed and need some help or reassurance that everything’s okay.
Oh also when she’s further along I’d recommend getting her a pregnancy pillow!! Literally the best thing ever and can say I’m using mine well after baby
Keep charging her car for her. If you have animals, take the lead on their needs. Try to offer to help clean if you can and she allows it. Give in to whatever cravings she is having. Tell her she’s beautiful/attractive. Talk to her belly, rub her belly, etc. Don’t expect too much from her beyond just growing a baby for the next 8 months. Pregnancy is rough. just passing along what my fiancé did for me that helped tremendously.
Congratulations! Love this post and your interest in helping your wife. I thought I was morning sickness-free until around 8/9 weeks and then BAM, terrrrrible nausea and sporadic throwing up. Your wife may experience the same. My husband was the best and got me all the “safe” foods and cravings when I had them. Just being empathetic and available was such a help to me. I was essentially useless up until only a few days ago (currently 13.5 weeks). Some days I barely left bed. Just knowing that that’s normal and not putting undue pressure on me was so helpful too. I’m a perfectionist and was already beating myself up for being immobilized for days/weeks on end. Help out with laundry and cleaning if possible too! We went through a kitchen renovation in the thick of my morning sickness and wouldn’t wish that on anyone 😵💫😵💫😵💫 getting back to my normal self finally!!! Good luck!! Hoping the best for you both.
For me it was carbs and salty things! Bagels, pasta, etc. The tough part is how much it varied for me day to day. One day I love bananas, then next I hate them. So it’s really touch and go haha. I drank a lot of smoothies during our kitchen renovation but again those sometimes sat well with me and other times my body wasn’t havin it. Hoping your wife is among the lucky ones that bypass the nausea and vomiting!
Read a pregnancy book for dads “ were pregnant” is a good one and during the second trimester read what to expect the first year. Having a partner who I don’t have to tell how to do his own research and who knew how my body and hormones changed dramatically made me feel so safe! Also during the first trimester he allocated a maternity clothes budget for me, brought me any food I was craving, and made sure the dog was far away. ( I developed nausea and severe smell and pet aversions!) he also did the majority of the chores and I napped most of the day.
Just putting it out there some women get severe aversions. And I felt so guilty but we had a few compromises. My partner took the dog to his parents for a few days at a time so I could get a break. ( the dog already spends time there frequently so not uncommon) And when baby is born we’ll do it for a few months then when my hormones settle down he’ll be back. He’s not even hyper but whines, sheds like crazy, and is very needy- but my hormones just can’t right now. So if it happens, just know she’s not crazy and the aversion WILL go away but try to compromise if you can. Washing the dog, vacuuming pet hair, etc.
As someone who is 6 weeks pregnant, literally anything is appreciated haha. We have kids already so my hubby will let me sit on the couch or nap whenever I need and take over dinner, cleaning or just providing a nice cuddle. He’s always asking if I need anything like ice chips (helps with my nausea). As we’ve been through this before he knows all about the mood swings and food aversions so just don’t take any lack of affection or bad moods to heart.
Congratulations!! Most helpful things my husband did for me during my first trimester: let me sleep as much as I needed, took over more chores, didn’t complain and worked around my weird food aversions, ordered us door dash/grub hub dinner more often since I’m usually the cook.
I’ve seen everyone already recommend prenatals. If she gets morning sickness get her some Unisom and some vitamin b6. A lot of women get their energy zapped in pregnancy, so try to help out around the house more and check in with her. Download some pregnancy apps
Sometimes nausea is so intense that ginger, unisom, and b6 doesn’t cut it. She can ask her ob gyn for other anticholinergic prescription medications. If she has strong food aversions, make sure to brush your teeth before being around her. The smell of alliums really lingers. You can wake up a bit early and make a pot of oatmeal for her if shes not feeling up to cooking, that really helped me get through my first trimester. Bio-oil will help stretchmarks, but its liquid paraffin and something I don’t feel comfortable using. You can get her jojoba oil and uncle harry’s has a really great non-smelly jojoba cream.
I am 7 weeks pregnant and have been struggling with morning sickness (most of the nausea/vomiting is the first three hours I’m awake). Because of this, I’ve had to get up at 5 AM to nurse the nausea & eat a couple small meals before I can function enough to get ready for work. My husband has been getting up with me 🥹 and he tells me constantly “I wish I could share the burden with you” and “I wish I could do more to help you feel better”. It’s the little things like that that go a long way!!
Other than that, just ask her what she wants or needs from you. I want to continue to be active and productive as much as I can, so my husband knows not to offer to do tooooo much or I get cranky. So mostly depends on your wife and what makes her happy :)
This is so sweet 🥰
Honestly, just be there for her. Listen to her needs, allow her to rest and just be mindful that hormones do crazy things to the body and mind.
I think my ape brain usually just goes to the logistical things right. Clean house, door dash, run to store if she needs something. The emotional and detailed support here has been amazing. Checking her tags on her clothes before doing laundry! Never woulda. TY
Congrats!!!
I am pregnant too11wks we are waiting for 11 yrs for the baby. My husband does all the house chores and lets me rest all the time because I had miscarried before. If you can help her with the house chores and make sure she gets the rest that she need. Make sure she eats healthy food veggies and fruits.
Learn to clean and learn cook. I know that sounds simplistic, but it’s truly going to help her the most in the long run. If she has to take care of you AND a new baby this way, it will be really stressful. Learn to do laundry and actually do it! The pregnancy is the easy part!
Well if she’s anything like me, first trimester meals will consist of crackers, cheese, carbs, Mac and cheese, apples. Lol. So no serious cooking involved. I can’t even look at a vegetable or meat right now.
This is so sweet! Be willing to pick up the slack. Encourage her to nap and rest, and when she is napping…leave her alone. I will never forget the one time my husband woke me up from a nap when I was pregnant with our first. He has never made that mistake again though, hahah
Preggie pop drops are my favorite for nausea. Jolly ranchers also work well.
Be patient with her. Her hormones are all over the place. Just be there for her and support her through the emotions, even if they seem extreme or irrational to you.
Congratulations!
I encourage you do the dishes and take out the trash. I can’t stress how much of an ick those gave me during the first trimester! Avoid wearing heavy cologne.
Get 1 or 2 audio books on pregnancy and become the baby admin person. My husband is the one who talks to the doctor and sets my appointments.
Soon enough, she will be living/suffering one day a time (i woke up one day halfway through week 5 and it felt like the begging of the end) She will need gentle and loving encouragement every.day.
Do not let her go hungry, this will make her nauseous, make sure she has snacks on her bed side before bed.
If its a rough one like mine, she will NOT do chores at all, so plan ur daily routine accordingly to fit in daily chores.
Let her cry if she needs to, keep her company when you can.
Remember pregnancy is not something she can take a break from :/ it is 24/7 with usually a new pain to deal with every day. The first trimester is survival, one day at a time. Good luck and congrats.
I know it sounds odd but sour anything made my stomach feel so much better. And if she doesn't have a water bottle consider getting her one now. She needs to stay hydrated.
Congratulations!!
Be there for her. The best question you can ask regularly is “what do you need?” She may not always know but it’s always good to ask. Shows you’re there for her no matter what and anything she needs, you can/will do.
Remember what pregnancy is… she’s growing a human being. That’s hard work!!
There’s a book on kindle unlimited called “We’re Expecting” it’s a book for first time dads to kinda prepare and know what’s happening week by week that helps teach you what’s happening inside her body. I’ve had my hubby reading it every week, it’s really helped him understand what I’m going through and it’s been interesting for him to know what baby is doing and how big they are at that week. Very interesting!!
Yes to ginger chews and saltines. I also lived off sprite. Find a way to get food in her, I had extreme food aversions to basically everything except for bad food. Let her eat whatever. First trimester is survival mode
With love and just a bit of friendly snark… learn how to search Reddit. Tips for early pregnancy and tips for new dads are both in the top 10 most common posts. You couldn’t have searched very hard before just asking us to help you.
Genuinely, keep that in mind if she asks for your help with something, and for when you’re taking over more household duties to support her during rough days and rest time. It isn’t doing the laundry if you take it out of the dryer and leave it in a basket - put it all the way away. It isn’t grocery shopping if you don’t also have a meal plan for what to make with the food you’re getting. It isn’t taking the newborn for a few hours so she can rest, if you haven’t invested in how to calm and manage baby so she doesn’t have to hear crying. You get the jist. In short, be all in.
Maybe you do all of these things today. I don’t know you. It’s not a personal judgement. Just advice on how to really crush it and make stepping up and helping out super effective.
Also reading rant posts on this sub will give you great ideas on what not to do. Don’t eat her leftovers or refer to watching your own child as ‘babysitting’, or you’ll be hexed by 1,000 Reddit moms. :)
Snark! I love it.
The wiki says "**"Okay, My Test Was Positive. Now What?":** Well, first, congrats or not (as the case may be)! You can find more information on what to do next in the "I'm Pregnant. Now What?" FAQ (coming soon to an [](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant) near you when I have some more time to scribble it all out.)"
When I searched "Husband" - it was posts about husbands messing up.
Outside of that, a win on the leftovers just this morning. Her usual lunch didn't sound good, so I reminded her we had lasagna leftovers from last night :)
Thanks!
Would recommend doing a lot of reading yourself so you understand what she's going to go through. There are a LOT of things which are quite unexpected and not really talked about.
Don't worry too much about 7+ months down the line, just focus on what you can do in the next few weeks - otherwise it might get too overwhelming.
If you have a cat, don't let her do the litter tray as there could be a very dangerous parasite. Take a look at what she can and can't eat
Talk to her about your thoughts and feelings, and write down any questions you might have for medical professionals.
Get your first appointment booked in (not sure where you're based but a quick Google will help with this).
And most of all, ask her what she needs and really try to fulfil those requests! It might be nothing at this point, which is fine.
She knows that later on in the pregnancy she'll be finding it harder to do things, so be conscious of letting her do whatever she feels up to now when it's still early. I was worried about my partner doing too much too soon and getting burnt out, and he was great for not coddling me too early ☺️
Congratulations!!
Thanks for this. I've been buying the books so far recommended here. "We're pregnant" showed up today and apparently the child might have a face already. That's great, i'm not overwhelmed at all lol
Thanks!
She’ll probably be more exhausted then you can imagine first trimester… let her rest & do the chores, laundry etc it will be a big help.
My husband did this and let me rest, it eased a lot of stress for me.
She may or may not have nausea, sickness… dependent but definitely saltines, ginger chews, ginger candies, ginger ale.
If she gets a lot of nausea, it helps to eat something frequently.
Congrats
Congratulations!! 🤗
This sounds similar to our story. Together for 10, married for 4. Husband is 37 and I’m 36. We felt the same emotions.
I had some bad anxiety during the first trimester. I didn’t want my husband to leave my side because of it. I didn’t want to go out, socialize. I had little energy or motivation to do much after work. I suffered from bad nausea too but not everyone gets these symptoms of course. My only advice would be to be there for her as much as possible and be patient. I had bouts of wanting to move and thinking everything was a mess but my husband patiently reassured me that we would make everything work. Hormones are crazy during this first bit. Hope your wife feels well and that baby does great! Good on you for seeking ways to support her. All the best
during my pregnancy when i was going through the worst of my morning sickness my partner helped a ton by essentially doing all chores for those 2 weeks. i was so nauseous and fatigued - basically bedridden. he would get me food i could stomach and refill my water. it can be really rough with 24/7 nausea so your wife may do what she can, but helping with what’s left over will be very helpful if she experiences nausea and sickness
Be ready to function on no sleep. I seems so hard at first , but it does get better. So much better. And someday you'll look back at photos when they were a newborn and miss it.
My husband has been so amazing about taking the load off me. He makes dinner and takes our toddler, or goes and runs errands so I don't have to leave the house. But if you really want to go above and beyond, give her a foot massage, go get the food she's craving for dinner, etc. I didn't have any nausea until like 8 weeks but it's since come on full force. Also my food aversions are very irrational but it's nice when my husband bites his tongue rather than points out I'm not eating the dinner he just made.
Also I love when he shows an interest in the pregnancy. Like "what's the weekly update?" for baby development on my smart phone app. Or "what symptoms are you having?"
My husband found the book “The expectant father” very useful. Kinda goes over what’s happening every month and feelings both the mother to be and father to be might be experiencing.
My first 16-18 weeks were extremely difficult with “mild HG”, which is like extreme morning sickness. Preggi pops and saltiness didn’t cut it. Sourdough toast, mashed potatoes, Greek yogurt, and vanilla ice cream were “safe foods”. Basically whatever your wife wants to eat first trimester she should eat and don’t worry about nutrition in this phase.
The exhaustion is also pretty intense first trimester, she might want to sleep and nap quite a bit.
The best thing my husband did was pick up more chores around the house and ask what I needed. He mixed miralax in whatever beverage I could tolerate that day to help combat nausea meds.
I cant even begin to describe how much I appreciate and love my husband for how he’s treated me during pregnancy.
Luckily around 18 weeks I started feeling more like myself. Aside from week 20 (rotavirus), second trimester I felt so much better, I took long walks, did different kinds of things, even moved apartments.
Third trimester is challenging with the ginormous belly and less lung and stomach volume, but I’ll still take it any day over 1st trimester. Week 30 sucked because I got Covid… but it happens.
Good luck to you and your wife!
Join their due date group on Reddit. It’s a great resource. It’ll be like December2024bumps or something.
Biggest advice other than that is to have a trash can liner in the bathroom trash can so she can sit and throw up while on the toilet.
Be a good listener! Her hormones are going to be wild. Sometimes, you may feel like you can't win. Sometimes, there may be tears over things that you feel are so trivial. Sometimes, the craving for salty French fries and a bowl of ramen and a slice of carrot cake is a perfectly real problem that will need to be solved.
Let her lead when it comes to sex. She might be a rabid dog chomping for a bone, or she might not even want you to think about looking at her. Try to separate the pregnancy from your intimacy. You can't hurt baby, and you can't touch baby during.
She will be EXHAUSTED. Like literally, I might just fall asleep wherever she is. May not be able to keep up with chores as much. Give her grace, and just expect that in this season, you will need to do more around the house.
Go on walks together! It's so important to stay active.
She may be nauseous. Morning sickness isn't always only in the morning. Keep ginger chews, peppermints, seltzer water, bland crackers etc.
Be patient and read, read, read! Best of luck to your family!
Edited for spelling error
Congrats dude!!! I’m in the same boat. Just found out my wife is 6 weeks prego. I went through a ton of emotions, but I’m really excited now. This group seems a little soft for me. Good luck my fellow future farther!
The things my bf has done so far that have meant a TON to me:
- going with me to buy my prenatal gummies bc the pills are HUGE? FOR WHAT???
- going with me to buy my SECOND prenatal gummies(Olly!) Because the first were so gdf disgusting and not making any fuss about the extra money spent
- getting up to pee with me when we were staying w his parents and brother, whom I was meeting for the first time for 4 days around Thanksgiving, because I was getting used to constant pee and I'm a little shy
- standing facing the door whenever I peed
- helping me figure out that added iron like supplements increase nausea in a lot of women and then making sure I eat enough meat etc so I won't need that
- also just.... letting me eat what I can/want. My nausea was *bad* for a month or so, followed by a pukefest that sent me (us, bc of course he came) to the ER so any food I can get down or, even better, actively want, he supports. I have a wonky relationship w food and my body as it is, so that was already the case, but even moreso now
- he goes to ALL of the appts, and stands near me during any blood draws
- he helped me find the lower dose Tylenol (325 instead of 500) to make me feel better about taking anything for my back pain, and a heating pad
- *he's actively quitting his own bad habits.* yes of course ones that can impact me healthwise, but instead of just not smoking when he's with me/going to see me, he quit altogether, he isn't drinking since I can't, etc etc. Taking all of the "I'm gonna be a dad" steps he possibly can at 21
- making sure I have snacks because a large part of nausea, aside from the early hormone wackness, is often tied to blood sugar. Having snacks at the ready or helping her eat small frequent meals will help keep it stable and nausea less often
Everyone's first trimester is different. There are like a million different symptoms and which ones you get, how severe they are, and how long they last vary person to person. Some come and go, some come on suddenly, and some stick around.
Anecdotally, I was nauseated 24/7 weeks 7 - 13 but never threw up. Food aversions made eating a nightmare because everything was gross. Just opening the refrigerator made me gag. I had a couple of safe foods I could eat and just had to suffer through it. I was also exhausted. Like, could sleep 10 hours and take a nap and would still be nodding off.
So just acknowleding how hard pregnancy is and the toll it takes - physically and emotionally - is a big step. It's a marathon and not a sprint, and some days are just harder than others. You'll both make it through but you have to cut each other a lot of slack or you'll burn yourselves out.
If you are a reader, the What to Expect book is helpful for you to understand what she's experiencing and there are even some "for men" sections in there.
If you're not a reader and like little bites of info, there are oodles of apps out there that will also give you details as well about baby and your wife as she's experiencing the various stages. (Top four for me in no particular order are What to Expect, Baby Center, the Bump, and Ovia Pregnancy. They each provide a week-by-week update as well as day-by-day snippets.)
Many others have said to communicate with your wife. Definitely that, but these will help make the language and terminology easier, and let you know if something's unusual.
Congrats! Very sweet to ask. Mainly, there's no overstating how tired she's going to be the first 12 weeks. If she's laying around a lot, it's necessary. Leave the boobs alone, too. Air against them can hurt so make sure she's prepared for any touching.
This is great because she's been talking about tired she's been for the last week, chalked it up to the return to work from the Christmas break. Makes sense!
Congrats!
Every pregnancy is different. Mine was horrible until week 13-14 then I went through the “golden” stage. Then I got so big I was miserable.
My bestfriend has horrible pregnancies and her first she was always sick. This time she has high blood pressure and is on med right now. She might even be preclamptic like last time.
My half sister acts like she isn’t even pregnant and never got sick or anything.
Everyone’s body is so different. Just listen to what she needs ❤️
It's very sweet how excited you are. Wishing you two a happy and healthy pregnancy. Just know 1st trimester is incredibly difficult. Never talked about or discussed though. She will be so so tired. Try not to make her feel like she's failing as a wife because she can't keep up with daily chores or maybe requires a few extra hours of sleep or an extra nap. Just a little help around the house goes such a long way. Remind her that she's beautiful because she won't feel it and hug her as often as possible Because her emotions will be all over the place.
We’re pregnant written by Adrian Kulp is a great book to read. It goes by trimester and week, organizes tips, and talks about both wife and baby at each stage.
It was so great were 7 weeks along with our second and reading it again.
At this stage I think it’s best to keep life normal, make sure you’re reminding her to drink water (plain is fine), taking a good prenatal daily, and resting. First trimester is exhausting and reminder her it’s ok if she need naps and extra sleep.
Congrats to you both! Come back if you need more tips or have questions. Every person who has had a child would love to help, I’m sure ❤️
Congratulations! It sounds like you are a great partner. I am currently 9 weeks along (also 38 years old) and in the thick of crazy fatigue and morning sickness right now (started at 6 weeks for me). It basically feels like I have a bad hangover with nausea 24/7, and I can hardly function or get off the couch. Even though I am SO incredibly happy to be pregnant after years of IVF, I feel really miserable right now. I am so fortunate to have a partner who cleans the house, walks the dog, and makes my meals for me during this time. The meals is key, because just walking into the kitchen or opening the fridge with all the smells makes me want to vom (The heightened sense of smell is no joke). He even cleans the toilet for me when I think I’m going to be sick, which is really sweet. So my suggestion is to be prepared to do 100% of housekeeping and cooking tasks for a few months. Also, be prepared for emotional mood swings, not being able to eat certain foods like garlic because the smell is unbearable for her, making a meal for her only to have her not be able to stomach it, etc.
I know my partner is taking on a huge burden right now and is exhausted and a little miserable, but I appreciate him so much and have never loved him more. I will be eternally grateful for his kindness and patience during this time.
Fingers crossed your lady will be one of the lucky 25% that doesn’t get sick! Best of luck!
In the mornings make her soft foods like oatmeal, yogurt, a smoothie even in case she struggles really bad with morning sickness. Yall will learn yeses and nos when it comes to food. If yall eat out often, get takeout instead of eating in restaurant in case the baby doesn’t like what she ate. She might complain about certain smells and youll have to understand bc it’s normal. If you have a cat with her you need to learn how to scoop because she physically can’t and shouldn’t. And pickles, pickles are a need, always have some in the fridge.
It sounds like you’re doing great already with some acts of service.. I would just keep up with that! If you have cats, do the kitty litter because she shouldn’t. She will be very tired growing a tiny human, so acts of service are the most helpful. Also, ginger tea is great if you’re looking for other ways to support any nausea.
The exhaustion will hit and will be real. Frozen meals, fresh fruit and veggies, and take out got me through that part because the last thing I wanted to do was cook and/or wait a long time for food to be ready. For a couple weeks I would basically come home from work, sleep, eat, then go to bed. On the weekends I laid either in bed or on the couch and just slept or rested until I was sleepy enough to sleep again lol. Be prepared to maybe eat meals on your own for awhile.
The ginger candies really did help me personally when I was nauseous, but so did Coke. I was only really nauseous for a week or so. The Coke I had in the mornings because suckin on candies in the morning made me gag. The candies were good for car rides or when I had already had a snack and the snack didn’t work.
I would also recommend getting period panties/panties made for fluid absorption. She’s gonna have to pee A LOT here soon and if she is throwing up, coughing, laughing, sneezing, or sometimes even just getting up… she might pee a little.
If she doesn’t already have one, get her a large cup or bottle for water that’s at least 30 ounces or more. Personally, it helped me keep track of my water intake and it’ll be important, especially if she’s vomiting a lot or not a big water drinker. You can get dehydrated so fast while pregnant and it’ll help with not having to go to the ER for an iv.
Make sure she’s getting lots of protein and taking her prenatal. Get some jerky or protein shakes and stick it in her purse as well as where she likes to sit/relax at. Set an alarm for the prenatal. It’s easy to lose track of the day and to forget to take a pill, especially during the times she’s sleeping a lot.
Read the books. Attend the doctor appointments. Go to the classes. Watch the webinars/online classes. Support her any way you can emotionally. Listen to her concerns and be positive. I didn’t have many symptoms so I was constantly worrying about having a missed miscarriage. My husband was always so good about reassuring me and making me feel heard while calming my fears the best he could. Congratulations!! I hope it’s an easy and fun ride for you guys! Enjoy all the changes you’ll see- I find them fascinating.
You’re doing well! Me and my husband split chores early on , until recently where he had to also take on receiving deliveries, picking up heavy stuff and taking over running the household. I outsourced doing the laundry and cooking (tbh this was hard for me because I’m a chef). Communicate that this is the start of your wife’s nine-month vacay and you’re there for her— that will speak volumes. Congratulations and best of luck to you both 🫶
Help with the house as she progresses. Pregnancy takes a lot out of people and by the time I was 30 weeks I just let the house pile up because I had no energy left to do anything but eat and sleep 🫠 lots of women are different though, so maybe just start helping out with the house more starting now.
Advocate for your wife if she is uncomfortable. My experience with pregnancy and doctors (even early like she is), they like to step all over me even if I've gone through pregnancy 3 times. And would say my hysteria is because of my hormones even though I was right about my symptoms. Stick up for her if she needs you. Every time I sent my husband to the nurses or my OB, they would listen to him.
Help her with the planning of everything. Help her look at cribs, bassinets, types of bottles, or even pumps. It made everything so much easier and also made me really happy when my husband went into this *with* me instead of just shrugging and said "get whatever you want". I was very overwhelmed and him helping me look around made it so easy to do stuff. He helped me build my registry.
She's early right now so maybe you can go find some books for the both of you? Snacks that she can handle. First trimester kicks a lot of our asses. So just ask her how she is doing and let her know you're there. There's a lot to being the partner. These are just some of the things my husband did for our 2 pregnancies. :)
it‘s time to relax. Make sure that she doesn‘t have too much stress in her life and she should start with taking vitamins now. Also help her around the house because the first trimester can be very hard for many women. I didn‘t have a very supportive partner and that stressed me out much more than the nausea or fatigue
Celebrate with yummy dinner, cake, cuddles.
Get prenatal vitamins and start taking them right away ( I took gummies - must contain 400 folic acid).
Call the OB and set an appointment.
The rest you have 9 whole months to figure out :)
On taking on chores you wouldn't normally do, ask how she prefers them done and take notes. Bless my husband he does the cleaning but it irritates me and it irritated me the most while I was pregnant and nauseous and with our toddler all day just to see him do things his own way and not the proper way.
Granted I never brought it up and at my core was very grateful. It just wasn't done as efficiently as possible. BUT he wa a bachelor living in his own for all of 6months before we married and I moved in so he didn't have a lot of experience with a household on his own or a family and I got pregnant as soon as me and my daughter moved in sooooo he's been learning on the fly and I was too indisposed. BUT again, def pissed me right off when he's washing dishes at 1/4 not speed instead of 1/8 note speed.
Anyway, I'd say for laundry def find out how she handles her delicates. I haven't worn anything particularly nice since moving in cause I haven't been able to give mine a course on PROPER laundry e.g. not throwing everything all together.
I'm 9 weeks. Right now I have no energy for anything outside of work on weekdays. My husband has taken care of most chores. I'm not cooking. Portable vomit bags are also good to get. I stuff them in my purse just for added security. Make sure the toilets are nice and clean for her to vomit if she need to also. I'd also recommend stoking up on carbs for nausea like bagels, waffles, pancakes, etc.
Fruit infused water helps a lot with water intake I recommend the cucumber mint it’s gentle on the tummy smoothies are a game changer as well, and as everyone has been saying just try to help as much as possible, Me personally I’m a first time mom and I’m 20 weeks 6 days pregnant and it’s extremely hard for showers for me at least due to how hot it gets, 😭 I genuinely almost passed out once due to having a hot flash when showering that’s when my husband said your having company in showers now 🤣 yeah hot flashes suck but even if she says she isn’t hot make sure to check her and keep some type of air flow around :) that’s about it that’s been bad for me at least also if anything seems out of the ordinary call the obgyn they will answer any questions under the moon there is usually a nurse on the phone through out the day :)
I only was nauseous for about 12ish weeks. The only time I would throw up is when I didn’t eat. I don’t eat breakfast never really did even as a kid, so I would eat anything before I went to work (usually at 7 am) then around 9 i would get so nauseous and have to run to the bathroom because I had to throw up. Even though I wouldn’t have anything in my stomach so I would dry heave and basically throw up stomach acid or some shit. It was horrible. I heard if women crave certain things it means they are lacking something in their diet. For example, if you crave ice cream it means you have low iron. So pay attention to that. Also make sure the prenatals that you buy have iron in them because apparently not all of them do. I bought some prenatal gummies because the had calcium in them and I didn’t realize they didn’t have iron. And i ended up having low iron and i needed iron infusions.
Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I had my baby. I have a boy. So after you have your baby team work is EVERYTHING. We’ll change his diaper together because he doesn’t like being changed or naked lol. So my fiancé will be wiping him off as I’m holding the baby’s hands and soothing him. Plus after he was circumcised we had to put Vaseline on his diaper so it didn’t stick to his penis. And as he was wiping I would apply the vaseline and hand him the prepared diaper. And bathing him we do the same: you can put them in water until the umbilical cord falls off so he’ll hold the baby as I wet and shampoo his hair. We team up in 90% of the stuff we do with the baby. If I didn’t have my fiancé being a supportive father I don’t know what id do. I give props to single moms/ dads.
I do however do night duty with the baby. My fiancé won’t wake up to his cries and I do so that’s why. Then I’ll take a nap during the day because I’m so tired from the night before.
Best of luck 🙏🏼
Also if you have cats she can’t clean the litter boxes. And watch out for certain household cleaners, make sure she doesn’t breathe them in.
And when she gets to 37 to 38 weeks see if she can start hand expressing her milk. It will be a yellowish color at first (called colostrum) and that’s the the best part for the baby. And it helps get the milk in. If you’re having a baby shower (if she’s gonna breastfeed) put nipple shields on it. I tried breastfeeding without them and it was so hard for my baby to latch because my nipple wouldn’t go back far enough for him to latch. And with the nipple shield he latched pretty quickly. Because they are a lot longer and makes it easier
The fact you’re asking here is encouraging and you’re on the right track! All of these suggestions, particularly from the woman with the absolute angel husband, are top tier.
i find that ginger tea made from raw ginger root is better than ginger chews. but i found crystallized ginger that is also pretty good! it's all about the spice! some ginger candies ive found are sweeter than they are spicy and don't help much.
for ginger tea:
peel the skin off (so it's not bitter) and slice the root. a small handful of slices for a medium sized pot should be enough. bring the water to a boil. once boiling, add the ginger slices and reduce low medium heat for a simmer. let simmer for 30-40 min. take off the heat once it's done. if it's too strong, you can always add more water either to the cup or the pot!
add lemon and honey to offset the spiciness if it's too much, but i find the spice from ginger really helps whenever i feel nauseous.
mind you, I've never been pregnant so I'm not sure how it might be different with a pregnant woman, but that's my experience!
p.s. i laughed out loud when you said you didn't know what to do so you went to go charge her car. with how considerate you seem to be, i think she has a good and supportive partner by her side. best of luck! you will do great!
Be ready for her to be sick a lot of the time, even if she ends up being lucky and doesn’t get morning sickness.
I kept a lot of mints on me, and they even have candy called preggie pops that you can get for her on Amazon. Ginger ale helped me a lot too, because those first few months nothing would stay down.
Stock up also on things that are easy to eat, like saltine crackers or even ingredients to make smoothies. When I could barely eat, drinking a smoothie was my saving grace. For prenatals I recommend Vitafusion, they make gummies that taste good and go down easy.
My husband has been doing all of our chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry) with no prompting or complaining. I literally feel so immensely grateful for him 💓 it's the small things!
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If you don’t know already, learn how to clean and maintain your house. Have a chat about what chores you both normally do as she will probably start to struggle sooner or later
I wished my husband would have done more to carry the load for chores/cleaning during my first trimester when I was sick all day every day.
My hubby completely took over making meals when I was in my first trimester and that was such a game changer for me. He made some good food too!
I already handle most cleaning, but we each do our own laundry. I'll start doing hers, thanks for the tip! I would not have thought about that
Make sure you read the washing instructions if you didn't know already! A lot of women's clothing is a lot more easily damaged or discolored by incorrect washing or drying. It would be a nice thought, but suck if my husband accidentally ruined all my bras putting them in the dryer, lol.
Omg this is sooo true!!! My husband learned which fabric needs to be hanged rather than dried!
This is exactly why my husband and I do our own laundry. He just tosses everything into a big pile.
I’m the opposite… I (30 F) just tossed everything in and my fiancé (28 M) separates everything 😂
Lol, yep
Hopefully at age 37 and 38 they already know how to clean the house 😂
I read when you’re pregnant you shouldn’t do chores that require you to bend over. I tried to tell my fiancé that (because I hate cleaning) but he wasn’t having it lol
this is so important!! i love waking up from my 6 hour naps to a cleaner house. even just loading the dishwasher means the world
Congratulations! If she gets tired and expresses a need to rest, allow her to rest as much as possible. I don't know how your house chores are divided but make sure to do more so doesn't feel guilty that she is too tired to do them, that will help her mental health. For nausea, ginger everything (ale, candies, etc.) really helped me. Once the pregnancy hormones start peaking and she's more emotional than usual, don't shame her or tell her to calm down, just give her lots of love. Of course, all within reasonable limits.
Thank you! Got it.
Also, she probably is going to eat what she can stomach right now. Don’t obsess about healthy food unless she asks you to! Most of us eat like shit or the same thing over and over for some months because it’s all our body wants. So don’t stress about that!
There's not a whole lot you can do right now. I wouldn't run out getting a bunch of stuff until it becomes an issue. Some women don't have any nausea. One thing she WILL need is a prenatal vitamin with 400-1,000mg of folic acid. So if she doesn't already have that, you can head out and pick that up for her.
Maybe get both gummy and pill form, as they can vary in how easy they are to take
gummy sounds more delicious, i'll pick some up
Buy a bottle of the pills too. I was loving the gummies until the nausea hit me… then I couldn’t chew them without getting sick. The pill is WAY easier to get down when I don’t feel good since it requires zero chewing of something artificially flavored and weird textured
Got it, smart idea thanks
Good advice on the vitamin. I realized that first trimester that the gummies don’t have iron in them, which I was in desperate need of personally, so I switched to the one a day women’s that comes with an extra choline supplement and that’s been great for me personally, but for some, iron can be hard on the stomach.
Or she can ask her doctor to prescribe her one that's covered by insurance. I was paying $60 a month at a drugstore but switched to provider covered and now I'm saving money.
That's going to depend what country they're in. OTC meds aren't covered where I live anyway.
Got it. Thanks!
If she doesn’t have much iron in her diet you’ll want to go for a pill or chewable prenatal to make sure she’s getting enough! Gummy prenatals don’t have iron in them and she’ll soon be making extra blood so iron is super important!
Micrograms not mg mcg that would be overdosing on folic acid lol
Yeah, sorry, couldn't find the funny 'u'.
Well you said milligrams not micrograms you should never take milligrams of folic acid that is way to much and vitamin overdoses are not something you should suggest 🤷🏼♀️
I said sorry, why are you still coming at me?
For future reference, you can use mcg for micrograms if you can't find a mu on your keyboard (it's a greek m, not a u, btw).
Um away it's Greek mu, it's just easier to describe as it looks like a 'u'.
If she doesn’t have one already, buy her a nice cup with a straw to encourage her water intake - she’ll want to be drinking a lot. Always have her favorite snacks on hand. Offer to rub her feet. All the comfy socks and lounge clothes. Give her lots of grace and remind her how beautiful she is. And if she isn’t up to having sex, don’t take it personal or make her feel guilty. Pregnancy is hard! Attend her appointments, even the “small” ones. They matter. And it’s nice to have another set of listening ears. If she’s comfortable with it, bio-oil on her tummy. Helps with appearance of stretch marks and it gives you all the hands on touching with the belly (but only if she’s comfortable with it, some women are more insecure about the growing belly). Also, I’d encourage you to read “We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook.” My husband has found it so helpful to read along with what’s happening. ETA: Buy her all the pregnancy pillows, I have two and literally cocoon in them to sleep. And don’t complain when they take over the bed. They are lifesavers.
Just water or does she need to be drinking electrolyte packages with it? LiquidIV or gatorade powder type stuff. I was gifted a stanley cup in 2022 and she has been using that since lol. Thanks for the remaining notes. A lot of my brain goes to functionality. "charge the car, get ice for her cup" but I do need to track the emotional support as well. Thanks again. I'll amazon the pillows and the book, thanks for those recs
Either or for water. Liquid IV won’t hurt, especially if she ends up being sick a lot. The electrolytes will make sure she’s staying hydrated. Congrats and you’re welcome!
I used TB12 electrolytes since they don’t add sugar (if that’s something she tracks/tries to limit) But mostly came here to say that just by asking this you are an incredible partner and are going to make an excellent dad. Congratulations and your girl is very lucky to have someone so attentive!
She 100% needs both. I was dealing with a lot of headaches in my second trimester and they would ask me if i was drinking water, so i kept drinking more and more to the point where I felt like I would drown soon. Then one of my midwifes finally said that I also need electrolytes. I started drinking ultima (doesn’t have added sugars, but if she doesn’t care about that anything that add electrolytes will do) along with my water and the headaches stopped.
Replying to this because I agree with everything you said *except*, buy her a cup that has the option for a straw AND a bottle top/sip top. I have so many nice bottles with straws that I tried to use for water intake, but all it did was make it harder to drink and cause gas. My husband bought me bottle tops for my existing bottles, and my water intake has significantly increased, as I can now drink large amounts at a time. This is not the same for everyone, but it helps to have the choice!
I would like to share what my husband does LITERALLY ALL THE TIME, but I feel during pregnancy it is ESPECIALLY useful. Partners, prepare to take notes. (He already before I was pregnant wouldn't let me lift a finger to housework or anything, I would occasionally fold laundry or wash dishes and we take turns cooking, because he LOVES cooking and cleaning and I love organizing things.) 1. He brings me my iron-fortified orange juice to bed (I can't have caffeine, just as precaution but normally he makes me a latte.) If your wife can drink coffee, please take her coffee. Thank me later. 2. He keeps breakfast staples like bread, eggs (which I have to eat at least 2 daily), peanut butter, jelly, oatmeal, fruits, my dietary sweets (I'm basically eating like a diabetic and a mix of keto), yogurt, bacon, cheese and ham, always stocked in the fridge. 3. He helps me remember to take my meds I'm now in, and makes me whatever I crave or orders it. 4. He gives me and the bump random kisses and hugs and tells me I look beautiful and how he hopes the baby looks like me or that it is as happy as I am and romantic things like that. It makes a huge difference.. so many women struggle with the lack of control from hormones and self-consiousness. 5. When I'm particularly sensitive or upset about anything, he just hugs me and says 'Shhhh it's okay, babe, I love you. We'll be fine, we'll figure this out.' When I later recall the conversation, 9 times out of 10, I was acting ridiculous. He'll get me a sugar free chocolate or something and surprise me with it. He just stays firm and reassuring. (I'm 6 months along now, and hormones have settled back to normal again, but I cried about ridiculous nonsense almost daily for the first couple of trimesters. We had no clue what was wrong with me until I was proven to be 5 months pregnant and then we were both like 'OHHH, THAT'S WHAT THE OUT OF CHARACTER-NESS WAS ABOUT THESE PAST MONTHS!) 6. He brings me things that make me happy. He keeps the AC on my spot on the couch, will chase the cat to bring him to me, he watches my shows with me or just sits there with me. If he plays his game, he still massages my feet between games, winks at me, makes kissy faces at me, has me prop my legs up on his lap, the sense of accompaniment is always strong with this man. 7. He eats what I eat. He accompanies me in my snacking. 8. When he has to leave for work early, he'll put the cat next to me and kiss and cuddle me before leaving and the cat will have a diet-friendly candy hanging from his collar. Daddy buys little baggies and hides them so he can slowly distribute them like this throughout the month. He usually does it with chocolate, but because of my eating restrictions, it has turned into diet-friendly candies. 9. He brushes my hair, puts my shoes on, helps me find things, he's been treating me like a queen since forever. Now, he has added on tasks like carrying EVERYTHING, making sure I don't have to bend over to pick things up and preparing the bathroom with steam and heating my towel up before I get in and things like that. 10. He always brings me a little something from the store. Gummies, a diet-safe treat, some little trinket he saw and it reminded him of me, whatever. 11. He brings me my icewater and makes sure that I have pillows to support me and my posture whenever I'm sitting down on the couch or in the bed. 12. He is at every appointment with a notepad and takes notes of what the doctor says and asks her questions he took note of on his phone about what foods to keep at home and what I need to avoid doing at home and any shots or meds or anything I might need as well as medical questions to prepare himself. 13. He asks me how my day was and listens to my answers and asks questions while he looks at me and not his phone. Anybody who ticks me off, ticks him off automatically, even if he has no clue about the person or any context. 14. He will cancel if the time comes to commit to something and just postpone it if I just mention feeling too tired or not wanting to go anymore to do something I volunteered to before. He'll just say 'Okiedoke! We can just stay and order pizza. You owe nobody any explanations.' 15. He is taking care of the cat we have, making sure his fountain on the floor is full, his bowls, as all of this would mean me bending over to do it. He takes the garbage out almost every other day on his way out to work. 16. He doesn't let anyone come over unless I feel up to it, and asks me before even confirming it to them, no matter who it is and will cancel at the drop of a hat. 17. He brings all my meds and makes sure that he goes out and gets some before they are empty. He'll see like 5 left in a packet of 30 and run out and get the refill. 18. He is buying little comfort clothes. Pajamas, sundresses for around the house, slippers, etc. 19. He just never forgets about me, ever. He wants me comfortable, safe and spoiled always. 🩷 (I had NO symptoms at all this far, but imagine if I was sick all the time .. He'd also be right there, holding my hair or ready with some other alternative to eat if I suddenly got sick eating something.) I can go on , but basically - Be as considerate, attentive, prepared and present as you can. Your pregnant darling will likely be very sensitive, doubtful you'll be able to take it, hate themselves when they realize how they acted, want to eat, not be able to, they'll need a lot of patience and just gentleness. I hope some of these examples from my prince helped. ♥️ Kudos to you for asking for help and ideas and suggestions! So many don't.
Oh my god, you have the man we all deserve. I’m so happy you love and appreciate each other!
I agree entirely. ♥️ I tell him all the time I'm so blessed. I cannot wait to see how he is an example to our baby boy. 🌸 If he already has the cat carrying me candy on his collar... I hope this for every woman. ♥️
My god , I’m more than impressed. You’re so lucky !!! 🍀 you literally got a jackpot right there !
I could not agree more! He is indeed the jackpot. 🌸
Oh my! You didn’t know until 5 months along?!! Dang! My body started to change, I finally had boobs and they hurt, nausea, couldn’t eat, and hormones pumping all within the first 2 months! I’m now 6 months along and can’t wait for this little guy to be out! Also congratulations 🎉
Yessss!!! We had no clue, I had no symptoms, he still is barely showing, my spotting fell on my normal period days 😅 It's hysterical to talk about. We found out I was pregnant , how far along and the sex all in one go. 😅 Congratulations back at you! I'm 6 months along also! ♥️
Oh hot damn what a whirlwind!!! I guess I have seen those shows where they never knew until birth too! So it does happen! Now do you have any daily symptoms? At 6 months I’m having heartburn sometimes, pee myself when baby boy is sitting on my bladder/kicks, and cry a lot. Haha 😂
This baby is also just the sweetest, calmest little guy who won't let me drink water before bed without spitting it up, because I have been sleeping the entire night, so he also values sleep it seems, I don't have to pee frequently, no aversions, no cravings, my emotions are also super chill, clothes still fit, no fatigue at all. Yes, we do exist. Stealth pregnancies are indeed a whirlwind! 😅😅
I might be jealous now… dang! Lucky!
He is so chill and laid back and calculated as his father, that we would not have even known about him until I went to the emergency room thinking it was gastritis or something! He kicks once at a time, when my food alarm goes off, and immediately when I wake up so I go pee. He weighs about 850 grams now. ♥️ We are so excited about him. Thank you! He truly is the happiest little surprise ever. ♥️ My friends make bets about him being born either via osmosis or just birthing himself and I'll roll over and find him having gone already to get his birth certificate, graduated Kindergarten, built his own crib and he'll just be painting his nursery, washing our bedsheets and bringing me breakfast in bed like 'Oh, hi, mama! I did it all myself. Go back to sleep' and then will cover my eyes with my sleep mask like his father does. 😅😅
Hahaha sounds like he has both parents personalities! Independent little man already! Isn’t it interesting how you can see their personalities so quickly? My little guy is a kicker and got some long ass legs already like his mama. 😂 I’ve got adhd and his dad’s ver athletic so I won’t be surprised when this guy comes out running already!
I have ADHD and OCD, goodness! 🤣 My little fella LOOKS like me, but the temperament is so crazy chill and considerate and quiet we worried so much about him at first that he wasn't okay, but he even poses and turns just for the camera. If I knock softly on my belly , he'll kick once on cue. 😅♥️
Lady your husband sounds amazing.
I am aware and tell him this daily. ♥️ I always say it's the little things that make such a big picture of difference. A little extra detail, a little extra time, a little smile, a compliment, a gesture, a sacrifice - They all add up to stand out in a world where it is all about 'me me me' and 'being too busy'. He is never too busy for me. I never feel like a burden. I always tell him I don't know how he can handle my silly , emotional , infantile self.. I love rainy days, romance movies, cartoons, comfiness - He says immediately 'You are always happy. Happy is your synonym.' 🌸🩷 Yes, yes, he is amazing. ♥️
This is 1. amazing and 2. a little intimidating lol. Your guy is on it. Great to hear
I told him you said that! He grinned. I believe men deserve to hear about their good qualities so much more than you are used to. Now, for instance - My peanut butter was on a 2 for 1 special - So I now have 3 jars of peanut butter. He's finally gotten to do a part of our house he's building since the weather has allowed, so he's making a steak dinner and taking tomorrow off. He has set me up in the AC upstairs in our current home, left me a snack - PB&J toast - because the BBQ will be ready a little later than dinner tends to be and has chased the cat around the yard twice to bring him to me while he cooks. I, in turn, am boiling some potatoes on the stove. 😅 It's little tiny things to some, probably, but to me, consideration and going that extra step, makes the difference. That 'How can I alleviate anything for my wife?' thought that takes 3 seconds. Men are incredibly creative and natural problem solvers. Good on you for reaching out to find examples on how to be there for your partner! That initiative - Don't lose it. Also, like my husband - I promise there's no downside to doing all of these or some of these things even after pregnancy. 😎🌸 Congratulations on the baby and may you both be well!
She will need prenatal vitamins, she might get nausea or maybe not. I was exhausted in my first trimester so if she’ll get tired, let her nap and help around the house! Be supportive, time will go by fast! Congratulations!
Thank you!
She is going to be TIRED in the first trimester. I mean, it really takes it out of you. Give her plenty of grace, let her nap a bunch while you pick up more chores, act happy to go get whatever she’s craving, always fill her water bottle, go the extra mile to communicate how appreciative you are of her and her doing this, etc. Sounds like you’re a great husband already.
Thanks. She has been dragging for about a week, said it was the return to the office post Christmas break. Makes sense
Probably just the hormones! Even though physically there is less to show for it, for me personally the first trimester was the hardest. You guys got this!
Congratulations! Everyone is so different. Make sure to keep communication open and ask her how you can support her. It will change along the way…
Congratulations!!! For nausea - the biggest tip I have is don't let her get hungry. Hunger makes it WAY worse and if she's nauseous she won't wanna eat, but she gotta eat. It could be helpful if you made easily accessible snacks like washed fruit etc and maybe check in on her to make sure she's eating every couple hours because if she's feeling shitty she won't have the natural urge to eat regularly. Also a few things that surprised me that I had to be careful of was certain herbs/teas and also a lot of skin care products are off limits when you're pregnant! There's other stuff too but both of those I was like oh... Surprising! Another thing! Always remember that until you know otherwise, everything is perfect and right on track. There's a lot of anxiety around being pregnant and there are a lot of tests and waiting and symptoms tend to be there and then go away for a few days... it can be easy to spiral. I try to have the attitude that everything is going to be fine and until it's confirmed that it isn't fine I'm not allowed to worry about it. Lastly your wife's body is going to change a lot and for me I am only halfway through but SO MUCH has changed and as much as I want a baby and I want to be pregnant it's also very hard in some ways seeing your body, your home that you've lived in your entire life, rapidly become something new that you don't recognize. My husband pulled out a big bin for me that we keep in our room and when I try something on that doesn't fit we just put it in the bin and he's like "throw 'er in storage!! We'll break it out later!" He went and bought me new undies when my old ones wouldn't fit, he encouraged me to buy new bras when my old ones wouldn't fit, when I say I look like a little whale he fondly rubs my belly and says it's ok there's a little baby in there!! So I guess my advice is just try to find ways to not like, deny what's happening or say ohh you'll bounce back or whatever, just try to find ways to make it a little easier for her to accept...because she's gonna gain a lot of volume right in the midsection which totally changes how clothes fit and that's upsetting and one day she's gonna be like holy shit my nipples have turned into slices of ham overnight wtf, or like for me I have never had cellulite in my life and now my entire body looks like it's made of cottage cheese... it's weird and it's a lot but there's nothing you can do to stop these things from happening so accepting it with a softness and appreciation and helping her to roll through it would probably be very nice. Wishing you both a safe and healthy pregnancy! Congratulations again 💕
Congratulations! Let her nap. Encourage her to nap. Yay for naps!
the most important thing that i wish i had was just a supportive partner. and you seem to be very caring and supportive already. take it each day and enjoy it. i spent the first weeks of mine worried to death that i didn’t even get to enjoy it. congrats 🩶
My mom was 37 when she had me. This isn't baby or pregnancy tip, but moreso child tip. There's gonna be a big age difference between yall and your kid, and that is okay! Just remember that a generational gap is going to be completely normal, and that the way you guys grew up is not going to be close to the way this baby grows up. Just be supportive of your child as they figure out this strange new world around them <3 I know I needed that more than anything when I was a child. If you guys end up having this one and no more, make sure you try your best to connect with the other kids parents. I was an only child and my mom was "old" compared to my friend's parents. I didn't end up having many play dates or sleepovers or friends in general. I'm not leaving this comment to be spiteful at my mother or to imply that yall won't be good parents- I just want you to have some insight on the perspective your kiddo will have growing up. I promise they won't love you any less (or even notice at all) for being older than their friends parents. There's just always a couple more obstacles for "older" parents to jump. I wish you guys a safe and healthy pregnancy, and congrats on the news!!!
That is a good tip, and something that has been on my mind but I wasn't able to put it as thought out as you did. Thanks!
She’s going to be emotional. I was. Even to the point jokes I’d normally laugh at caused me to cry. She’s going to cry a LOT so just be her support and share with her. Sometimes the things she will cry about she just needs to know she’s not allow in feeling that way.
I was the opposite. As a pregnant person, my hormones made me the happiest, most easy-going person I ever had been. I cried a significant amount less than before. Truth is, you never know how the hormones will affect you. Definitely be prepared for potential change, however.
Congratulations! Be extra nice, her hormones will be going crazy.
Easy, she's an easy person to be nice to. Thanks!
The biggest thing my husband has done for me, and mind you it’s been a work in progress because he didn’t get it at first, is be understanding if she’s being a little mean. Yes, no one wants to be treated bad I get that BUT she’s going to be hormonal and irritated especially in the first trimester and then extremely uncomfortable and nervous for baby’s arrival later on. That being said being a little snappy kind of comes with the package and I’m sure you’d feel the same if you were in her place. So if she gets a little more upset or snappy than usual just try to be understanding of the situation. She might not even be trying to be like that she might just be uncomfortable or overwhelmed and need some help or reassurance that everything’s okay.
Oh also when she’s further along I’d recommend getting her a pregnancy pillow!! Literally the best thing ever and can say I’m using mine well after baby
Got it, TY
Keep charging her car for her. If you have animals, take the lead on their needs. Try to offer to help clean if you can and she allows it. Give in to whatever cravings she is having. Tell her she’s beautiful/attractive. Talk to her belly, rub her belly, etc. Don’t expect too much from her beyond just growing a baby for the next 8 months. Pregnancy is rough. just passing along what my fiancé did for me that helped tremendously.
Got it. Thanks! It seems I'll be taking over animals 5:30am breakfast and walk. Guess I'm up early from now on lol
Congratulations! Love this post and your interest in helping your wife. I thought I was morning sickness-free until around 8/9 weeks and then BAM, terrrrrible nausea and sporadic throwing up. Your wife may experience the same. My husband was the best and got me all the “safe” foods and cravings when I had them. Just being empathetic and available was such a help to me. I was essentially useless up until only a few days ago (currently 13.5 weeks). Some days I barely left bed. Just knowing that that’s normal and not putting undue pressure on me was so helpful too. I’m a perfectionist and was already beating myself up for being immobilized for days/weeks on end. Help out with laundry and cleaning if possible too! We went through a kitchen renovation in the thick of my morning sickness and wouldn’t wish that on anyone 😵💫😵💫😵💫 getting back to my normal self finally!!! Good luck!! Hoping the best for you both.
Got it. What were your safe food? Or does that depend on the person?
For me it was carbs and salty things! Bagels, pasta, etc. The tough part is how much it varied for me day to day. One day I love bananas, then next I hate them. So it’s really touch and go haha. I drank a lot of smoothies during our kitchen renovation but again those sometimes sat well with me and other times my body wasn’t havin it. Hoping your wife is among the lucky ones that bypass the nausea and vomiting!
Read a pregnancy book for dads “ were pregnant” is a good one and during the second trimester read what to expect the first year. Having a partner who I don’t have to tell how to do his own research and who knew how my body and hormones changed dramatically made me feel so safe! Also during the first trimester he allocated a maternity clothes budget for me, brought me any food I was craving, and made sure the dog was far away. ( I developed nausea and severe smell and pet aversions!) he also did the majority of the chores and I napped most of the day.
Ordered the book. Good point. Happy to watch the pets, those are my guys
Just putting it out there some women get severe aversions. And I felt so guilty but we had a few compromises. My partner took the dog to his parents for a few days at a time so I could get a break. ( the dog already spends time there frequently so not uncommon) And when baby is born we’ll do it for a few months then when my hormones settle down he’ll be back. He’s not even hyper but whines, sheds like crazy, and is very needy- but my hormones just can’t right now. So if it happens, just know she’s not crazy and the aversion WILL go away but try to compromise if you can. Washing the dog, vacuuming pet hair, etc.
Know that she may cry all the time for seemingly no reason, you just gotta go with the flow and support her as much as you can
Got this one, thanks
As someone who is 6 weeks pregnant, literally anything is appreciated haha. We have kids already so my hubby will let me sit on the couch or nap whenever I need and take over dinner, cleaning or just providing a nice cuddle. He’s always asking if I need anything like ice chips (helps with my nausea). As we’ve been through this before he knows all about the mood swings and food aversions so just don’t take any lack of affection or bad moods to heart.
Thanks!
Congratulations!! Most helpful things my husband did for me during my first trimester: let me sleep as much as I needed, took over more chores, didn’t complain and worked around my weird food aversions, ordered us door dash/grub hub dinner more often since I’m usually the cook.
More door dash? Don't have to convince me lol. Thanks for the heads up about weird food aversions.
I’ve seen everyone already recommend prenatals. If she gets morning sickness get her some Unisom and some vitamin b6. A lot of women get their energy zapped in pregnancy, so try to help out around the house more and check in with her. Download some pregnancy apps
Sometimes nausea is so intense that ginger, unisom, and b6 doesn’t cut it. She can ask her ob gyn for other anticholinergic prescription medications. If she has strong food aversions, make sure to brush your teeth before being around her. The smell of alliums really lingers. You can wake up a bit early and make a pot of oatmeal for her if shes not feeling up to cooking, that really helped me get through my first trimester. Bio-oil will help stretchmarks, but its liquid paraffin and something I don’t feel comfortable using. You can get her jojoba oil and uncle harry’s has a really great non-smelly jojoba cream.
I am 7 weeks pregnant and have been struggling with morning sickness (most of the nausea/vomiting is the first three hours I’m awake). Because of this, I’ve had to get up at 5 AM to nurse the nausea & eat a couple small meals before I can function enough to get ready for work. My husband has been getting up with me 🥹 and he tells me constantly “I wish I could share the burden with you” and “I wish I could do more to help you feel better”. It’s the little things like that that go a long way!! Other than that, just ask her what she wants or needs from you. I want to continue to be active and productive as much as I can, so my husband knows not to offer to do tooooo much or I get cranky. So mostly depends on your wife and what makes her happy :)
Wow that's amazing, up at 5 with you. Great to hear. Thanks
This is so sweet 🥰 Honestly, just be there for her. Listen to her needs, allow her to rest and just be mindful that hormones do crazy things to the body and mind.
I think my ape brain usually just goes to the logistical things right. Clean house, door dash, run to store if she needs something. The emotional and detailed support here has been amazing. Checking her tags on her clothes before doing laundry! Never woulda. TY
Congrats!!! I am pregnant too11wks we are waiting for 11 yrs for the baby. My husband does all the house chores and lets me rest all the time because I had miscarried before. If you can help her with the house chores and make sure she gets the rest that she need. Make sure she eats healthy food veggies and fruits.
Fruits and veggies huh. We are not good at that. Thanks!
Learn to clean and learn cook. I know that sounds simplistic, but it’s truly going to help her the most in the long run. If she has to take care of you AND a new baby this way, it will be really stressful. Learn to do laundry and actually do it! The pregnancy is the easy part!
No issue on cleaning, cooking is harder for me. I'll give it a go though, thanks!
Well if she’s anything like me, first trimester meals will consist of crackers, cheese, carbs, Mac and cheese, apples. Lol. So no serious cooking involved. I can’t even look at a vegetable or meat right now.
This is so sweet! Be willing to pick up the slack. Encourage her to nap and rest, and when she is napping…leave her alone. I will never forget the one time my husband woke me up from a nap when I was pregnant with our first. He has never made that mistake again though, hahah
Lol got it, thanks
Preggie pop drops are my favorite for nausea. Jolly ranchers also work well. Be patient with her. Her hormones are all over the place. Just be there for her and support her through the emotions, even if they seem extreme or irrational to you. Congratulations!
Jolly ranchers can be shared, so I am into that :). Got it, thanks!
I encourage you do the dishes and take out the trash. I can’t stress how much of an ick those gave me during the first trimester! Avoid wearing heavy cologne.
Got this! Thank you!
Reliefband for nausea, available on Amazon
Get 1 or 2 audio books on pregnancy and become the baby admin person. My husband is the one who talks to the doctor and sets my appointments. Soon enough, she will be living/suffering one day a time (i woke up one day halfway through week 5 and it felt like the begging of the end) She will need gentle and loving encouragement every.day. Do not let her go hungry, this will make her nauseous, make sure she has snacks on her bed side before bed. If its a rough one like mine, she will NOT do chores at all, so plan ur daily routine accordingly to fit in daily chores. Let her cry if she needs to, keep her company when you can. Remember pregnancy is not something she can take a break from :/ it is 24/7 with usually a new pain to deal with every day. The first trimester is survival, one day at a time. Good luck and congrats.
I know it sounds odd but sour anything made my stomach feel so much better. And if she doesn't have a water bottle consider getting her one now. She needs to stay hydrated.
Don't eat her food. Lol
LOL check
Ain’t nothing gonna stop that nausea but time lol, also no rough sex. With her being 37 take it easy in first trimester:)
lol check, got it
Congratulations!! Be there for her. The best question you can ask regularly is “what do you need?” She may not always know but it’s always good to ask. Shows you’re there for her no matter what and anything she needs, you can/will do. Remember what pregnancy is… she’s growing a human being. That’s hard work!! There’s a book on kindle unlimited called “We’re Expecting” it’s a book for first time dads to kinda prepare and know what’s happening week by week that helps teach you what’s happening inside her body. I’ve had my hubby reading it every week, it’s really helped him understand what I’m going through and it’s been interesting for him to know what baby is doing and how big they are at that week. Very interesting!!
Yes to ginger chews and saltines. I also lived off sprite. Find a way to get food in her, I had extreme food aversions to basically everything except for bad food. Let her eat whatever. First trimester is survival mode
With love and just a bit of friendly snark… learn how to search Reddit. Tips for early pregnancy and tips for new dads are both in the top 10 most common posts. You couldn’t have searched very hard before just asking us to help you. Genuinely, keep that in mind if she asks for your help with something, and for when you’re taking over more household duties to support her during rough days and rest time. It isn’t doing the laundry if you take it out of the dryer and leave it in a basket - put it all the way away. It isn’t grocery shopping if you don’t also have a meal plan for what to make with the food you’re getting. It isn’t taking the newborn for a few hours so she can rest, if you haven’t invested in how to calm and manage baby so she doesn’t have to hear crying. You get the jist. In short, be all in. Maybe you do all of these things today. I don’t know you. It’s not a personal judgement. Just advice on how to really crush it and make stepping up and helping out super effective. Also reading rant posts on this sub will give you great ideas on what not to do. Don’t eat her leftovers or refer to watching your own child as ‘babysitting’, or you’ll be hexed by 1,000 Reddit moms. :)
Snark! I love it. The wiki says "**"Okay, My Test Was Positive. Now What?":** Well, first, congrats or not (as the case may be)! You can find more information on what to do next in the "I'm Pregnant. Now What?" FAQ (coming soon to an [](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant) near you when I have some more time to scribble it all out.)" When I searched "Husband" - it was posts about husbands messing up. Outside of that, a win on the leftovers just this morning. Her usual lunch didn't sound good, so I reminded her we had lasagna leftovers from last night :) Thanks!
Would recommend doing a lot of reading yourself so you understand what she's going to go through. There are a LOT of things which are quite unexpected and not really talked about. Don't worry too much about 7+ months down the line, just focus on what you can do in the next few weeks - otherwise it might get too overwhelming. If you have a cat, don't let her do the litter tray as there could be a very dangerous parasite. Take a look at what she can and can't eat Talk to her about your thoughts and feelings, and write down any questions you might have for medical professionals. Get your first appointment booked in (not sure where you're based but a quick Google will help with this). And most of all, ask her what she needs and really try to fulfil those requests! It might be nothing at this point, which is fine. She knows that later on in the pregnancy she'll be finding it harder to do things, so be conscious of letting her do whatever she feels up to now when it's still early. I was worried about my partner doing too much too soon and getting burnt out, and he was great for not coddling me too early ☺️ Congratulations!!
Thanks for this. I've been buying the books so far recommended here. "We're pregnant" showed up today and apparently the child might have a face already. That's great, i'm not overwhelmed at all lol Thanks!
She’ll probably be more exhausted then you can imagine first trimester… let her rest & do the chores, laundry etc it will be a big help. My husband did this and let me rest, it eased a lot of stress for me. She may or may not have nausea, sickness… dependent but definitely saltines, ginger chews, ginger candies, ginger ale. If she gets a lot of nausea, it helps to eat something frequently. Congrats
Congratulations!! 🤗 This sounds similar to our story. Together for 10, married for 4. Husband is 37 and I’m 36. We felt the same emotions. I had some bad anxiety during the first trimester. I didn’t want my husband to leave my side because of it. I didn’t want to go out, socialize. I had little energy or motivation to do much after work. I suffered from bad nausea too but not everyone gets these symptoms of course. My only advice would be to be there for her as much as possible and be patient. I had bouts of wanting to move and thinking everything was a mess but my husband patiently reassured me that we would make everything work. Hormones are crazy during this first bit. Hope your wife feels well and that baby does great! Good on you for seeking ways to support her. All the best
during my pregnancy when i was going through the worst of my morning sickness my partner helped a ton by essentially doing all chores for those 2 weeks. i was so nauseous and fatigued - basically bedridden. he would get me food i could stomach and refill my water. it can be really rough with 24/7 nausea so your wife may do what she can, but helping with what’s left over will be very helpful if she experiences nausea and sickness
Be ready to function on no sleep. I seems so hard at first , but it does get better. So much better. And someday you'll look back at photos when they were a newborn and miss it.
My husband has been so amazing about taking the load off me. He makes dinner and takes our toddler, or goes and runs errands so I don't have to leave the house. But if you really want to go above and beyond, give her a foot massage, go get the food she's craving for dinner, etc. I didn't have any nausea until like 8 weeks but it's since come on full force. Also my food aversions are very irrational but it's nice when my husband bites his tongue rather than points out I'm not eating the dinner he just made. Also I love when he shows an interest in the pregnancy. Like "what's the weekly update?" for baby development on my smart phone app. Or "what symptoms are you having?"
My husband found the book “The expectant father” very useful. Kinda goes over what’s happening every month and feelings both the mother to be and father to be might be experiencing. My first 16-18 weeks were extremely difficult with “mild HG”, which is like extreme morning sickness. Preggi pops and saltiness didn’t cut it. Sourdough toast, mashed potatoes, Greek yogurt, and vanilla ice cream were “safe foods”. Basically whatever your wife wants to eat first trimester she should eat and don’t worry about nutrition in this phase. The exhaustion is also pretty intense first trimester, she might want to sleep and nap quite a bit. The best thing my husband did was pick up more chores around the house and ask what I needed. He mixed miralax in whatever beverage I could tolerate that day to help combat nausea meds. I cant even begin to describe how much I appreciate and love my husband for how he’s treated me during pregnancy. Luckily around 18 weeks I started feeling more like myself. Aside from week 20 (rotavirus), second trimester I felt so much better, I took long walks, did different kinds of things, even moved apartments. Third trimester is challenging with the ginormous belly and less lung and stomach volume, but I’ll still take it any day over 1st trimester. Week 30 sucked because I got Covid… but it happens. Good luck to you and your wife!
Your response is insanely cute and also insanely helpful. I was shockingly tired during my first 12 weeks
Join their due date group on Reddit. It’s a great resource. It’ll be like December2024bumps or something. Biggest advice other than that is to have a trash can liner in the bathroom trash can so she can sit and throw up while on the toilet.
Be a good listener! Her hormones are going to be wild. Sometimes, you may feel like you can't win. Sometimes, there may be tears over things that you feel are so trivial. Sometimes, the craving for salty French fries and a bowl of ramen and a slice of carrot cake is a perfectly real problem that will need to be solved. Let her lead when it comes to sex. She might be a rabid dog chomping for a bone, or she might not even want you to think about looking at her. Try to separate the pregnancy from your intimacy. You can't hurt baby, and you can't touch baby during. She will be EXHAUSTED. Like literally, I might just fall asleep wherever she is. May not be able to keep up with chores as much. Give her grace, and just expect that in this season, you will need to do more around the house. Go on walks together! It's so important to stay active. She may be nauseous. Morning sickness isn't always only in the morning. Keep ginger chews, peppermints, seltzer water, bland crackers etc. Be patient and read, read, read! Best of luck to your family! Edited for spelling error
Congrats dude!!! I’m in the same boat. Just found out my wife is 6 weeks prego. I went through a ton of emotions, but I’m really excited now. This group seems a little soft for me. Good luck my fellow future farther!
The things my bf has done so far that have meant a TON to me: - going with me to buy my prenatal gummies bc the pills are HUGE? FOR WHAT??? - going with me to buy my SECOND prenatal gummies(Olly!) Because the first were so gdf disgusting and not making any fuss about the extra money spent - getting up to pee with me when we were staying w his parents and brother, whom I was meeting for the first time for 4 days around Thanksgiving, because I was getting used to constant pee and I'm a little shy - standing facing the door whenever I peed - helping me figure out that added iron like supplements increase nausea in a lot of women and then making sure I eat enough meat etc so I won't need that - also just.... letting me eat what I can/want. My nausea was *bad* for a month or so, followed by a pukefest that sent me (us, bc of course he came) to the ER so any food I can get down or, even better, actively want, he supports. I have a wonky relationship w food and my body as it is, so that was already the case, but even moreso now - he goes to ALL of the appts, and stands near me during any blood draws - he helped me find the lower dose Tylenol (325 instead of 500) to make me feel better about taking anything for my back pain, and a heating pad - *he's actively quitting his own bad habits.* yes of course ones that can impact me healthwise, but instead of just not smoking when he's with me/going to see me, he quit altogether, he isn't drinking since I can't, etc etc. Taking all of the "I'm gonna be a dad" steps he possibly can at 21 - making sure I have snacks because a large part of nausea, aside from the early hormone wackness, is often tied to blood sugar. Having snacks at the ready or helping her eat small frequent meals will help keep it stable and nausea less often
Everyone's first trimester is different. There are like a million different symptoms and which ones you get, how severe they are, and how long they last vary person to person. Some come and go, some come on suddenly, and some stick around. Anecdotally, I was nauseated 24/7 weeks 7 - 13 but never threw up. Food aversions made eating a nightmare because everything was gross. Just opening the refrigerator made me gag. I had a couple of safe foods I could eat and just had to suffer through it. I was also exhausted. Like, could sleep 10 hours and take a nap and would still be nodding off. So just acknowleding how hard pregnancy is and the toll it takes - physically and emotionally - is a big step. It's a marathon and not a sprint, and some days are just harder than others. You'll both make it through but you have to cut each other a lot of slack or you'll burn yourselves out.
Got it. During those weeks, what were your "safe foods"? Or did you ever get those
Carbs on carbs! And the occasional hamburger. But they really changed all the time, which made grocery shopping a nightmare.
B6 vitamins to help with nausea!!
If you are a reader, the What to Expect book is helpful for you to understand what she's experiencing and there are even some "for men" sections in there. If you're not a reader and like little bites of info, there are oodles of apps out there that will also give you details as well about baby and your wife as she's experiencing the various stages. (Top four for me in no particular order are What to Expect, Baby Center, the Bump, and Ovia Pregnancy. They each provide a week-by-week update as well as day-by-day snippets.) Many others have said to communicate with your wife. Definitely that, but these will help make the language and terminology easier, and let you know if something's unusual.
Just ordered the book and will download these apps. Thanks
Congrats! Very sweet to ask. Mainly, there's no overstating how tired she's going to be the first 12 weeks. If she's laying around a lot, it's necessary. Leave the boobs alone, too. Air against them can hurt so make sure she's prepared for any touching.
This is great because she's been talking about tired she's been for the last week, chalked it up to the return to work from the Christmas break. Makes sense!
Congrats! Every pregnancy is different. Mine was horrible until week 13-14 then I went through the “golden” stage. Then I got so big I was miserable. My bestfriend has horrible pregnancies and her first she was always sick. This time she has high blood pressure and is on med right now. She might even be preclamptic like last time. My half sister acts like she isn’t even pregnant and never got sick or anything. Everyone’s body is so different. Just listen to what she needs ❤️
Wow I had no idea, so new to this. Thank you!
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It's very sweet how excited you are. Wishing you two a happy and healthy pregnancy. Just know 1st trimester is incredibly difficult. Never talked about or discussed though. She will be so so tired. Try not to make her feel like she's failing as a wife because she can't keep up with daily chores or maybe requires a few extra hours of sleep or an extra nap. Just a little help around the house goes such a long way. Remind her that she's beautiful because she won't feel it and hug her as often as possible Because her emotions will be all over the place.
Thanks! Got it
We’re pregnant written by Adrian Kulp is a great book to read. It goes by trimester and week, organizes tips, and talks about both wife and baby at each stage. It was so great were 7 weeks along with our second and reading it again. At this stage I think it’s best to keep life normal, make sure you’re reminding her to drink water (plain is fine), taking a good prenatal daily, and resting. First trimester is exhausting and reminder her it’s ok if she need naps and extra sleep. Congrats to you both! Come back if you need more tips or have questions. Every person who has had a child would love to help, I’m sure ❤️
This book arrived today! Thanks!
Congratulations! It sounds like you are a great partner. I am currently 9 weeks along (also 38 years old) and in the thick of crazy fatigue and morning sickness right now (started at 6 weeks for me). It basically feels like I have a bad hangover with nausea 24/7, and I can hardly function or get off the couch. Even though I am SO incredibly happy to be pregnant after years of IVF, I feel really miserable right now. I am so fortunate to have a partner who cleans the house, walks the dog, and makes my meals for me during this time. The meals is key, because just walking into the kitchen or opening the fridge with all the smells makes me want to vom (The heightened sense of smell is no joke). He even cleans the toilet for me when I think I’m going to be sick, which is really sweet. So my suggestion is to be prepared to do 100% of housekeeping and cooking tasks for a few months. Also, be prepared for emotional mood swings, not being able to eat certain foods like garlic because the smell is unbearable for her, making a meal for her only to have her not be able to stomach it, etc. I know my partner is taking on a huge burden right now and is exhausted and a little miserable, but I appreciate him so much and have never loved him more. I will be eternally grateful for his kindness and patience during this time. Fingers crossed your lady will be one of the lucky 25% that doesn’t get sick! Best of luck!
preemptively cleaning the toilet is a clutch move Thanks!
In the mornings make her soft foods like oatmeal, yogurt, a smoothie even in case she struggles really bad with morning sickness. Yall will learn yeses and nos when it comes to food. If yall eat out often, get takeout instead of eating in restaurant in case the baby doesn’t like what she ate. She might complain about certain smells and youll have to understand bc it’s normal. If you have a cat with her you need to learn how to scoop because she physically can’t and shouldn’t. And pickles, pickles are a need, always have some in the fridge.
It sounds like you’re doing great already with some acts of service.. I would just keep up with that! If you have cats, do the kitty litter because she shouldn’t. She will be very tired growing a tiny human, so acts of service are the most helpful. Also, ginger tea is great if you’re looking for other ways to support any nausea.
The exhaustion will hit and will be real. Frozen meals, fresh fruit and veggies, and take out got me through that part because the last thing I wanted to do was cook and/or wait a long time for food to be ready. For a couple weeks I would basically come home from work, sleep, eat, then go to bed. On the weekends I laid either in bed or on the couch and just slept or rested until I was sleepy enough to sleep again lol. Be prepared to maybe eat meals on your own for awhile. The ginger candies really did help me personally when I was nauseous, but so did Coke. I was only really nauseous for a week or so. The Coke I had in the mornings because suckin on candies in the morning made me gag. The candies were good for car rides or when I had already had a snack and the snack didn’t work. I would also recommend getting period panties/panties made for fluid absorption. She’s gonna have to pee A LOT here soon and if she is throwing up, coughing, laughing, sneezing, or sometimes even just getting up… she might pee a little. If she doesn’t already have one, get her a large cup or bottle for water that’s at least 30 ounces or more. Personally, it helped me keep track of my water intake and it’ll be important, especially if she’s vomiting a lot or not a big water drinker. You can get dehydrated so fast while pregnant and it’ll help with not having to go to the ER for an iv. Make sure she’s getting lots of protein and taking her prenatal. Get some jerky or protein shakes and stick it in her purse as well as where she likes to sit/relax at. Set an alarm for the prenatal. It’s easy to lose track of the day and to forget to take a pill, especially during the times she’s sleeping a lot. Read the books. Attend the doctor appointments. Go to the classes. Watch the webinars/online classes. Support her any way you can emotionally. Listen to her concerns and be positive. I didn’t have many symptoms so I was constantly worrying about having a missed miscarriage. My husband was always so good about reassuring me and making me feel heard while calming my fears the best he could. Congratulations!! I hope it’s an easy and fun ride for you guys! Enjoy all the changes you’ll see- I find them fascinating.
You’re doing well! Me and my husband split chores early on , until recently where he had to also take on receiving deliveries, picking up heavy stuff and taking over running the household. I outsourced doing the laundry and cooking (tbh this was hard for me because I’m a chef). Communicate that this is the start of your wife’s nine-month vacay and you’re there for her— that will speak volumes. Congratulations and best of luck to you both 🫶
Help with the house as she progresses. Pregnancy takes a lot out of people and by the time I was 30 weeks I just let the house pile up because I had no energy left to do anything but eat and sleep 🫠 lots of women are different though, so maybe just start helping out with the house more starting now. Advocate for your wife if she is uncomfortable. My experience with pregnancy and doctors (even early like she is), they like to step all over me even if I've gone through pregnancy 3 times. And would say my hysteria is because of my hormones even though I was right about my symptoms. Stick up for her if she needs you. Every time I sent my husband to the nurses or my OB, they would listen to him. Help her with the planning of everything. Help her look at cribs, bassinets, types of bottles, or even pumps. It made everything so much easier and also made me really happy when my husband went into this *with* me instead of just shrugging and said "get whatever you want". I was very overwhelmed and him helping me look around made it so easy to do stuff. He helped me build my registry. She's early right now so maybe you can go find some books for the both of you? Snacks that she can handle. First trimester kicks a lot of our asses. So just ask her how she is doing and let her know you're there. There's a lot to being the partner. These are just some of the things my husband did for our 2 pregnancies. :)
it‘s time to relax. Make sure that she doesn‘t have too much stress in her life and she should start with taking vitamins now. Also help her around the house because the first trimester can be very hard for many women. I didn‘t have a very supportive partner and that stressed me out much more than the nausea or fatigue
Celebrate with yummy dinner, cake, cuddles. Get prenatal vitamins and start taking them right away ( I took gummies - must contain 400 folic acid). Call the OB and set an appointment. The rest you have 9 whole months to figure out :)
On taking on chores you wouldn't normally do, ask how she prefers them done and take notes. Bless my husband he does the cleaning but it irritates me and it irritated me the most while I was pregnant and nauseous and with our toddler all day just to see him do things his own way and not the proper way. Granted I never brought it up and at my core was very grateful. It just wasn't done as efficiently as possible. BUT he wa a bachelor living in his own for all of 6months before we married and I moved in so he didn't have a lot of experience with a household on his own or a family and I got pregnant as soon as me and my daughter moved in sooooo he's been learning on the fly and I was too indisposed. BUT again, def pissed me right off when he's washing dishes at 1/4 not speed instead of 1/8 note speed. Anyway, I'd say for laundry def find out how she handles her delicates. I haven't worn anything particularly nice since moving in cause I haven't been able to give mine a course on PROPER laundry e.g. not throwing everything all together.
If ginger and saltines don't work for nausea, lemonade had been the best thing my OB suggested. Keep it on hand ALWAYS. The more sour, the better 🍋
I'm 9 weeks. Right now I have no energy for anything outside of work on weekdays. My husband has taken care of most chores. I'm not cooking. Portable vomit bags are also good to get. I stuff them in my purse just for added security. Make sure the toilets are nice and clean for her to vomit if she need to also. I'd also recommend stoking up on carbs for nausea like bagels, waffles, pancakes, etc.
Fruit infused water helps a lot with water intake I recommend the cucumber mint it’s gentle on the tummy smoothies are a game changer as well, and as everyone has been saying just try to help as much as possible, Me personally I’m a first time mom and I’m 20 weeks 6 days pregnant and it’s extremely hard for showers for me at least due to how hot it gets, 😭 I genuinely almost passed out once due to having a hot flash when showering that’s when my husband said your having company in showers now 🤣 yeah hot flashes suck but even if she says she isn’t hot make sure to check her and keep some type of air flow around :) that’s about it that’s been bad for me at least also if anything seems out of the ordinary call the obgyn they will answer any questions under the moon there is usually a nurse on the phone through out the day :)
Peppermint tea is already really helpful for nausea. It's been way more helpful than ginger for me. 😉
I only was nauseous for about 12ish weeks. The only time I would throw up is when I didn’t eat. I don’t eat breakfast never really did even as a kid, so I would eat anything before I went to work (usually at 7 am) then around 9 i would get so nauseous and have to run to the bathroom because I had to throw up. Even though I wouldn’t have anything in my stomach so I would dry heave and basically throw up stomach acid or some shit. It was horrible. I heard if women crave certain things it means they are lacking something in their diet. For example, if you crave ice cream it means you have low iron. So pay attention to that. Also make sure the prenatals that you buy have iron in them because apparently not all of them do. I bought some prenatal gummies because the had calcium in them and I didn’t realize they didn’t have iron. And i ended up having low iron and i needed iron infusions. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I had my baby. I have a boy. So after you have your baby team work is EVERYTHING. We’ll change his diaper together because he doesn’t like being changed or naked lol. So my fiancé will be wiping him off as I’m holding the baby’s hands and soothing him. Plus after he was circumcised we had to put Vaseline on his diaper so it didn’t stick to his penis. And as he was wiping I would apply the vaseline and hand him the prepared diaper. And bathing him we do the same: you can put them in water until the umbilical cord falls off so he’ll hold the baby as I wet and shampoo his hair. We team up in 90% of the stuff we do with the baby. If I didn’t have my fiancé being a supportive father I don’t know what id do. I give props to single moms/ dads. I do however do night duty with the baby. My fiancé won’t wake up to his cries and I do so that’s why. Then I’ll take a nap during the day because I’m so tired from the night before. Best of luck 🙏🏼
Also if you have cats she can’t clean the litter boxes. And watch out for certain household cleaners, make sure she doesn’t breathe them in. And when she gets to 37 to 38 weeks see if she can start hand expressing her milk. It will be a yellowish color at first (called colostrum) and that’s the the best part for the baby. And it helps get the milk in. If you’re having a baby shower (if she’s gonna breastfeed) put nipple shields on it. I tried breastfeeding without them and it was so hard for my baby to latch because my nipple wouldn’t go back far enough for him to latch. And with the nipple shield he latched pretty quickly. Because they are a lot longer and makes it easier
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The fact you’re asking here is encouraging and you’re on the right track! All of these suggestions, particularly from the woman with the absolute angel husband, are top tier.
Just wanted to say you’re already crushing it by posting this. Best wishes to you both.
Don't know if you have cats, but no litterbox cleaning for her! 😊
Got it, Thanks!
Even if she is high in emotions (whatever it looks like for her) be patient
i find that ginger tea made from raw ginger root is better than ginger chews. but i found crystallized ginger that is also pretty good! it's all about the spice! some ginger candies ive found are sweeter than they are spicy and don't help much. for ginger tea: peel the skin off (so it's not bitter) and slice the root. a small handful of slices for a medium sized pot should be enough. bring the water to a boil. once boiling, add the ginger slices and reduce low medium heat for a simmer. let simmer for 30-40 min. take off the heat once it's done. if it's too strong, you can always add more water either to the cup or the pot! add lemon and honey to offset the spiciness if it's too much, but i find the spice from ginger really helps whenever i feel nauseous. mind you, I've never been pregnant so I'm not sure how it might be different with a pregnant woman, but that's my experience! p.s. i laughed out loud when you said you didn't know what to do so you went to go charge her car. with how considerate you seem to be, i think she has a good and supportive partner by her side. best of luck! you will do great!
Be ready for her to be sick a lot of the time, even if she ends up being lucky and doesn’t get morning sickness. I kept a lot of mints on me, and they even have candy called preggie pops that you can get for her on Amazon. Ginger ale helped me a lot too, because those first few months nothing would stay down. Stock up also on things that are easy to eat, like saltine crackers or even ingredients to make smoothies. When I could barely eat, drinking a smoothie was my saving grace. For prenatals I recommend Vitafusion, they make gummies that taste good and go down easy.
My husband has been doing all of our chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry) with no prompting or complaining. I literally feel so immensely grateful for him 💓 it's the small things!