In this blog post, I share all about my first trimester of pregnancy while on a mostly animal-based diet and what has helped me to continue feeling my best. Of course, everyone's pregnancy journey will be different, but I hope you find some encouragement from my experience and what I've learned thus far.
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When it comes to diet, not a whole lot has changed for me now in pregnancy versus before pregnancy. I started the carnivore diet well over three years ago, and now follow more of an "animal-based" or Weston A Price style approach. My favorite way to describe how I eat is a real food diet—I eat to nourish my body, not to fit in with any particular labels or restrictions. I feel my best when I prioritize eating animal-based foods (such as pasture-raised meat, dairy, eggs, and wild-caught seafood) above all else.
Overall, my first trimester went really well. But there were obviously a lot of changes happening in my body and I found I had to make some adjustments to continue feeling my best.
I'm going to share all the details of any symptoms/sensations I experienced, but keep in mind that for the most part I've felt great and really enjoyed my pregnancy so far. I'll also share about how diet, supplements, exercise, and mindset have been supportive for me.
I hope that all the effort I've put into healing my body through nutrition changes and nervous system work has played a part my ability to get pregnant and continue to feel so good in pregnancy. I'm so grateful that my body is now healthy and capable of growing new life! This has been one of my favorite seasons of life.
Is an animal-based or carnivore diet safe during pregnancy?
Personally I believe the real question should be if a standard american diet is safe during pregnancy. It's culturally normal now to be getting the majority of your calories from ultra-processed foods that are nutritionally deficient and highly inflammatory.
Doing an animal-based or carnivore diet during pregnancy is much more nutrient dense than the standard american diet. Nutrients and minerals found in animal-based foods are supportive of fetal development. If you're looking for more resources, Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Robert Kiltz have several videos on YouTube about carnivore and pregnancy and fertility.
I find my body functions best now having some carbs alongside my very meat heavy diet. I'd recommend doing your own research and eating the way you feel best.
My first trimester experience
I found out I was pregnant very early on, at about three weeks along. I didn't feel any physical changes until several weeks later.
5-6 weeks
Continued to eat exactly the same as before pregnancy (lots of meat, eggs, dairy, bone broth, fruit, etc)
Slightly lower energy
Nasal congestion
Chest growing
Very sore and stiff low back
Started having to get up in the night to pee like 4-5 times (haha). I did not expect this so early on, but it actually stopped in my second trimester.
Went on vacation to the Caribbean with my family and snorkeled, swam, hiked, paddle boarded, etc while feeling pretty good
Interestingly enough, my sore lower back only lasted about a week and hasn't come back at all even now that I'm 28 weeks pregnant. Not sure what it was from, but I felt very stiff for that short period of time.
6-8 weeks
Because I had a miscarriage with my first pregnancy, my midwife offered to monitor my HCG and progesterone levels early on. I have a video sharing my experience with miscarriage here. All looked great with the labs, but at about 7 weeks, she suggested I try a progesterone supplement just as a precaution (as I was on the lower end of normal). After researching this, I decided to take it.
Before I started the progesterone, I was feeling a bit more exhausted with a lower appetite. But when I started the supplement, that became more pronounced. At first it felt almost like I was taking a sedative.
For about 10 days, I was completely exhausted. During this time I just listened to my body and prioritized rest as much as I could. I embraced the rest as a way I could support myself and my baby.
My appetite also decreased during these weeks and I started to feel low grade nausea throughout the day (not specific to the morning time). I continued to eat animal-based, but found it difficult to eat as much as I normally do.
I did not have any episodes of vomiting and everything I experienced felt manageable.
9-10 weeks
During this time I started to adjust to the progesterone and was feeling more like myself.
These are some of the changes I experienced:
Energy started slowly increasing
My sense of smell really heightened
No meat aversion, but no foods sounded good
Continued low appetite
Mild constipation and slower digestion
At about 9 weeks, we traveled across the country for a wedding. My mother in law was doing a carnivore diet and they cooked a bunch of meat for us. I realized it was harder for me to cook the food due to smells than to actually eat it!
We also went to get our nails done and the fumes in the salon were a bit too much for me. It triggered a migraine and I felt light headed. Usually I don't like strong scents like that, but being pregnant definitely amplified it.
During this time we also had our first ultrasound. Seeing the baby's heartbeat and her moving around was really exciting.
11-13 weeks
At this point, I stopped my progesterone supplement. Not too long after, my energy and motivation increased really quickly. This was probably a combination of being off of progesterone and the placenta starting to take over.
By about 11 or 12 weeks, I was feeling amazing and this increased energy continued throughout my second trimester!
What helped my symptoms during first trimester?
Fatigue
What helped my fatigue:
Allowing my body the rest it needed
Prioritizing animal-based foods and eating enough
Exercise (prenatal pilates and walks)
Sometimes the last thing you feel like doing during the first trimester is exercise or movement. But it can be so helpful! Often I had so much more energy after doing a prenatal pilates YouTube video or going for a walk. My favorite channel for pregnancy workouts is called Pregnancy & Postpartum TV. She has hundreds of free videos and is very positive about birth.
That being said, don't push yourself too hard and give your body the rest it needs. Creating new life takes a lot of energy!
Nausea
What helped my nausea:
Eating enough protein (even when I didn't feel like it)
Magnesium and trace mineral supplements
Exercise (prenatal pilates and walks)
Nervous system support (meditation, visualization, etc)
Peppermint tea
Warm baths
I noticed that if I accidentally skipped a meal or went too long without eating, my nausea really increased. Making sure to start the day out with lots of animal-based protein made all the difference. Often I didn't want to eat, but when I did I almost always felt better (as long as it was nourishing, animal-based foods).
Increasing my magnesium and trace mineral supplements helped with my nausea as well.
Food aversion
What helped food aversions:
Having someone else cook for me when possible
Switching up the cooking method or texture of food
It sounds silly, but when I really didn't feel like eating, I'd tell myself "this is for you, baby" and it often made it easier to eat.
I also found that eating more dairy and crunchy foods like bacon or beef chips were easier than some other foods. Don't be afraid to switch it up! If there's something that sounds good to you, there's likely a "better for you" version you could make.
Congestion
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Sleeping elevated
With both of my pregnancies so far, congestion was one of the first symptoms I experienced. This made it hard to nasal breath at night. I have worn breath right strips for the majority of my pregnancy and have found them really helpful.
The Heart & Soil histamine and immune supplement really helped my congestion as well. I typically take about half the recommended dose and still do really well with that.
Magnesium can help sooth and open up the airway. I use magnesium spray on my nose and throat as well as take it orally before bed.
Constipation & Digestion
Taking walks after meals
Making sure to chew my meals thoroughly (not eating in a rush)
Starting the day out with bone broth or meat stock
Eating smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day
Magnesium & electrolyte supplementation
Lowering stress levels
Chocolate made with quality ingredients (ex. Honey Mama's brand)
Raw dairy
Constipation is pretty common in pregnancy, often due to hormonal changes. The constipation I experienced in first trimester was pretty mild, especially in comparison to what I dealt with years ago when I was really sick. But it sometimes became uncomfortable.
My midwife encouraged me to increase fiber. Which I actually did try, and I did not find it to be helpful at all. Above are some of the things that actually helped with my digestion and constipation.
In my second trimester, my constipation increased. I actually found that drinking raw milk daily helped so much with this. I'll go into more detail about that in my second trimester article. My digestion has been great lately.
Exercise During First Trimester
Throughout most of my first trimester, I continued exercising regularly. During the few weeks I was feeling the most exhausted, I cut back a little bit as it felt like my body needed that. But overall, I felt much better when I made movement a priority.
These are my main forms of exercise:
Daily walks
I enjoy taking walks after meals and I find it helps with digestion
Rock climbing (3x week)
My body is very used to climbing now, and it's something that I feel great doing while pregnant! Soon after finding out I was pregnant, I stopped bouldering and switched to top rope climbing. That way I wouldn't have any risk of falls.
Prenatal Pilates
My favorite youtube channel for this is Pregnancy & Postpartum TV
I'd highly recommend her free workout, yoga, and stretching videos
What I Ate First Trimester
Like I mentioned above, not much has changed with my diet from before pregnancy to now. In my first trimester, because I had a lower appetite and mild nausea, I found eating more frequently throughout the day to work better for me.
I ate more pork and chicken than beef, especially for breakfast. I still made sure to eat red meat for at least one of my meals every day. I also found raw milk to be really helpful to get in extra calories on days when I struggled to eat enough.
I often added in some carbs like organic white rice, tallow roasted potatoes, or MASA chips (corn tortilla chips made with grass-fed beef tallow) in with my meat. It didn't take much, but it really helped me to be able to eat more protein. I still felt really good eating this way.
During the first trimester, I didn't experience any food cravings, but rather often felt like nothing sounding very appetizing.
I actually ended up losing about 5-8 pounds in the first trimester due to lower appetite (even though I really tried to eat as much as possible). This wasn't a concern to me or my midwife, as I wasn't underweight and was continuing to nourish my body well.
Here's a video sharing a day of eating during my first trimester!
Supplements During First Trimester
I decided not to take a traditional prenatal, as I didn't feel comfortable with something synthetic. That being said, this is a very personal decision—always do what feels best for you no-matter what anyone else suggests.
If I were to take a prenatal, I'd make sure to get one with methylated folate and not folic acid.
Of course, getting nutrients in from food is my focus. But I do feel it can be helpful to fill in any gaps with supplements, especially when it comes to minerals (as it's almost impossible to get enough minerals from diet alone due to the nature of our depleted soil and poor water quality).
My midwife ran a basic prenatal bloodwork panel, and everything came back looking great, including my iron levels. I have not supplemented iron at all throughout pregnancy, as I eat so much red meat it isn't necessary.
During my first trimester, I did a hair mineral analysis test and consultation through Upgraded Formulas. They recommended mineral supplements for me based on the results, and that's what I've been taking in pregnancy. While I don't think this was necessary to do, I did find it valuable. The minerals seem to be supportive. Upgraded Formulas has nano mineral technology, which supposedly makes them much more absorbable than most mineral supplements (they have lots of info on that on their website).
These are the supplements I have been taking:
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Desiccated oysters (rich in zinc, copper, selenium, etc)
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Typically I break these supplements up throughout the day. I don't take the full dose for all of them either!
Please remember everyone is different in what supplements will best support them in pregnancy. Try to get as much as you can from your diet and supplement where you feel there may be gaps. Many people find mineral supplementation (such as magnesium and other trace minerals) to make a huge difference with pregnancy related symptoms.
Folate in Pregnancy
Before becoming pregnant, I made sure my folate was in a great range (as it had been low in years past). To do this, I ate about four pasture-raised eggs a day and chicken liver once a week. Chicken liver has two times the amount of folate as beef liver, and in my opinion it tastes much better. Pasture-raised eggs and liver have higher folate content than conventional. I also often ate clementines and avocado which have a decent amount of folate in them too.
My folate labs more than tripled after doing this for a while about a year prior to my first pregnancy. I tested my folate a few times in early pregnancy and it continued to stay in the optimal range.
Like I said above, if I were to supplement folate, I'd make sure it was methylated folate. This form of folate is more bioavailable and absorbable.
Nervous System Support During First Trimester
It's common for women to feel extra concern for their babies during the first trimester, as this is where the majority of miscarriages happen. As someone that has experienced a miscarriage, I definitely had some moments of fear very early on.
But I found that for the most part, I was able to embrace trusting my body was doing what it was designed to do and that I was capable of growing a healthy baby. Even amidst uncertainty, it's possible to let go of fear.
Practicing meditations, visualizations, mantras, grounding, and spending lots of time in nature helped my mental health so much. I replaced a lot of my social media scrolling time with reading books for fun.
Nervous system health is directly correlated with physical health, and I believe prioritizing this in pregnancy is just as important as prioritizing nutrition.
Below are some of my mantras affirmations that I often would speak out loud during the first trimester.
Today, I am pregnant
With everyday that passes I’m one day closer to meeting my baby
This is a new pregnancy with a new outcome
My body is capable and strong
My body was designed to create life
I trust God to keep my baby safe
I’m creating the best possible home for my baby
What I’m doing to support this baby is enough
I choose to be excited
I choose to let go of fear and know that no matter the outcome, I will be okay
This time will be just as joyful if not more than the first time.
What happened then doesn’t take away from what’s happening now. My heart is open to grief, love, and joy.
I’m ready to receive the abundance God has for me.
Plans for Birth
I'm planning to give birth at a birth center, which is a nice in-between from a home birth and a hospital birth. This is where I've been having all of my prenatal midwife care.
Because of my experience with chronic illness, I have a lot of medical trauma surrounding the hospital and would prefer to avoid it if can. But I know sometimes things don't go as planned, and if there's a true emergency, we would be grateful to receive care at the hospital.
I would love to do a home birth in the future, and that's what I originally had envisioned. But there aren't many options where we live. When I called all our local midwives that support home birth (at only 9 weeks pregnant) they were already all booked for my due date. Now I know for next time!
Overall, my plan for birth it to trust my body and let go of fear. I believe that birth can be a positive, empowering experience and I'm actually looking forward to the challenge!
Conclusion
That's a wrap for my experience with first trimester while doing an animal-based diet. I'll plan on making another blog post sharing details from my second and third trimesters as well.
If you're reading this blog post because you're pregnant or hope to be in the future, I'm cheering you on! Everyone's experience with pregnancy is so different and you mommas out there are amazing. My best advice is to give yourself grace, nourish yourself well, and trust your body knows what to do. Don't forget to be proud of yourself—growing a human is a huge deal!
I hope this article was helpful! I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Be sure to follow along on Instagram and YouTube to learn more about my chronic illness recovery journey.
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