Morning sickness and nausea during pregnancy stinks! And what’s worse is that you know you are going to be dealing with it for a while. I was lucky enough in both of my pregnancies to not have any vomiting with my “morning sickness,” but it is still a very uncomfortable symptom of pregnancy.
On a side note; wouldn’t it be great if it was only “morning sickness?” For me it was all morning, a brief respite in the afternoon, and then worse then ever at night before bed.
Please note that I am not a medical professional; just a mommy with experience and a blog to share on 🙂
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Pregnancy nausea is something that affects 70-80% of all women. It is said to be linked to the pregnancy hormone hCG, though the exact relationship is not clear. In early pregnancy, when morning sickness is typically at its worst, hCG levels rise rapidly to help grow and nourish the fertilized egg. Around the 12th or 13th week, the placenta should be developed enough to take over hormone production. At this point, hCG levels tend to drop a bit, and then remain stable for the duration of your pregnancy. This is also the time that most women begin to feel their nausea subside. This was the case for both of my pregnancies.
If you have very severe nausea or non-stop vomiting, be sure to contact your doctor because there could be some other issues going on and they can prescribe you some medication to provide relief and make sure that you are getting enough nutrients for you and baby.
Here are my top tips/items to help you cope with your “morning sickness”:
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- Ginger Ale/Sprite/Apple Juice: this helped me a lot in the very beginning (up until around 8 weeks or so). The ginger taste mixed with the sugar and carbonation really helped to settle my stomach. However, around 8-9 weeks of pregnancy, I developed an aversion to carbonation all together and the sugar was just too much for me so I had to move on to another remedy. Some women even have luck with ginger cookies, such as ginger snaps.
- Be strategic about meal times and portions: I found that if I made sure to eat several small meals/snacks throughout the day, it really helped me to not feel as sick because once I was on an empty stomach it was game over. Even after the first trimester I never let myself get too hungry because that’s when I would feel extremely sick. I know its hard to make yourself eat when you feel terrible but it will help; when your stomach is empty that’s when you will feel your worst.
- Bland Food: Goldfish, cheerios, baked potatoes, chicken broth, chicken sandwiches; these were foods that helped me in both pregnancies so far. They are bland enough with just a hint of flavor that settled my stomach and made sure that I kept some food in my belly.
- Avoid “trigger smells”: If smells are making you feel sick, make sure that you stay away from them! I know this seems obvious but really think ahead before you are in a situation where you CAN’T avoid it. For me, a trigger smell was dog food, so I made sure to ask my husband to feed the dogs before he went to work, that way I wouldn’t have to deal with it later in the day when he was gone.
- Hydration: make sure to keep yourself hydrated. It’s so important that you drink plenty of fluids (I’m still working on this one).
- Time your prenatal vitamin: If taking your prenatal vitamin makes you feel sick or you are sensitive to taking vitamins/pills; make sure that you take it with food or at a time of day when you feel the least sick (for most women, it is right before bed).
- Sea Bands: These are little bracelets that you wear on your wrist that provide nausea relief through acupressure. They are not scientifically proven to do anything and unfortunately I did not get any relief from them but I know lots of mamas that it did work for. They are relatively cheap and definitely won’t hurt to try since it is an all natural remedy.
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- Peppermints: these are great because when you taste/inhale the scent of the peppermint, they can really help to eliminate your nausea.
- Exercise: I know, I know; you feel so sick you can’t get out of bed and I’m telling you to exercise! You would be surprised at how just going for a short walk can serve as an excellent boost of natural energy and curb your nausea.
- Preggie Pop Drops: I love these and wish I would have had them with my first pregnancy! They come in little drops that you can suck on or actual lollipops. They are made with essential oils and come in a variety of flavors that are all quite yummy! I would keep these everywhere for easy access. They would usually help my tummy feel better before I was finished with the drop.
- Essential oils: peppermint and lavender were my favorites during the first trimester. The peppermint really helped my nausea, and the lavender was excellent in the evening to help with not only the nausea but the calming effect as well. In fact, lighting a lavender candle in the evening was such a help before bed. (Please check with your doctor before using any essential oils during pregnancy.)
- Unisom: this is definitely something that you want to take at night time because it will make you sleepy. It is a great nausea remedy and helps with the pregnancy insomnia. A two-for-one!
Tips that I haven’t tried but have heard work great:
- Vitamin B12: some doctors recommend this in a combination with the unisom to ease nausea.
- Peppermint/Ginger Tea: I wish I would have tried this one because I think it would have been very helpful. Even if you don’t like tea, the smell alone would probably help 🙂