Pregnant? Congratulations! Though, for 70% of women, the first few months can be hard to celebrate because of symptoms of morning sickness. The worst thing about morning sickness is that it’s a total misnomer.
You can actually feel gross at any hour of the day in the first several weeks. We can’t promise to get rid of that feeling completely, but we’ve got some tips to help you ease morning sickness. If you’re ready to start celebrating, read on.
What Is Morning Sickness?
Morning sickness is that nauseous feeling that comes and goes throughout the day starting at around week 5 or 6 of pregnancy. It might come with an urge to vomit, or might just stop you from wanting to smell – much less eat – any food. Around 70 to 85 percent of women report experiencing it in early pregnancy.
Symptoms can get worse before they get better, often peaking at 9 weeks and dropping off by week 18. An unlucky 15% or so of women have it until the third trimester and 5% say they feel it right up until the birth.
When Should I See My Doctor?
Regular feelings of nausea, soetimes wanting to vomit, and feeling apathy to smelly food is pretty normal. If you feel signs of dehydration, vomit repeatedly throughout the day (especially if you see blood), and if you lose weight or get painful cramping, it’s time to see your doctor.
10 Tips to Ease Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is a gross way to start the day and a rough start to your pregnancy. Luckily, you’re by far the first women to experience it. Which means there are lots of tried-and-tested tips to reduce it: let’s take a look at them.
1. Do Gentle Exercise
We know it’s the last thing you feel like, but adding some gentle activity can help get your blood moving and ease the nausea
2. Reduce Meals & Time Between Meals
Reduce the size of meal portions and reduce the time between eating. While you might not really feel like eating at all, an empty stomach can make morning sickness worse. Plus, you’re creating a small human so your body will need the energy!
Try something bland like nuts and dried fruit or plain yogurt.
3. Have a Snack in Bed Before Rising
This stops you from moving about on an empty stomach, a real trigger for nausea. Have your partner bring you a cup of tea and something basic like toast with butter or a dry biscuit, and take some bites before you move anywhere. It’s part of getting used to being pregnant, which often means having to take things easier than you normally would.
4. Increase Protein and Vitamin B
High protein and foods rich in Vitamin B seem to calm morning sickness. Avoid foods with lots of spice, fat, or anythingrich or acidic as these tend to make symptoms worse
5. Eat Cold Food
Cold food has less of an aroma. Which is great if strong sells trigger you. If you are eating smelly food, you can have a cut lemon at hand to distract your nose – try it, it really works!
6. Get Lots of Sleep
Your body is undergoing so many changes, it needs rest like never before. Being well-rested and relaxed is a good way to stave off morning sickness.
7. Try Ginger or Cinnamon Tea
Ginger tea and cinnamon tea are both good at calming queasiness. You can make them from the root/plant and put it to boil. Or just pour boiling water on tea bags and leave it to brew.
The great benefit of tea is it can not only calm nausea but keep you hydrated. That, in turn, helps with morning sickness. Win-win!
8. Stay Hydrated
Try to sip on water throughout the day. That way you can avoid feeling like you’ve got a full belly, and a run to the bathroom to empty it! If water is hard to take, add some lemon juice to it, or try plain icy poles or frozen yoghurt.
Avoid orange juice and other acidic drinksbecause they can irritate the stomach and make it worse.
9. Vitamin B6 and Ginger tablets
Some women swear by herbal remedies such as Vitamin B and ginger tablets, first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. You can find these in a local health store or pharmacy.
10. Holistic Medicine
While pregnant you want to be extra careful about what goes in your body, making natural remedies an easier and safer option. You could talk to an acupuncturist about treatment to help your morning sickness. An acupuncturist can treat a lot of pregnancy symptoms, from morning sickness and swelling to helping get the baby in the right position in the later stages.
Look for bracelets for car sickness that work by putting pressure on a pressure point at the wrist that can stop feelings of nausea such as morning sickness. Hypnosis even works for some!
Whatever You Do, Don’t Do It Alone
Pregnancy is a time for celebration and preparation – especially if this is a first baby, or if you’ve been trying for a long time. But, it can also be a really tough stage of your life. Your body is full of hormones, you’re preparing for changes at work, and might be feeling the stress in your relationship.
It’s normal to find it difficult sometimes, and it’s more important than ever that you have a support network around you. You’ll need them to help you once the baby is here, no matter how independent you normally like to be. Becoming a parent can mean learning you’re not always so in control.
Sometimes you just need to gather close friends about you and get through just as well as you can!
Stop Suffering and Start Enjoying This Special Time!
There you have it; our tried-and-tested ten tips to ease morning sickness. Work your way through the list and see which work best for you. Consider making a note each day in your diary about what you tried and how you felt, so you can link more easily between what you tried and what the result was.
Once you’ve got morning sickness under control, it’s time to start enjoying this time. Would you like some advice on great ways to exercise while pregnant, how to prepare the nursery, and more? You’ll find it all at our blog – check it out today!
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