Tips For Coping With Morning Sickness

Many (many) women experience morning sickness on a less severe scale but it can be frustrating nonetheless, especially when coupled with cravings and still trying to maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy so here some tips for coping with morning sickness.

Morning sickness varies from woman to woman and women even experience differences from pregnancy to pregnancy. The causes of morning sickness aren’t exactly known but it is likely due to hormones changes, as well as the heightened sense of smell that occurs during pregnancy. As we know all too well, morning sickness isn’t really just limited to morning times either as it can occur throughout the day.

Most morning sickness does not harm the baby unless you experience weight loss or severe vomiting which can lead to dehydration. It is important to talk to your doctor about your concerns and maintain regular checkups throughout your pregnancy.

Coping with Morning Sickness

For severe morning sickness or vomiting, talk to your doctor as they may suggest medications. For milder morning sickness, here are some tips to help you cope:

• Eat frequently: stick to smaller snacks throughout the day, every 1-2 hours.  Hunger pangs often trigger nausea so eating frequently can help, and be sure to have a light snack before bed
• Keep snacks by the bed: it may seem strange, but having a few crackers before getting out of bed in the morning can help prevent nausea
• Stick to bland: Spicy, greasy, or heavy foods can make nausea worse so stick to bland foods
• Think protein and carbohydrates: opt for foods like crackers, fruit, nuts, baked potato, trail mix, protein bars, or granola bars
• Get some sleep: lack of sleep can make nausea worse so take naps if you can and try to get as much sleep as possible
• Get up slowly: if laying down, get up slowly as getting up too quickly can make you nauseous
• Take a walk: although you may not feel like it, light physical activity can help.  Fresh air can also make you feel better so get outside to at least take a few deep breathes
• Peppermint: peppermint can help ease an upset stomach, so try sipping on peppermint tea if you can’t stomach water or chew on some mints
• Identify non-food triggers: a certain perfume, being a passenger not a driver in a car, flickering lights, computer screens- these are all things that can also trigger nausea so identify those and avoid
• Try ginger: many find relief from the anti-nausea power of ginger so try some ginger tea, munching some ginger chews, or a cold ginger ale
• Get comfy: wearing loose-fitting clothing can help decrease the pressure around the stomach lowering nausea
• Break up vitamins: prenatal vitamins can cause nausea so try cutting them in half and taking at 2 different meals of the day, take them at night, or take them when you can have the largest meal of the day