PC: American Pregnancy Association
Morning sickness? More like all day sickness... it can definitely strike at any hour. For most pregnant women it begins around week 6 but the good news is it often completely subsides by the early to mid 2nd trimester. Anyone that has experienced morning sickness knows that it is NO picnic so we're here to help. Give these remedies a try:-
Eat several small meals/snacks throughout the day. I know eating may be the last thing you want to do but this can be a game changer!
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Wear PSI bands on your wrists. You know, those snazzy little exercise band look-a-likes that people wear to prevent motion sickness? Yep, those.
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Keep crackers on your nightstand and eat a few first thing in the morning before you attempt to move.
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Eat/drink some ginger. You can buy candied ginger (try looking at the health food store), ginger tea, ginger ale (just make sure it contains real ginger...some surprisingly do not), or you can just gnaw on raw ginger root throughout the day (find it in the produce section of the grocery store).
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Take vitamin B-6 along with Unisom tablets. ***Always consult your doctor for dosage and before taking any medications/supplements during pregnancy.***
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Take your prenatal vitamin right before you fall asleep and you'll be more likely to keep it down.
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Try a different brand of prenatal. For me, some brands actually made me less nauseous than others.
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Have an Ensure Plus shake (find them next to the nutrition bars at the grocery store). It might be the protein that helps it stay down and keeps you from feeling so nauseous, or maybe it's silky texture. Whatever it is, it'll help you get some much needed nutrients.
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Try something cold. I don't know if it numbs your poor stomach or what, but eating/drinking cold things seems to help. For a bonus try sucking on pebbled ice--it will help keep you hydrated when you've probably lost a lot of fluid and it's easier to keep down than if you were to down a glass of water.
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Make sure to get enough sleep. It's totally okay to be a little grandma-ish and hit the sack early or to take a nap during the day. Being tired seems to make the nausea worse.
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Give peppermint a try. You can chew some gum, sniff peppermint oil, or keep some mints handy to suck on throughout the day.
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TMI Warning... eat food that isn't as nasty if it does come back up. My personal favorite? Strawberries. If you're currently nauseous I'd suggest you just skip over these next couple lines.... Make sure that you also chew your food REALLY well. I had an artichoke quiche once...let's just say it was NOT fun when those pieces of artichoke made their 2nd appearance.
- Talk to your doctor. If symptoms are debilitating there are prescription medications you can try. It is also important that your doctor knows the severity of your symptoms in case further medical interventions are necessary.
Above all, know that even if you can't find relief from your morning sickness that you are doing an amazing thing by carrying this child and that it will be so worth it! Oh my, SO worth it!
*It is important to note that not every remedy will work for every person so it's best to try a variety of these relief tactics to see what's best for you*
XOXO,
Written by: Natalie Gubler