It’s no secret that pregnancy is tough. There are so many symptoms and issues in each trimester, but the one that leaves the biggest impression with many moms is the dreaded morning sickness. I suffered with it with both my pregnancies, so today I want to share some tricks I learned along the way to ease morning sickness.
Read on for some of my best tricks to ease morning sickness!
Morning sickness can be different with each pregnancy
With my son, I didn’t start experiencing morning sickness until around six weeks and it lasted until about fourteen weeks. But I’m currently nineteen weeks pregnant with our second baby, and it’s still coming on strong. Oh, and did I mention that I started feeling sick before I even knew I was pregnant this go around? Yeah, tell me about it.
Since it’s so different this time, many people tell me that they think I’m having a girl. (We aren’t finding out the gender). But other people tell me that they experienced morning sickness differently with babies of the same gender.
The point is that I wasn’t prepared for how much worse my morning sickness was this time around. So if you’re planning on conceiving your second (or third, etc.) baby, be warned that you may have to change up your tactics to ease morning sickness.
Oh, and don’t forget the term “morning sickness” is a big, fat lie, and it’s actually “anytime-of-the-day sickness.”
With my first, I was sick mostly mid-morning and, in later weeks, right before bed. With my second baby, I’ve been sick basically all the time. Morning. Afternoon. Middle of the night. So be prepared!
Here are the things that help me not feel like puking 24/7:
Eat small meals and snacks.
I know, this is the last thing you feel like doing when you feel nauseous or spend time with your head over the toilet, but one of the nurses at my OB’s office suggested I eat small meals and snacks often throughout the day instead of three bigger meals. This leaves less in your stomach and doesn’t give you that full feeling that can lead to losing your breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Instead of saltines, reach for a protein.
We pregnant ladies always hear that saltines are the best thing to ease morning sickness, but the same angel-nurse told me to have some protein and fruits or veggies instead. I was a little skeptical, but oh my goodness! Eating protein helped so much more than bland crackers! When a wave of nausea hits you out of nowhere, eat a handful of almonds, cheese and fruit, or peanut butter and apple slices. Believe me, it works wonders.
Keep the ginger handy.
I know everyone says to ease morning sickness by drinking ginger ale, but have you tried ginger candy? Sucking on a piece of ginger candy really helped me when I didn’t have any ginger ale on hand.
Try nausea bands.
Some people are skeptical about the effectiveness of nausea or “sea” bands, but I found them to be incredibly helpful, even if it was just all in my head. They aren’t very expensive; I think I got mine on Amazon for under $15. Basically, they sit on pressure points on the inside of your wrists and supposedly those pressure points relieve nausea. I’m not well-versed in that field, but I can say that they seemed to help east my morning sickness.
Drink some lemon water.
It’s incredibly important to stay hydrated while pregnant, especially if you’re throwing up often. I find it hard to make myself drink enough water, but lemon really seems to make it go down easier. Depending on your pregnancy aversions, this may not work for you, but it helps me a lot. You can either squeeze lemon juice into your water bottle, add sliced lemons to your glass, or add a few drops of lemon essential oil to your water. If using essential oils, please make sure they are of high quality and are 100 percent pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils, and use a glass or stainless steel water bottle. (Citrus essential oil will eat away at plastic).
Sniff some peppermint.
Again, this one depends on what pregnancy aversions you experience, but many women find the smell and taste of peppermint helps ease morning sickness. I enjoy diffusing peppermint essential oil (and I add it to my water, too). Other mothers-to-be with green thumbs like to keep a peppermint plant and crush the leaves or add them to water.
I hope the tricks help ease morning sickness for you, mama! Remember, if you have a really hard time keeping any food down at all, please make sure to discuss it with your doctor. You absolutely want to make sure your baby is getting the nutrients he or she needs. Oh, and if you’re expecting, don’t forget to check out the other pregnancy essentials you might need. Good luck!
