17 Tips for Dealing with Morning Sickness
You’ve performed a pregnancy test at home and found that a new bundle of joy is on the way. There isn’t a better time to be more excited!
Having babies is fun. But at the same time, being pregnant can be a nightmare, especially when morning sickness comes knocking. Although it does no harm to your unborn child, the effects can be really unpleasant.
So what does morning sickness feel like? Well, some of the most common morning sickness symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches, queasiness, general body weakness, and in some cases, weight loss.
Although each pregnancy is different, a good percentage of women experience morning sickness every single day in a row during the first trimester. And although its cause is not known for sure, researchers link it to the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as dehydration are also possible culprits.
On the bright side, morning sickness usually clears up by the 16th to 20th week of pregnancy or even earlier.
That being said, lets delve into some of the best ways on how you can deal with morning sickness.
Tips for Dealing with Morning Sickness
- Eat Small, Frequent Meals
An empty stomach will only aggravate your morning sickness symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. You will also end up feeling a little queasy and out of energy.
A good idea is to nibble on snacks, especially those that are dry and bland. Carbohydrate-rich snacks have especially been found to be helpful in keeping nausea at bay. Bread crackers, dry toast, plain crisps, and breadsticks are an excellent choice.
- Drink Plenty of Fluids
Even if drinking water makes you feel a little bit nauseas, try to drink as much as you can for the sake of your unborn child. Dehydration has been found to increase the risk of preterm labor.
If you don’t feel like taking plain water, you can still add some flavor to it. Like you can add a few fruit slices to the glass. Be sure to drink in small sips. Otherwise large sips will only make you vomit.
- Go for Cold Foods
Hot foods tend to give off stronger odors compared to cold ones, which might make your sickness worse.
Go for cold foods such as yogurt, fruit & vegetable salads, cold soups, including others.
- Avoid Spicy and Greasy Foods
Try as much as you can to avoid spicy, fatty or fried foods as they will only trigger nausea and vomiting. Stick to bland, simple foods during this period.
- Sniff Lemons
Feeling nauseated? Well, a lemon could do the trick!
Just cut a lemon in half and sniff it. It will help to ease your nausea any time.
You can even add some lemon slices to your tea or water. It will keep the symptoms down all day long.
- An Orange Can Help Too
The sweet flavor and cool feeling on your mouth will without a doubt make you feel less nauseated. Just like lemons, oranges do a great job warding off morning sickness.
Always have an orange with you, more so in the morning and when traveling.
- Avoid your Triggers
What makes you feel like puking the moment you see or smell it? What’s that perfume or odor that makes you feel queasy?
Well, avoiding your triggers is one step towards managing morning sickness. If fried chicken or raw garlic makes you sick, then avoid them at all cost. You can even find someone to cook meals for you if the smells are too much.
Also, get rid of all perfumes and unscented bathing soaps. Everything that makes you feel sick should be eliminated until at least the end of your first trimester.
- Try Ginger- A Natural Remedy that Really Works
When used in moderation, ginger can help alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness such as nausea and vomiting.
Actually, ginger has for decades been used to relieve mild nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and for motion sickness.
Make ginger tea by grating raw ginger root into hot water. You can as well use ginger capsules, tablets or syrup.
- Satisfy your Cravings
Pregnancy cravings are normal. So don’t hold yourself back. As long as what you’re craving won’t pose a risk to your baby, then go for it.
They might calm your queasy stomach and make you feel less nauseated.
- Summer can be tough- Air-Condition your Room
The heat, excess humidity, and stale air during summer can make your symptoms worse. Try to stay in an air-conditioned room. Also, the outside air will do you a lot of good.
You can practice deep breathing and yoga during summer to prevent the heat from aggravating your symptoms.
- Get Plenty of Rest
Fatigue aggravates morning sickness, especially nausea.
Whenever you get the chance, try to get some rest, even if it’s taking an afternoon nap.
- Reduce your Stress
Research indicates that stress hormones exacerbate nausea symptoms. Besides making your nausea worse, stress can be problematic for you and your child.
Relieve your stress by practicing meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and engaging in simple exercises.
- Avoid Tight Clothing
Tight clothing, especially pants with tight waistbands can make your sickness much worse.
Try to stay as comfortable as possible by wearing loose, comfortable clothing. You can as well try a pregnancy belly band which won’t feel tight.
- Try Complementary Therapy
Complementary therapy does help heal the body and the mind. Some therapies such as aromatherapy, reflexology, and acupuncture can help you deal with morning sickness.
Ask for recommendations on a qualified therapist in your area.
- Adjust your Computer Brightness
You might want to consider adjusting your computer’s brightness because it might be making your nausea worse especially due to eye strain. Undetectable strobe effect might also be a culprit.
- Distract Yourself
Morning sickness symptoms will only get worse if you keep your mind on it.
Although symptoms like nausea and vomiting are not easy to ignore, it would help if take your mind off it just for a while. One incredible way to distract yourself is by exercising, taking short walks, reading a book, and many more.
- See a Doctor if things Get Worse
Although morning sickness is commonly caused by hormonal fluctuations, a more serious problem could be the culprit. UTIs have also been found to cause nausea and vomiting.
Be sure to have a doctor examine you as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Morning sickness doesn’t have to be tough on you as there are many ways to hold it down. As you await your sweet angel, be sure to use these incredible tips for dealing with morning sickness. You won’t even notice the first trimester coming to an end!
 | About the Author: I am Lily Hayes, a writer and teacher by profession who firmly believes that motherhood is the fulfilling experience we can ever have in this world and founder of TheBabyLands.com. I have spent years being an expert in what I do. I love my job immensely because I love to share and create things that will have a big impact on people. In fact, I have already written various e-books about self-development and parenting. Follow me on Twitter @TheBabyLandsCom
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