Nausea. Queasiness. Upset stomach. A dizzy, seasick feeling. Vomiting. Taste and smell aversions. And just generally feeling like laying on the couch and staying under the covers all day.
If you’re like roughly 70% of women, this will describe what you’ll probably be feeling starting at around the sixth week of pregnancy. It’s commonly (and famously) known as morning sickness.
If this isn’t your first time through it, you know that calling it morning sickness is super misleading. That’s because for many women, morning sickness doesn’t just happen in the morning. It can happen in the afternoon, evening, overnight, or last all day long.
There’s nothing fun about morning sickness. During this time, you may find that you start to dislike your favorite foods. You may be sidelined from certain activities so you can rest at home. You may even have to take a sick day or two when you’re in the worst of it.
But there is some good news.
First and foremost, morning sickness won’t last forever! For most moms, morning sickness starts to go away toward the end of the first trimester and beginning of the second trimester. That means there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and before you know it, you’ll be back to getting off the couch and eating the foods you love again.
There are a number of possible causes for morning sickness and reasons why it can get stirred up – which we’ll cover in another piece. But here, we wanted to share a few helpful and inexpensive tips to get you through those tough first weeks of pregnancy and CONQUER YOUR MORNING SICKNESS!
Disclaimer time… please note that these tips aren’t the “end all, be all” to cure morning sickness, and these may not work or be right for all women. You should always check with your doctor before making changes to your diet or taking any supplements. Your doctor is there to take care of YOU and YOUR BABY – so don’t be scared to ask questions.
- Keep Drinking Water
We know this one seems obvious, but seriously, drinking water helps. And we aren’t talking about a small glass. Drink A LOT of water. Some recommend up to eight glasses per day.
How do you get that much water in? Always, always, always have a water bottle on you. Take it to the grocery store. Take it to work. Take it wherever you go. And set a goal for drinking through it as often as you can.
Want to make it more fun? Find a new water bottle to carry around. You can find reusable water bottles at almost every price point.
We know it can be hard to drink a lot of water, especially when your stomach doesn’t want anything to do with it. But whatever you need to do to get water in – DO IT. It’ll help.
2. Breakfast in Bed
Okay, you’re likely not going to be requesting bacon and eggs, but having some saltine crackers or small snacks on your nightstand to munch on while you’re waking up may help you get going in the morning. Also, skip the coffee when you wake up. Start with the basics, like water or something with bubbles in it to help calm your stomach (like ginger ale or sparkling water).
Keep in mind that getting up too quickly can sometimes make the nausea worse. So relax. Get something in your system. And take your time in the morning – even if it means setting that alarm to go off a little bit earlier.
3. Buy a New Bracelet
These bracelets aren’t going to set any fashion trends. But hey, if they work for you, who cares what they look like?!
Sea-Band bracelets, and similar products, put light pressure on your wrist to help relieve some of the nauseating, seasickness feeling. They are normally less than $10 or $15 and can be found in most pharmacies or drug stores. Here they are at Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS.
4. Embrace All Things Ginger
Ginger ale. Ginger tea. Ginger candies. Ginger snaps. Gingerbread.
However you need to eat it, ginger is a long-time favorite remedy to ease nausea and an upset stomach. Just be sure that whatever you choose contains the real stuff – that’s what’ll really make a difference.
Ginger tea is a great way to start off the morning and may help you make the all-important first step out of bed. It’s also pretty inexpensive – you can normally buy a box for under $10. Ginger ale is also a great option to pick up when you would normally go for a soda. And eating snacks with ginger in them throughout the day may help keep some food in your system and calm down your stomach.
5. Have a Snack… or Two… or Three
How often is snacking a recommendation?
Now, you need to try to keep it healthy, but having little snacks throughout the day may help relieve your upset stomach. Some crackers, nuts, trail mix, pretzels, peanut butter crackers, and dried fruit should do the trick.
Your doctor will likely recommend avoiding lots of sugar, so don’t be reaching for a candy bar. And don’t overdo it either – having too much to eat may actually backfire on you. So keep it light, keep it healthy, and keep it at arm’s reach.
6. A Nap a Day Keeps the Nausea Away
If you can manage it, taking a nap can help keep you relaxed – which in turn, could help your nausea.
Take advantage of this time, put on some yoga pants, and cuddle up with a warm blanket. I know there’s a lot running through your head right now – but try to relax and keep a positive attitude. You’re going to be an AWESOME mom, so treat yourself to a nap while you can!
These are only a few of the many remedies for morning sickness. Your doctor may be able to recommend some vitamins or other medicine to help you if all else fails.
Just remember, this will likely pass soon. A little sickness now means that your body is adjusting and your baby is growing. And like so many other moms, YOU TOO CAN CONQUER MORNING SICKNESS!
Do you have other tips on conquering morning sickness? Have a question or topic you want us to cover? Share what worked for you with the Health for Her community in the comments!
