8 Ways to Beat Morning Sickness
Has pregnancy morning sickness got you down? Not to worry – here are some super morning sickness solutions that can help!
Ever since a blossoming, pregnant Lucy Ricardo announced to the television world that she was “nauseous”, morning sickness came bounding out of the closet and into our everyday vocabulary. Still, one of the biggest misnomers is that it occurs only in the mornings! As any pregnant woman can tell you, morning sickness can actually come on almost anytime, day or night. The good news is doctors say it can be a sign of a healthy pregnancy – and usually disappears by the 13th week. In the meantime, you can control morning sickness with these hints and tips:
Switch prenatal vitamins – or the time you take them. The high iron content in most can turn on the nausea switch and induce morning sickness. Try a low-iron or no-iron formula in the first trimester when needs are lowest. Sometimes switching brands can also help – so can taking your vitamins late in the day. Also, skip the water and instead smother your vitamin pill in a spoonful of pudding or applesauce.
Eat crackers in bed. Try a dry, high carbohydrate snack, such as crackers or toast, eaten twenty to thirty minutes before you get out of bed, and avoid drinking any liquids, particularly water. This can help keep morning sickness from developing.
Never go to bed hungry. To avoid morning sickness, avoid sugary, high carb snacks late at night, since they can cause a drop in blood sugar which precipitates morning nausea. Instead, snack on high protein foods like hard-boiled eggs, cheese, or yogurt.
Eat ginger. Because it’s not just an old wives tale! Medical studies now show that eating or drinking anything containing ginger can quell morning sickness. Natural ginger is best – as a tea or sprinkled over a dessert – but also try ginger ale, ginger snaps, or talk to your doctor about ginger capsules.
Massage your pressure points. Putting pressure on what Chinese medicine experts call the “P6 Nei Guan” nerve located on the underside of the arm about 2 inches above the wrist, can help reduce morning sickness. Stimulate it by putting the pressure on it, using two fingers or the thumb of your opposite hand. You can also invest in a seasickness wristband, which stimulates the anti-nausea point automatically. In one medical study, 70 percent of the pregnant women suffering with morning sickness found it offered relief!
Rise and Shine… Slowly. When you do get up – whether it be in the morning or after a nap – do so slowly. Rising too quickly can throw off equilibrium and contribute to the queasies.
Use Aromatherapy. Although certain smells can trigger nausea, others can stop it. To combat offensive odors anytime, anywhere, douse a hankie scented with essential oils of peppermint and lavender, and keep it in a plastic bag inside your handbag. At the first hint of nausea, hold the hankie over your nose and inhale once or twice.
Avoid common nausea triggers. Including the smell of meat, fish, poultry, greasy or fatty foods, coffee, onions, garlic and pungent spices. Also don’t overlook cleaning or workplace chemicals, perfume, heat, humidity, noise, motion (like riding in an elevator or on a subway) or even a flickering computer screen as potential nausea triggers.
Excerpted from Your Perfectly Pampered Pregnancy by Colette Bouchez pamperingmom.com
