Morning Sickness
Don’t let the name fool you, morning sickness can hit at any time of day. You can blame pregnancy hormones for this. It can be uncomfortable and make it difficult to do everyday things. If you are experiencing “morning” sickness, try these few things to take the edge off.
1. Ginger chews- Ginger anything really. Tea, tincture, raw. However you can consume it, ginger is your friend. I would not suggest ginger ale though as it is mostly sugar and does not actually contain real ginger. Instead try ginger beer, which gives you the refreshing bubbly sweetness and the added benefit of real ginger.
2. Peppermint- I preferred using peppermint essential oil myself. When the heaving comes on, take a whiff of peppermint oil, which can quickly calm it down. You can also get peppermint oil in a rollerball and use it as a perfume so it is readily available to use.
3. Sea bands- You can find these in pretty much any drug store. They are a soft wrist band with a little ball that holds pressure on a spot on your wrist that helps to keep nausea at bay. As the name suggests, these are generally used for people who experience sea sickness, but they serve as a great morning sickness remedy too!
4. Take prenatal vitamins on a full stomach- Even if it is just something small. Swallowing a pill on an empty stomach still tricks your stomach into thinking it just ate, activating stomach acid to do its job, and therefore making you nauseous.
5. Don’t be hungry- While the thought of food may make you want to up chuck, it feels even worse on an empty stomach. As I mentioned above, an empty stomach could be part of the reason you're nauseous. While it is especially important to be eating all your fruits and veggies during pregnancy, it’s more important that your growing baby is getting fed. Take advantage of being able to eat like a kid again! Mac and cheese, fries, milkshakes! Do what you gotta do!
If your morning sickness does not subside after the first trimester, and you are experiencing constant vomiting, you may be experiencing something called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). This can be a serious condition and should be discussed with your healthcare provider. (I will go more into this next week).
