To Alleviate Morning Sickness: Start Here

First, let’s get this straight-whoever named it morning sickness, never had it.  Morning noon and night sickness?  Pregnant? Yeah.  Now we’re talking. 

Whether you are nauseous all the time but never actually throw up; can set an alarm by the times that you puke; have to dash to the nearest basin shaped vessel regularly; or have to be hospitalized, first trimester illness is really a thing.  And it really sucks. No matter how bad or “not bad” you have it, it impacts your life. So, congratulation mama, you are pregnant! And it can kick your booty.  First lesson of pregnancy, which translates to parenting-take care of mama.

The majority of pregnant women experience “morning sickness” at some level, which doesn’t mean you’re not special.  You are. If you’re sick you will probably be told that that is a good sign, and it is, it means that your hormones are focusing on what’s most important-making the baby.  What causes morning sickness?  There are many theories out there, and they’re nice…but they don’t help you prevent it.  Second lesson of  pregnancy and parenting?  There’s a lot that is completely and totally out of your control. Do the best that you can with what you’ve got, which is what compelled us to put this list together.

We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of hours with pregnant women and have compiled the following suggestions which might help get you through the first harrowing part of the journey of the miracle of being the original, and still by far the best, 3-D printer.  

Eat Early and Often

Maybe getting yourself a regimen is nature’s way of getting you used to regimens and you’ll be a get-your-baby-to-sleep pro.  You can always hope!  The truth is that being diligent about when and what you put in your mouth can absolutely help control what comes back up.  More tips:

• Keep a stash of some form of a really bland basic saltine or goldfish like crackers by your bed. Pop some in your mouth 15 minutes before you get up. Are you a jump right out of bed person?  Great, but not now.  Keep something to read by your bed.   Email?    We suggest something relaxing to start your day?  Just a thought.

• Keep little stashes of snacks nearby at all times. An empty stomach can actually cause nausea, so have snacks in your purse,  glove compartment, desk drawer etc.  it’s just another good parenting lesson-good practice for having snacks with you, oh, for the next 10 years?

• Here are some ideas for those stashes

• Raw almonds
• Lemon drops
• Protein balls
• The Good Bean Chickpea Snacks
• Mama’s nature candy bars
• Clove gum

• Ginger-why is ginger not on that list? Ginger is on everyone’s list, and all of us sucked on ginger candy when pregnant.  And ginger is great.  Use ginger in recipes. Do be careful and avoid supplements. the Mayo Clinic advises “herbal ginger supplements seem to alleviate morning sickness for some women and most research suggests that ginger can be used safely during pregnancy, but there's some concern that ginger may affect fetal sex hormones.”    Don’t hate us.  We’re just the messenger. 

• Breakfast? Liquids are good-how about a smoothie?
  • One of our faves is the double the milk milkshake. Potassium is good for you and for baby. eating a banana a day can give you a boost of energy when you’re feeling tired. So, yeah, one in the smoothie, one in the handbag and starting your day off right. 
  • Add some peanut butter? Oh yeah, pack some protein in there!  Toss some spinach in there.  Keep it interesting and change it up so you don’t get sick of breakfast!
  • Morning sickness smoothie has a few more ingredients and some moms say that easy in the morning is best, but this one gets a round of thumbs ups
  • Another easy one can be found here

• Drink fluids. Yes, we know, someone is sitting on your bladder, but staying hydrated is worth going to pee a million times a day. 10 glasses of water is recommended. This pregnancy thing is a temporary state. Try adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumber or a few mint leaves to mix it up. Tea and milk count even though they’re not water.  Pop those cups around your home and car and office and have one always within reach.

• Mint tea-yes. Chemically speaking, mint contains a high level of menthol. Menthol has a cooling, relaxing effect on receptors in the nose and tongue, which some folks find really helps and can be obtained at any coffee shop.

• Life gives you nausea, make lemonade. Store bought won’t do the trick. Sorry. Do this while your smoothie is blending? Half a tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and the juice from half a lemon in a glass of cold water.

• Small meals-as many meals between meals as you can manage is good. Fill them with protein and complex carbs, which take a while to turn into blood sugar and will, ideally, prevent spikes and drops that could leave you feeling sick. The NIH suggests snacking as often as every one to two hours throughout the day.

• Stay way from harder to digest food like legumes, whole grains and fibrous veggies(carrots-except when pureed kale, and broccoli)

• End the day protein as it releases energy slowly overnight, leaving you less weak and nauseous in the morning.

• Don’t judge your cravings. Slim Jims from the gas station?  We’re not advocating processed food,and there are more organic jerky options, but… one of us got a Christmas stocking filled with them when pregnant. Just that.

• Warm milk at night? A few more crackers? 

Mind over Matter

• Sorry, but, happily in this case, odds are that you do not have something in common with Duchess Kate after all, and you do not have hyperemesis gravidarum. If you can’t even keep down sips of water, call your doctor.  Your baby is fine even if you can’t eat, but if you can’t stay hydrated that is an issue. 

• One day at a time Take a page from 12 step books-.  Okay, sometimes one 5 minutes at a time.  Some moms find that this can be of assistance.  Can you get through the next 15 minutes?    Do that.  Nothing more.

• Let go of expectations. Generally speaking the misery ends between 12 and 14 weeks, but that is not a promise, so let go of expectations.   And then throw a party when you realize that you’ve made it through 24 hours without throwing up.

• Aromotherapy has not been proven to “work” but as we’ve established-we are all in favor of unproven things that don’t hurt and may work.  There may be some scents that send you straight to the basin-most folks will recommend that you stay away from those. (sorry, but,Duh.)
  • When at home, use a diffuser.
  • One trick to take with you is to go all Victorian, or country western--find a pretty hanky or grab a bandana and “aromaorize” it;
    • squeeze some fresh lemon juice on it or drop a few drops of essential oils on in and slip in in a zip lock bag in your pocketbook.
    • lavender and thyme are two aromatic plants that contain a high level of linalool and linalyl acetate — substances that have a calming effect on the mind and body.
    • peppermint oil can ease the pain.
  • Or just slice up some ginger and take a whiff. Even just the scent can help

• Do not be afraid of being a squeaky wheel-if you’re worried do not go online-call your doctor, midwife or find yourself a doula. In most cases, your morning sickness will not affect the health of your baby. That is a proven fact.  It is also a fact that we are mamas-and we want what’s best for our babes, so, we worry.  So talk to an expert-one that you trust and have a relationship with.

• Talk to people, it’s okay to complain, in fact, sometimes it’s good for you. One of the hardest things that some women tell us that they deal with is balancing the enormous gratitude of being pregnant, with the fact that they hate being pregnant-and no one wants to hear it. Talking to other moms can be helpful.   The minute someone starts telling you how bad their morning  sickness was, nip that in the bud “Oh, thank you for sharing, did you find anything to relieve your morning sickness?”  “Not really?    Okay, I think I hear my mother calling

• Hypnosis-Some people find that hypnosis helps. Is there any proof of that?    Can it hurt?  Nope. if nothing else it will give you some down time, which is anther thing that can help.

DeStress-and Apply Pressure

We’re in the 21^st century.  Avoiding stress is nice, but stress is reality.  Stressing over stress is not helpful. Stress can also even make nausea worse for some people. 

• Get plenty of rest, as this can help your body accept the changes.

• Get a massage

• Acupuncture helps some people

• It’s good for you and for baby and it does relieve stress, which can relive naseaua.  You can meditate any time any where.  Most moms find it easier with eyes closed, but you can leave your eyes open.  Just focus on your breathing. Find 5 minutes.  Or 7.  Can’t find that, then start small, one minute. Again, you’re worth it.  And these mini sessions can be used after baby is born too.

• Take a deep breath of fresh air

• Take a walk. Look up, yep, there’s the blue sky, see any trees? Flowers?  Pause for a second.

• Acupressure wristbands. Sea bands were created for the royal navy, and some people swear by them, and you can snatch them up at a pharmacy. Psi bands have received solid reviews as well. 

• Get some fresh air. Take a few deep breaths

• Heck, take more breaths-do yoga. yoga is a good way to relieve morning sickness, as it helps to relieve stress and take your mind off feelings of nausea.

• Some of the best poses for relieving morning sickness include:
• Child’s pose: To do child's pose, kneel on the mat and sit back onto your heels. Your toes should point together and your knees should be spread about shoulder-width apart. Lean over so your belly is resting against your thighs, then stretch your arms out in front of you and place your palms on the mat. Rest your forehead against the mat. Hold the pose for 1 to 3 minutes, inhaling deeply throughout.
• Seated forward bend: Sit on the mat with your legs extended in front of you and your feet together. Slowly bend forward at the waist, and try to rest your torso against your thighs. Stretch your arms forward, placing the palms of your hands on either side of your feet. Hold the pose for 1 to 3 minutes, inhaling deeply throughout.
• Pranayam: Sit on the yoga mat with your legs crossed and your back straight. Rest the back of your hands on your knees and open your palms. Hold this position for 5 to 10 minutes, keeping your eyes closed and focusing on your breathing.

Try one or all of these. We'd love to hear (hello@momstheword.com) what worked for you and let us add it if it's not here. The more we work together the better the journey will be. One of our not-first-time moms said this, and we share it “You can get through anything if you know it’s going to end.  This will end.  You get through it all.” 

Resources:

Our clients

Ourselves

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-food-lovers-guide-to-surviving-morning-sickness-200373

https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/12/06/morning-sickness-5-tips-for-coping

http://www.pregnancystatistics.org/content/morning-sickness-statistics.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Relieve-Morning-Sickness-Naturally

https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/morning-sickness/

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/home-remedies/7-natural-remedies-for-morning-sickness/view-all/

http://www.mrptny.com/meditation-for-busy-moms-5-easy-steps/