Morning Sickness Survival Tips

By Carrie Lauth

"Just eat a few saltines and you'll be ok".

I don't know about you, but as someone who suffered withprolonged, severe morning sickness (which I affectionately call morningnoon and night sickness), when I hear someone say this, I just want toslug them!

If you're suffering with nausea and vomiting ofpregnancy, you're not alone. Most women experience it to some degreeduring their first trimester. If you're one of the unfortunate fewwhose symptoms last longer than the typical 6-12 weeks, I empathize.I've had the same experience with all 4 of my pregnancies. I havelearned a few things that helped however, and I hope you can get somerelief with these tips.

1) Getting your blood sugar regulated is priority #1.

One theory about why morning sickness is worse in themorning (and for some women only occurs then) is because when you wakeup from sleep, you have low blood sugar. For some pregnant woman, going8 hours without food is just a bad idea.

You might find it helpful to eat a high protein snackbefore bed, and even to eat a bite each time you get up in the night togo to the bathroom. (Which in the beginning may be quite frequent!)

Personally, I found that what I did first thing in themorning was of paramount importance. I had to eat a few bites of food*while still lying down*. So I either put some food on a plate besidemy bed or asked my husband bring me a snack first thing in the morning.

Don't jump out of bed. Eat your snack slowly and liestill for a few minutes afterwards. Then slowly get up and immediatelygo to the kitchen and eat another bite. Again, emphasize protein.

2) Avoid foods that cause rapid blood sugar shifts.

Fruit juice, sugary snacks, processed cereal (the kindthat comes in a box), anything made with white flour, etc...these typesof foods cause your blood sugar to rapidly rise then come crashingdown, triggering nausea and vomiting. Eat protein foods and wholefoods.

Meat, cheese, yogurt (be careful here- try plain yogurtwith frozen berries mixed in. Most yogurt has way too much sugar init.), eggs, nuts, nut butters, veggies, and whole grains should be yourstaples.

Even if eating doesn't appeal to you, coaxing yourselfto eat a little bit of a protein food every 2 hours will help preventvomiting. Don't leave the house without carrying a snack with you.

3) If drinking water makes you sicker, try thesealternatives.

It's very important that you stay hydrated. You're goingto need extra fluids to support the pregnancy, but many women find thatdrinking water makes them more nauseated. Some things to try:

Smoothies made with fruit, ice and plain yogurt orkefir. The tangy flavor of these two dairy products really hit the spotfor me. They also sneak in some extra protein.

Water served VERY cold with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Carbonated water with a small amount of fruit juice forflavor.

Weakly brewed iced or hot tea with lemon. The small bitof caffeine won't harm your baby. Something about the bitter tannins intea may help ease nausea.

Citrus fruits and melons.

4) Avoid nausea triggers as much as possible.

Your nose is on hyperdrive during early pregnancy!

Stinky smells like poopy diapers, kitchen trash, evenmorning breath may be impossible to totally avoid, but try your best toavoid smelly situations.

Have someone else take out the trash. Have hubby changeyour toddler when he's home. It's the least he can do!

And don't be shy about telling someone who has badbreath, noxious perfume or cigarette smells on them that you're in adelicate condition and need some fresh air. During my pregnancies, myhusband had to switch to unscented deodorant and soap, otherwise Icouldn't hug him!

If cooking smells make you ill, take a break from yourusual garlic and onion specialties. Don't be a martyr. Hubby willunderstand that you can't make his favorite sausage and peppers for awhile.

Prepare meals that won't stink up the kitchen. Greenmain dish salads with cold, cut up chicken, steak or hard boiled eggs.Sandwiches are good too.

5) Try Aromatherapy

Put a couple of drops of lavender, mint or lemonessential oil (these oils are generally regarded as safe to use duringpregnancy) on cotton balls and keep these in various locations... thekitchen, bathroom, your purse and in the car. Take a whiff when youfeel sick. Put a few drops on your pillow.

6) Take it easy- but don't forget exercise

I know, I know... exercise is the last thing you want todo when you can hardly get your face out of the toilet! But if youforce yourself to take even a ten minute walk outside every day, itWILL help.

But do try to take it easy, avoid stress as much aspossible, and rest as much as you can. You're doing the very importantjob of growing a baby. Explain to your other children why you'refeeling poorly and that it won't last forever. Call in favors and askfriends to come over to play with your 2 year old for an hour so youcan sleep, or ask them to cook extra when they make dinner tonight andbring you a dish.

When you feel a bout of nausea coming on, try to laydown for a few minutes in a dark room with your eyes closed. Sometimesif you do this the episode will pass.

7) Focus on the positive

Sometimes when you're so miserable it's easy to forgetwhat's making you so sick! Remember that statistically, women whoexperience nausea and vomiting of pregnancy are more likely to carrythe pregnancy to term.

One of my midwives told me that she always worries whena Mom comes in for her first prenatal feeling wonderful...the chancesof her miscarrying are higher.

So rejoice in your strong hormones! Read pregnancymagazines, birth stories on the Internet, look through maternityclothing catalogs, do whatever you need to do to cheer yourself up andget yourself in the mood for a new baby.

8) More Misc. Tips

Try eating candied ginger or sipping ginger tea. I foundginger in capsules to be too harsh and they hurt terribly if they didcome back up.

Brewer's yeast capsules work for some Moms.

Try sucking on lemon slices when you're feeling a waveof nausea.

Sip mint tea or chew mint gum to help dry up excessivesalivating that may trigger nausea.

If you have trouble brushing your teeth due to anoveractive gag reflex, switch to using baking soda for awhile. Thefoaming of regular toothpaste may be too much. And brush your teeth inshifts if you need to... first the top teeth, then a few minutes laterthe bottom teeth, then your tongue, etc.

Avoid getting overheated or chilled. Extremes intemperature can trigger vomiting.

Try Sea-Bands, available at large drug stores. They'redesigned for motion sickness but helps some pregnant women.

Go with your cravings, within reason. For some reason,pizza and Taco Bell always hit the spot during my pregnancies.

Clean the toilet daily, even if it's the only householdchore you can do right now. Better yet, have someone else do it. Andwear your hair up for awhile. If you're going to be throwing up, atleast you will have your hair out of the way and a clean bowl to hug!

About the Author

Carrie Lauth, mom of 4, publishes a free newsletter forMoms doing things the natural way. Get your copy plus free subscribergoodies at: http://www.natural-moms.com/natural_mom_newsletter.html