Most pregnant women suffer from morning sickness. You don’t have to be one of them…
According to various researches, between 50-80 percent of pregnant women suffer from morning sickness. It is probably one of the most notorious difficulties of pregnancy, and for many women it is one of the main concerns about it.
It seems that the name “morning sickness” says it all- it is a feeling of nausea that pregnant women might feel, which often leads to vomiting. But unlike its name, morning sickness may actually occur not only in the morning, but all around the clock, even in the middle of the day. They usually begin on the 6th week of the pregnancy and last until the 12th. This means that morning sicknesses might become a regular visitor for the most of your first trimester…
How to Overcome Morning Sickness
It is a shame that many pregnant women are not aware of the fact that they don’t have to suffer from morning sickness. There are many natural ways to relief the severity of morning sicknesses, and even vanish it completely. Below are some of them.
Small Meals
Small meals are probably one of the main secrets of decreasing morning sickness to the possible minimum. By having small meals your stomach will neither be completely full nor empty – two of the main reasons which lead to morning sickness. Therefore, having 5-6 small meals throughout the day rather than 2-3 big ones might make a world of difference for you…
Trust Your Nose
When pregnant, smells of different foods might make you feel bad or nauseated, even if you enjoyed them before your pregnancy. Some of the common foods which may lead to morning sickness are garlic, onion, spicy food, foods with monosodium glutamate and others. Exclude those foods from your diet while pregnant, at least for the first trimester, since they might worsen morning sickness.
Trust Your Nose Yet Again
Just like the smell of some foods might make you feel bad while pregnant, some might actually make you feel better and ease the feeling of sickness and nausea. Some of the scents which are known as morning sickness relievers are the scents of fresh lemon, mint or peppermint, ginger and others.
Ginger
In addition to its scent, ginger is a known morning sickness reliever. Try having some ginger biscuits, ginger candies, tiny bites of fresh ginger and ginger tea. Note that for many women too much ginger may cause heartburn, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal side effects. Therefore, experiment with the right amount of ginger for you. Recent studies have shown that up to 1000 mg of ginger per day (1 gram) is highly unlikely to cause any of those side effects. If you feel the need for more ginger, carefully increase your daily amount of ginger to the amount which will ease your morning sickness but at the same time won’t cause you any uneasiness.
Hot and Humid Places
Hot and/or humid places increase the feeling of nausea and sickness. Avoid places such as small, crowded and hot rooms, places with no proper ventilation or air conditioning, and even walks in hot days. Instead, try staying in ventilated cool places, with plenty of fresh air.
Rest
Have plenty of rest. The more you rest, the better your morning sickness will be. So have plenty of rest during nighttime and daytime, and take the time in getting out of bed. And hey, morning sickness or no morning sickness – you deserve this rest!
Sea Bands
Sea bands are special bands worn on the wrist, which puts pressure on acupressure points that are believed to help in reducing nausea and sickness feelings. Many people find them useful to overcome or avoid motion sickness, and many pregnant women also find them useful to overcome morning sickness.
Change your Multivitamins (or the way you take them)
If you are taking multivitamins or mineral pills you might want to consider changing the brand you are using, since they might cause or increase your morning sickness. Another option is to take the pills in different time than you used to, since certain pills might cause sickness in different times. Try taking them just before or during your meal – it will improve the way your body digest the pill and absorb the vitamins and minerals it contains.
Consult with Your Mother or Grandmother
Consulting with the elder and experienced is always a smart move, but in the case of morning sickness it has an even greater significance – morning sickness is genetic, which means that if you suffer from it, there is a high chance that your mother and grandmother suffered from it as well. It also means that what helped them might also help you…
Caffeine
Many studies proved that caffeine makes morning sickness worse. Alongside the fact that too much caffeine might also have negative implications on the fetus, it seems that keeping caffeine level at a minimum is the right move.
* It is important to mention that the amount of coffee for pregnant women which is considered safe is up to 2 cups per day.
Consult with an Expert
It is important to keep your physician and nutritionist informed about your morning sicknesses, its severity and frequency. They can help you build a menu which will help reducing your morning sicknesses, not to mention that it is important to keep them informed on your health when pregnant in case that your morning sickness will get worse and you will need medical assistance.
