Managing Morning Sickness
Even though that nagging feeling of nausea (and the vomiting that sometimes accompanies it) is commonly known as "morning sickness," it can occur at anytime of the day. Morning sickness is a very normal part of pregnancy, and its severity differs from woman to woman. It is thought to simply be a side effect of hormonal changes, particularly the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and the change in estrogen. A Woman's lifestyle can also affect the severity with which she experiences morning sickness. Women who do not get enough rest or are under more stress may experience more severe morning sickness. Though the experience differs greatly from woman to woman, for most, morning sickness begins in the fifth to sixth week from the first day of the last menstrual period (about the third week of pregnancy). For most women, morning sickness begins to subside at around fourteen to sixteen weeks.
Follow these suggestions to help decrease your symptoms of nausea and vomiting:
- Stay away from foods with strong odors or flavors that may trigger nausea. Women who are pregnant sometimes find that they have an exaggerated sense of smell, which makes common odors seem unappealing.
- Keep your kitchen well ventilated during cooking and meal times.
- Let someone else do the cooking for you.
- Go easy on spicy foods, such as those cooked with pepper, hot chili peppers, and garlic.
- Before getting out of bed in the morning, eat a starchy food such as dry crackers, graham crackers, melba toast, dry toast, pretzels, or dry cereal to help absorb and neutralize stomach acid. Carbohydrate-rich foods can help to slowly elevate your blood-sugar levels and help prevent symptoms of nausea.
- Get up out of bed slowly. Abruptly standing up from a prone position can increase feelings of dizziness and nausea.
- Instead of three large meals, eat five to six small meals or snacks per day every two to three hours. Don't allow yourself to become hungry. Nibble on carbohydrate-rich foods such as crackers, dry cereal, pretzels, and rice cakes.
- Drink beverages between meals, not with meals, and stay well hydrated.
- Limit fried, greasy, and other high-fat foods that may be hard to digest. Stick to easy-to-digest foods such as plain pasta, potatoes, rice, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, poultry, and eggs.
- Eat your meals and snacks slowly.
- Before going to bed at night, eat a light snack such as peanut butter on bread and a glass of milk, yogurt, or cereal.
- Try beverages that may help settle a queasy stomach such as lemon or ginger tea, ginger ale, lemonade, peppermint tea, or water with a slice of lemon.
- Experiment with beverages. Some women do better with hot liquids, while others do better with cold.
- Choose foods that agree with you, and stay away from those that don't. Even if they aren't perfectly nutritious, it is better to get something in. If the problem persists, though, and you have a hard time eating nutritious foods for long periods of time, speak to your doctor and a dietitian.
- Take advantage of the times that you do feel good, and eat nutritious foods then, while you have the chance.
- Iron supplements and prenatal vitamins can sometimes intensify nausea. Make sure to take them with food. Do not stop taking them if you find they are adding to your nausea! Speak with your doctor first.
- Some women find relief by sucking on "fireballs," those intense cinnamon jawbreakers.
- Speak with your family and explain how important their support is for you during this time.