The most commonly known and unfortunate side effect of pregnancy is morning sickness (though I think it should be renamed as all-day sickness because it’s definitely not limited to the AM). Some women experience it on a much more intense level than others, but no matter how intense or mild it is it’s extremely unlikely that you won’t experience it sometime during your pregnancy.
The worst part; EVERYTHING triggers it.
Every smell in the air that your extra-sensitive nose picks up, eating your favorite food that you suddenly can’t keep down, thinking about anything remotely yucky, even just an empty stomach. Luckily, there are ways to combat it
1. Essential Oils
When I was in my first trimester my nose was my worst enemy. One whiff of something my brain decided I had an aversion to and I would be going straight to the bathroom to puke. One time I smelled the fridge and threw up before I made it out of the kitchen. At least I made it to the sink! Anyway, every little smell made me feel nauseous, and grocery shopping was AWFUL.
Luckily, your nose can also be a tool to fight it. Sniffing certain essential oils when a wave of nausea comes on can help diminish the feeling and keep you from throwing up. You can go buy essential oils for yourself, or find oil rollers specifically designed for morning sickness. Personally I think it’s more cost effective to buy the pre-mixed essential oil rollers designed for nausea relief. I loved this one from Walmart when I was pregnant, it smells amazing, helps a lot with the nausea, and only costs $5!
If you’d prefer to use your own oils or purchase the oils separately, the best ones to use are:
- Peppermint
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Ginger
2. Tea
Some herbal teas have a calming effect on the stomach and can reduce the feeling of sickness when it comes. Here are the most common teas that can help you out.
- Ginger Tea – While it’s strong in flavor, plain ginger tea IMMEDIATELY got rid of my upset stomach anytime a wave of nausea would hit. I used it when I was feeling really sick and kept a cup nearby to take a few sips anytime a wave would hit. I highly recommend heading to your nearest grocery store and buying a box. Any brand is fine.
- Peppermint Tea – I personally didn’t drink peppermint tea because I’m not a fan of the flavor, but lots of people love it and it’s commonly used to help with stomach pain and nausea
- Green Tea – Green tea is like a chill pill for your stomach. It’s filled with antioxidants that help calm it down kick out the nausea. The only thing with green tea is that it has caffeine so you should limit yourself to a few cups a day. Generally, the rule of thumb regarding caffeine during pregnancy is limit yourself to 200mg a day so if you’re going to use green tea for your stomach keep that in mind.
3. Acupressure Wristbands
Did you know they make wristbands to help with nausea?? Crazy right? The dumbed down explanation: There are certain pressure points that connect with things that have to do with your stomach and these wristbands are designed to put pressure in those points. I don’t understand how it works, the human body is crazy, but lots of women swear by them! Here is a link to the Frida Mom acupressure wristband, though if you want to save some money I’m sure any wristband like this would work.
4. Sour Candy
Citric acid can help digestion which can help curb nausea. I personally loved sucking on sour candy to help with the more mild nausea waves, specifically Preggie Pop Drops. Anytime I felt mildly sick but not enough to actually throw up, popping one of the Preggie Drops into my mouth helped to soothe it. Really any kind of sour citrus candy (think lemon drops) will have the same effect. You can also go straight to the sour source and suck on slices of lemon, if you’re brave.
5. Eat, eat, eat!
I know it seems counterintuitive to eat when you feel sick, but most often morning sickness is actually caused by an empty stomach so the best thing to do when you start feeling gross is to eat a snack. If you’ve been throwing up a lot, it’s probably best to stick to the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet simply because you don’t want to upset your stomach more.
I found that having a snack with me when I went grocery shopping and keeping something on hand (for me it was trail mix) in the car was very helpful when out and about. Eating small meals throughout the day instead of 3 big meals helps too.
6. Hydrate
Dehydration contributes to an upset stomach, but you should also be careful not to slam a whole water bottle and fill your stomach too fast. Keep a full water bottle on hand throughout the day and drink at a slow and steady pace.
7. Get Outside
One of the biggest reliefs for me was getting outside and breathing in fresh air. Getting away from all the smells of my house and getting a lot of sunlight helped me a lot, I always felt best when I was breathing in fresh air (though my first trimester took place during the winter so I couldn’t do that very much).
8. Exercise
I know, first trimester exhaustion hits HARD. Your body is doing so much work that it’s not used to doing and that really tire a person out. But while it’s important to get rest, getting exercise and staying healthy can also help curb the sickness you’re experiencing.
9. Protein
Protein has always been a struggle for me. It doesn’t matter what I do, I always feel like I’m not taking in enough. But, studies show that a protein rich diet offers you relief for longer periods of time. So aim to eat foods with higher protein content for some more relief.
10. Strategic Snacking
Eat a snack right before bed to avoid waking up in the middle of the night feeling sick and keep crackers or something similar next to your bed for when you do wake up feeling sick. Then, eat something before getting out of bed in the morning, and don’t rush yourself to get up! Let the food work it’s magic before getting up and moving for the day.
HANG IN THERE, MAMA
I know that feeling sick sucks, I cried over it plenty of times during my first trimester. But it won’t last forever, and soon the second trimester will come and hopefully relieve all the gross feelings. Smell aversions, morning sickness, and the extreme exhaustion typically let up when the second trimester hits, or within the first few weeks of it. The next thing you know you’ll be snuggling your baby and every pregnancy symptom (good and bad) will be far behind you. I know it feels slow right now, but I promise it flies faster than you’d imagine.
Leave a Reply