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Friday 11 September 2020

Managing Your Morning Sickness More Effectively

 

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Morning sickness is one of the most difficult aspects of being pregnant for many women to deal with, especially if it is particularly severe in nature, which is why I’ve put together this useful guide for dealing with morning sickness and feeling as good as you possibly can during this very special time of your life:


Speak to a doctor


Before we go any further, it’s worth saying that if your morning sickness is very severe, going on throughout the day and making it so that you’re constantly vomiting and unable to keep anything down for a prolonged period of time, you should absolutely speak to a doctor. It may be that you need medication to help you get back to equilibrium. You can compare treatments for morning sickness online, but your doctor should be a first port of call because they will know best what may help you to stop being sick so much.


Drink ginger tea


Ginger tea is a great remedy for morning sickness. Not only is it extremely tasty, but drinking a cup first thing in the morning could help to stave off your morning sickness due to its anti-emetic properties. 


You can buy ginger tea bags at most stores, or you can make your own by pouring boiling water over a cube of fresh ginger if you would prefer. Add a little honey and lemon for flavour and it’ll be a great way to start the day, although you can, of course, sip on it throughout the day as you wish.


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Stay hydrated


Drinking enough water is vital for every human being on the planet, pregnant or not. When we are dehydrated, we’re more likely to get dizzy, nauseous, brain foggy, and fatigued. Unfortunately, when you’re throwing up, you are losing a lot of liquids, which can make you more prone to dehydration. That’s why it’s so very important that you up your liquid intake by drinking lots of water throughout the day.


If you hate plain water, herbal tea is fine (just make sure it’s pregnancy-friendly), as is adding a slice of lemon or a little fruit juice. The most important thing is to get enough liquids into your body.


Choose dry foods


If your morning sickness is making it so that you can barely keep anything down, but you know you need to eat, it’s a good idea to go for plain dry foods like toast, crackers and peanut butter or pretzels, which are less likely to make you feel queasy and thus be more likely to stay down. If you always have some crackers or biscuits in your pocket, you can nibble on them when you feel dizzy too.


Try hypnotherapy


It may surprise you, but many women have reported a reduction in their morning sickness symptoms after seeking hypnotherapy treatment for their issues. If you’re looking for a completely safe way to treat your sickness, it is one avenue that could be worth exploring with a trained professional.


Put on a nausea relief wristband


The jury is still out on whether nausea relief wristbands are actually effective, but nevertheless a lot of people find them effective for treating things like motion sickness and even morning sickness, and since they are very affordable and totally safe for pregnant women, it may be worth wearing one for a little while to see if it helps you. The Sea-Band is the most popular of its type, but there are others you could use too. They work on the principles of acupuncture to hit pressure points and stop nausea in its tracks.


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Lay off the junk food


It’s a bummer because often when you’re pregnant, you crave those greasy, fatty, sugary junk foods the most, but those kinds of foods can be very heavy on the stomach, which means they could trigger off your morning sickness more than healthy meals packed with whole foods would.


Obviously, if you do want to eat junk once in a while, think about how sick you are, and if your symptoms haven’t been bad, it may be fine to risk it, but when you’re throwing up more often than not, things like pizza, chips and tacos are probably best avoided.


Eat little and often


Another strategy that can help to alleviate your morning sickness is eating lots of small meals or snacks on a regular basis, rather than having three heavy meals that lie heavy on your stomach. Things like nuts, crackers, carrot sticks with hummus and peanut butter, apples and porridge are all good options, which will ensure you get plenty of nutrients without making you feel too heavy or nauseous, but you may need to experiment to find out what works best for you.


Try breathing exercises


When you get up in the morning, sit up slowly and before you get out of bed, focus on your breath, taking lots of long deep breaths. This will help to customise your body to being up and alert so that when you stand up slowly, you’ll be less likely to feel sick and dizzy. You may also want to keep a glass of water and some crackers beside your bed and consume them after your breathing exercises but before you get out of bed too.


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Avoid strong smells


From raw onions to strong perfume, there are so many smells that we’re used to, even love, when we aren’t pregnant, that can cause sickness revulsion and even migraines when we’re carrying a baby. Avoiding them as much as possible, even if that means removing your scented candles from your home or ditching your favourite shampoo, is a sensible step to take when you’re in the throes of morning sickness. It won’t be forever, and if it makes your pregnancy more enjoyable, it has to be worth it, right?


Morning sickness is no picnic, but it is manageable for most women, and some of the ideas above could be useful in helping you with that. Try them all and see what works for you.


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