- HubPages»
- Health»
- Women's Health»
- Pregnancy
How to Deal With Pregnancy Morning Sickness
Disclaimer: I am not a health care professional. Please seek the advice of your doctor before you change your diet, exercise program, or make any other lifestyle changes.
Eight Weeks Pregnant
I'm Pregnant; Why do I Feel so Sick?
First of all, congratulations on the new and wonderful adventure you are about to embark on as a parent! Being a parent is not only the most rewarding job, but the most important job since our children are our future.
You will go through three “Trimesters” during your pregnancy. There will be many life changes to adjust to and sometimes the unexpected can be quite scary. Relax, you will be wonderful. If you are reading this hub, you are obviously trying to learn as much as you can about becoming a parent and the pregnancy that leads up to that.
Morning sickness generally only occurs during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (the first trimester). With that in mind, you generally aren’t even aware you are pregnant until your 3rd or 4th week, and often the nausea doesn’t begin until the 5th or 6th week, if you ever feel that way at all. Once a woman is pregnant, her hormones go into overload. Not only are the soon to be mommy’s hormones increasing, but the baby will be developing his or her own hormones. If you have ever missed a birth control pill and taken two at once, you will experience the same sickening feeling.
Morning Sickness
Have you ever experienced morning sickness or nausea while pregnant?
Morning Sickness
The term “Morning Sickness” is actually deceiving. The truth of the matter is that a pregnant woman in her first trimester gets nauseas and/or vomits at all different times of day. It is can afflict a newly pregnant woman at any time of day, but it is called morning sickness since the stomach is empty upon awakening. This is the primary cause of the nausea. It is important to have some small snack next to your bed, like crackers or bread, along with a glass of water to sip with a straw. The good news is that not all women get morning sickness, and some women only have it for a short while.
Additional Helpful Links:
- Pregnancy Week by Week, Pregnancy Information | Pregnancy.com
Find week by week information for pregnancy, fetal development images, helpful tools and a free newsletter that follows your pregnancy week by week. - BabyCenter | Homepage - Pregnancy, Baby, Toddler, Kids
Find information from BabyCenter on pregnancy, children's health, parenting & more, including expert advice & weekly newsletters that detail your child's development. - Pregnancy Week by Week Calendar, Info and Tools | Pregnancy.org
Pregnancy.org is a free parenting community for expert articles, video, podcasts and tools about getting pregnant, pregnancy, labor and delivery and baby & beyond!
Remember the JOY this misery will bring!
Tips to Curb the Nausea and Vomiting
Foods to eat:
- Crackers with a protein of some sort, like peanut butter or cheese can help ease the nausea. Always keep crackers next to your bed, in your glove box, at work, and in your purse for surprise onset of nausea.
- Sometimes products like Ensure© or Boost© that are packed with vitamins and minerals yet have a thick texture to help coat your stomach can be helpful. Again, use a straw and sip slowly.
- Bread or toast with cheese or non-spicy meats like turkey, tuna, or ham can help fill the belly.
- Pasta and plain rice can help fill you up with minimal negative reaction from your body.
- Ginger ale soda or half teaspoon of Ginger in your herbal tea can help soothe an upset stomach.
- Peppermint is known to be a natural herb to relieve nausea. Keep peppermint leaves or peppermint candy on hand.
- Any food item that you feel like eating is good. Nausea tends to ruin the appetite for anyone, so if you find something appealing to your palate, eat it!
Foods to avoid:
- Fried foods can make nausea worse.
- Spicy foods can make nausea worse.
- Sugary foods can make nausea worse.
- Once again, however, any food item that you feel like eating is good so if you feel like eating it, eat it!
Other remedies:
- A cold rag on the face, head, and back of the neck can ease the awful feeling of nausea.
- Sleep as much as possible. Obviously when you are sleeping it is unlikely that you will feel uncomfortable.
- Always keep water handy. Use a straw to sip the water on a regular basis to help keep your stomach from feeling completely empty, and to dilute the stomach acid that contributes to the nauseating feeling.
- Eat several small meals even if they are only 2 or 3 bites. If you don’t feel like you can eat more, put the meal aside and have a few more bites later if you can.
- Meditation and deep breathing will provide your body and brain with more oxygen. This is always a good way to calm your nerves, give a feeling of peace, and possibly help with the sickening feelings that come with morning sickness.
Thank you for reading my article. I certainly hope it was helpful and you are soon feeling much better. Your input is of great value to me, so by all means; please share your thoughts in the comments section.
"Be kind to one another" ~ Ellen
God Bless You ~ Margaret Sullivan