Many women struggle with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, ranging from mildly inconvenient to severely debilitating. For some women, morning sickness lasts all day and for all nine months of pregnancy and for others, morning sickness is limited to the first trimester and only once in a while.
Whatever your situation, here are 6 tips to help you manage morning sickness during pregnancy.
6 Tips to Lessen Morning Sickness Symptoms
Protein
Many women report a reduction in nausea and vomiting by increasing their consumption of protein to around 80-90 grams a day. While that seems like a lot, some creative meal and snack planning can help you achieve adequate protein intake each day. Sine the body doesn’t store protein the way it does other things, it’s important to continue to get 80-90 grams each day. A great tip is to keep high protein snacks around the house. A great option is almonds or other nuts.
Ginger
Many women find ginger to be helpful with any kind of nausea, even that caused by pregnancy. Scientists think that it works by stabilizing digestive function and keeping your blood pressure consistent. Try drinking ginger in a spicy tea, snacking on a ginger cookie, sucking on small ginger candy, or even consuming ginger in pill form.
Hydration
Staying properly hydrated is often hard even when you’re not pregnant. But during pregnancy, when the strains on your body are even more extreme, staying hydrated is especially important. Carry a water bottle around with you everywhere you go and sip all day long on water. Try to keep your fluid intake as healthy, natural, and as close to water as possible to help encourage good hydration.
Essential Oils
To receive nausea gather up your favorite essential oil. Our suggestions are peppermint and lemon. Both have been shown to help ease belly upset and are great for morning sickness. Sniff them directly from the bottle, or sniff a cotton ball that has been treated with a drop or two. This is also a great tip for nausea during labor and delivery!
Acupressure
Try using Sea-Bands or similar acupressure bands. These bands are designed to put pressure on the Nei-Kuan point in the wrist which is a specific acupressure point that has been shown to prevent and treat nausea.
Exercise
We’re not talking heavy weightlifting or high-impact cardio workouts here. Simply taking a walk can help reduce morning sickness by regulating your body’s systems and releasing endorphins that counteract fatigue and nausea. Choose exercises that are low impact, like walking, swimming, or yoga, to help increase your body’s ability to fight morning sickness.
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If these at-home morning sickness remedies just aren’t cutting it, it might be time to talk to your care provider about other options, like vitamin B6 and Unisom, or other medication options.
