Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful and exciting transitions we can experience. As our body prepares itself to bring a new life into the world, it goes through many wonderful changes. One of the not-so-fun side-effects though is morning sickness and, unfortunately, it affects an estimated 70-80% of pregnant people! If you are reading this, I assume you are in that unlucky majority! Despite its misleading name, nausea can often persist through the entire day. Thankfully though, it does not persist throughout all of pregnancy! Most women find that this sickness begins to subside near the start of the third trimester. This is not an exciting part of pregnancy, to say the least, but hopefully, if you try some of my tips, I can help you through it!

• Nutrition: Morning sickness can be a frustrating cycle – nausea makes it difficult to eat but an empty stomach makes nausea worse. Make sure you eat a few small meals throughout the day. Try not wait until you get hungry to eat. Instead, set times in the day to snack. If you experience nausea first thing in the morning, it will help if you try to prevent waking up on an empty stomach. Don’t set alarms to eat during the night – your rest is important! If, however, you happen to wake up during the night, having a small snack may ease your nausea the next morning! Protein-rich food before bed has also been shown to ease morning sickness, by raising your blood slightly during the night.

Sticking to plain, light food will help too, such as bananas, rice, and toast! As much as it may be difficult, try to avoid anything spicy, heavy, fried, or fatty as this may irritate your stomach. Staying hydrated is also essential. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses a day and, if this is difficult while feeling nauseous, taking small regular sips will help you reach this target!

• Treatment: There are different treatments available for morning sickness and different ones suit some people better than others. To ease nausea, try sucking on lemon or ginger candies. Peppermint and spearmint are also lifesavers, whether as tea, gum or just to smell. Some find that acupressure bands can help, as they put pressure on certain points on your wrists. Controlled, deep breathing has also been proven to ease sickness.
• Vitamins: Prenatal vitamins can sometimes irritate the stomach and aggravate the problem. Taking them with a small bit of food should help prevent them from coming back up! Switching to a different vitamin may solve the problem, or taking it in another form, such as gummy form rather than as a pill. 75 milligrams of Vitamin B6 for three days has also been proven to improve morning sickness. However, make sure to chat to your healthcare provider if you are considering switching your vitamin to ensure that the new vitamin meets your needs!

It’s difficult to get through this time, hopefully it will be short-lived but it can also take a toll on your mental health, link in with your care provider or midwife if severe sickness is affecting your mood and enjoyment of day to day activities. You’ve got this!

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