How to Deal With Morning Sickness

The good news is, you're pregnant. The bad news is, you will probably feel sick for at least the first trimester. Morning sickness can happen throughout the day, and it can last throughout your pregnancy, so follow these steps to ease the nausea.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bottled Water
• Carbonated Waters
• Crackers
• Ginger
• Ginger Ales
• Ginger Roots
• Ginger Snaps
• Lemons
• Saltine Crackers
• Sparkling Waters
• Multivitamins
• Papayas Enzyme Pills
• Prenatal Vitamins
• Lemons

1. Try not to let yourself get hungry; an empty stomach can increase nausea.

2. Keep a supply of Saltine crackers handy. Have some in the morning before you get out of bed to settle your stomach.

3. Avoid high-fat foods - especially fried foods - and stay away from spicy and acidic foods.

4. Eat foods high in B vitamins, which decrease nausea.

5. Add a bit of ginger to your diet in the form of ginger ale, ginger tea or gingersnaps. Or use ginger in your recipes.

6. Experiment with natural remedies such as papaya enzyme, vitamin B-6 or acupressure wristbands.

7. Drink plenty of water between meals. Try sparkling water with a slice of lemon.

8. Take your prenatal vitamins with food. Your nausea will increase if you take them on an empty stomach.

9. Avoid taking iron supplements in the first trimester unless you are anemic. Iron can be hard on your stomach.

10. Utilize the fleeting moments when you feel OK to eat healthful foods and get a little exercise.

Tips & Warnings

• Nausea can be a sign that everything is going well with your pregnancy. It's hormonal adjustment that's making you feel so sick.
• For most women, nausea lessens or disappears in the second trimester.
• Call your doctor if the nausea becomes debilitating or if you are unable to hold down any food.
• If you are suddenly getting sick in your second or third trimester and you weren't earlier, call your doctor.
• If vomiting is accompanied by pain or fever, call your doctor immediately.
• This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

[CCrock]

on 4/3/2008 Papaya enzymes helped me as well as wearing motion sickness wrist bands.

[Blackbear]

on 11/12/2007 Good advice! I was sick for 6 months straight for both children. I finally realized that if I ate when I started to feel ill, it almost always went away. I felt like I was constantly eating at times but it was just little things like cookies, crackers, bowls of cereal, sandwiches, and an occasional side of beef. Long story made short, eating does help immensely and I only gained 12 lbs for the first one and 7 for the second.

[audracotton]

on 5/9/2007 I have had seven children, and I'm pregnant again. These are some of the things that have worked for me: #1 Ginger (ginger dressing on salad, crystallized ginger, slice of ginger to suck on), water w/lemon, small, and frequent meals (believe it or not, when I eat a little something before I get really nauseaus, it helps). I have also taken phenegran and zofran as a last resort on days when nothing else works, but I hate to do that because it makes me so sleepy. All of my kids are healthy, but how do you know years from now, we won't find out that the drugs somehow harmed them? I don't particularly LIKE ginger, but of all the things I've tried, it works the best. The first time was at a Chinese restaurant called Beni Hana's. I had a salad with ginger dressing that someone else ordered for me, and I felt so good for the first time in a long time. I was sold from then on.

on 8/16/2006 I took a medication called Diclectin, which helped noticeably. Also Gravol helped me to sleep at night and is safe to take in pregnancy (category B).

on 8/8/2006 One thing I found that subsided the sick feeling is strong mints, like an Altoid or Clorets gum.