10 Different Ways to Ease Morning Sickness In Pregnancy

The news of a positive pregnancy test can be one of the happiest news ever in your life. However, your initial few weeks can be tough due to morning sickness. It is named so because it is most intensified during early hours and ease up as the day passes on.

Morning sickness is also known as the pregnancy sickness, nausea gravidarum, or nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Most pregnant women experience this health condition during their first trimester after which it subsides. However, some are unfortunate enough to carry it till the end. This sickness can be mild with occasional nausea or one can have disabling nausea with bouts of vomiting. Studies have found that morning sickness affects around three-fourth of the pregnant women in their first trimester.

It occurs mainly due to the increasing level of estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormones in the body. These are the main pregnancy hormones. Due to this, it is also said that if you are undergoing morning sickness, it shows that you have enough level of hormones in your body. Thus, there are fewer chances of still birth and abortion as compared to those who does not go through it. Besides hormones, there can be other reasons like stress, sensitive stomach and many others.

Experts say that there are several factors which trigger morning sickness. Though, there is no particular cure for it, there are some ways to ease it.

1.      Take small and frequent meals: The very first rule to ease your morning sickness is to eat little but often. This will keep your sugar level normal and you will not feel queasy suddenly. Keep some healthy snacks with you all time to nib in between. If your stomach will be empty, you may feel more nausea.

2.      Keep yourself hydrated: Dehydration is another reason for feeling morning sickness. So, try to stay hydrated by drinking lots of fluids. If your stomach does not allow you to drink water, try adding apple cider vinegar or honey in it. However, make sure that you are drinking less water during mealtimes and more of it in between meals.

3.      Eat protein rich and cold foods: Protein rich foods like nuts or other dry fruits help you keep fuller. In pregnancy, you may feel nauseated with the cooking smell. It would be better if you try cold dishes like fruit salads, fruit creams, smoothies and such others.

4.      Sniff lemon or try ginger: For some women, sniffing a lemon works wonders in easing nausea. You can try. Cut in half and smell it. You may also try drinking lemon water (nimbu paani). If you like, you can also add ginger juice in it. Ginger is also said to help fighting with morning sickness.

5.      Take plenty of rest: Getting a good night’s sleep may be difficult for you in pregnancy. However, try different methods to ensure that you take plenty of sleep and rest throughout the day. Buy pregnancy pillows to support your back and stomach so that you get a comfortable posture to sleep. If possible, take a few minutes nap in day time as well.

6.      Avoid foods that trigger nausea: Sometimes, smell of some particular things such as stale or leftover food, garbage, coffee, scented toiletries, or pungent aromas of onion or garlic triggers nausea. If that is the case with you, try to avoid these triggers as much as you can. You must also avoid fatty and spicy foods as they tend to escalate nausea and vomiting.

7.      Eat something as soon as you open your eyes: As told earlier, acids in empty stomach can make you feel queasy. Munch on some snacks as soon as you are awake in the morning. Step out of your bed only after nibbling on something.

8.      Try relaxing techniques: Choose any scented oil that does not make you queasy and get a head massage. Visit your nearby parlor and try getting hand and foot massage. This is an amazing relaxation technique which will definitely make you feel better. The relaxing effect will also soothe your queasiness.

9.      Keep yourself active: Many women decrease their physical activity when they feel lousy. However, you must instead keep yourself physically active as it will help in easing your symptoms related to morning sickness.

10.  Feel happy about your pregnancy: If you will stay positive, think about your precious baby-to-be, feel happy about it, you can avoid feeling the misery of having nausea and vomiting. Talk to other mothers or would-be mothers. Share your experiences and believe that this too would pass on.

 

In general, morning sickness is of no harm as far as it is associated with mild to moderate nausea and occasional vomiting. However, some women suffer from a serious condition in which they fail to keep anything down even water, juices, pre-natal vitamins or any other medications. These cases are medically referred as hyperemesis gravidarum. Such cases occur in 1% of all pregnant women. If you are the one undergoing such situation, you doctor may treat you with intravenous fluids.

Along with all these tips, make sure that your doctor has performed all prenatal tests. These tests are helpful in determining the health of your baby. Further, you must go for prenatal genetic screening tests such as NACE (Non-Invasive Analysis for Chromosomal Examination) which determines the possibility of any chromosomal abnormality with high accuracy. This is a safe and risk-free test and can be done on all pregnant women without compromising their pregnancy.

Morning sickness indicates the good news of pregnancy but it actually affects the quality of mother’s life. However, if she is supported by her family, friends and spouse, she can cope up with the situation in much better way.