You just found out from the pregnancy test or your doctor that you are pregnant! You probably feel excited and nervous at the same time and can’t wait to hold that brand new baby in your arms for the first time. Then after the excitement wears down and a few weeks have passed, you begin to experience morning sickness, which does not take place only in the morning. Pregnancy is not what you thought it would be–feeling sick every time you get a whiff of a different food. Here are some ways to relieve nausea in pregnancy.
Decrease your intake of milk. Many people say that drinking milk will help decrease nausea. Milk can actually be a trigger for nausea in many women. If you tolerate milk, you can continue drinking it. Try taking milk out of your diet for a while to see if it helps. You still need to get your calcium intake, so talk to your doctor about other sources of calcium.
Eat small frequent meals throughout the day. Don’t feel that you should eat your standard breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat throughout the day so your stomach doesn’t feel empty. Nutrition is not as important as calorie intake at this point. Eat what you can tolerate and don’t worry so much about “good” foods versus “bad” foods. Once your body has adjusted to being pregnant and the morning sickness has passed, you can focus more on eating a nutritious diet.
Avoid foods with smells that trigger nausea. Also, serve your food cold or at room temperature, as heating tends to strengthen the food’s aroma.
Take your prenatal vitamins at night. Sometimes, prenatal vitamins trigger nausea. If you are having nausea, try taking your prenatal vitamins at night before you go to bed. Talk to your doctor about switching to a prenatal vitamin with less iron or no iron.
Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Don’t drink a lot of water at once to the point where your stomach fills full, but sip on water throughout the day. It is very helpful to carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. You can drink ginger ale or grate some fresh ginger in hot water to make ginger tea to help relieve the nausea.
Keep some light snacks by your bed. Snack on them in the morning when you wake up and wait to get out of bed until 20 to 30 minutes after you’ve snacked on them. Salty crackers, salty pretzels or gingersnaps are good choices.
Rest and relax when you can. Watch a movie or visit with a friend. This will help keep you busy and you won’t focus on how uncomfortable you feel. Rely on the support of your spouse, family and friends. Morning sickness won’t last forever and its end result will be a beautiful baby.