HOW TO STOP THROWING UP IN THE FIRST TRIMESTER
Have you experienced leaning over the toilet, praying you won’t barf only to realize it’s inevitable? Finally barfing and then having to either go to work, look after other kids or just go about your day?
Yeah, morning sickness isn’t that fun.
Morning sickness, or nausea in pregnancy, can occur at any time of day at any stage of pregnancy. However, it typically lasts during the first trimester. Morning sickness symptoms are:
- nausea but not always vomiting
- if you are vomiting, it doesn’t cause dehydration
- usually dissipates by 12-14 weeks
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a whole different ball game than morning sickness. HG doesn’t allow you to keep food or liquids down and can cause dehydration. Hyperemesis gravidarum symptoms are:
- constant nausea
- loss of appetite
- vomiting 3 or more times per day
- feeling dizzy
- losing more than 10 pounds
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Remedies for easing morning sickness:
GINGER
Ginger is first on the list because although they aren’t exactly sure how gingerols effect our digestive symptoms, they think it has something to do with the obstruction of the serotonin receptors in your gut which cause the nauseated feeling.
I loved using ginger in all three of my pregnancies. It’s tasty, easily accessible and totally safe for pregnancy! Here are my favorite ways to use ginger to treat morning sickness:
- Ginger Chimes candies are amazing for on the go.
- Homemade ginger tea- sliced fresh ginger, squeeze of fresh lemon and teaspoon of sweetener, steeped for 5-10 minutes in boiling water.
- Ginger Ale- check out the recipe here. All I did was half the recipe, store in the fridge and add a tbsp or so to a glass with club soda when I needed it.
- Ginger Tea Bags
- Ginger Gravol– this is safe for pregnant women but always consult your physician.
ACUPRESSURE
Acupressure is an Eastern medicine practice used to open blocked energy pathways in the body. The P6 point (which can reduce nausea) is in line with your middle finger on the inner side of your arm. According to HealthLink, there is no harm in trying this during pregnancy so try it as much as you like!
If you get sick of constantly pushing on you arm, check out these Sea-Bands! They were originally made for combating sea sickness but people quickly figured out that they are a great morning sickness remedy.
LET IT OUT
Sometimes, it doesn’t help to prolong the inevitable. If your body needs to throw up, let it. Something that has really helped me when doing this is to actually think alright, I’m ready, I surrender.
And breathe in to the nausea until I throw up. Accepting that it will happen makes it so much easier than fighting against it.
CRACKERS
This is something I did every pregnancy- kept a big old box of plain saltines on the nightstand. Even before getting out of bed, slowly eating a cracker or two did WONDERS for the nausea. It helps to soothe your empty stomach before you are bombarded with thoughts, smells and looking at food.
SUPPLEMENT WITH VITAMIN B6
Studies have shown that only moms who are already low in B6 will notice an improvement with supplementing. But it doesn’t hurt to check if you fall into that category!
If you are worried about B6, try eating some B6 rich foods before supplementing:
- bread
- wholegrain cereal
- brown rice
- vegetables
- soy beans
- peanuts
- potatoes
If you’d like to supplement, please make sure you are taking the correct dosage because overdosing can result in headaches, tingling,sleepiness and other side effects!
PREGGIE POPS
Preggie Pop Drops are helpful getting the morning sickness under control because of the citrus and sour components. Tons of awesome reviews on Amazon here!
RELATED: No Fluff Pregnancy Must Haves (for every trimester)
SIT DOWN AND PUT YOUR FEET UP
Slow down! It’s so easy to just brush things off in the first trimester because it doesn’t feel ‘real’ yet. Well, it IS real and you need to honor what your body is going through right now.
Sometimes the best thing is to just sit down and rest while your body experiences morning sickness. That new life inside you turns your world upside down from the moment it’s a tiny ball of cells till… well, until you die ? But seriously, slow down and enjoy what you can.
CHANGE THE TIME YOU TAKE YOUR PRENATAL
Maybe this was just me, but I always thought that you get up and pop your vitamins for the day. And while that may be okay when you’re not pregnant, Lord help you if you are.
Your stomach is just a little bit more tender when you are growing a baby so taking your prenatal in the afternoon or evening is a GAME CHANGER.
I was throwing up my prenatal every morning with my first baby for almost 2 weeks before someone dropped that wisdom bomb on me (THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU WERE!)
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MORNING SICKNESS
Essential oils can be diffused using a diffuser, by steam inhalation or applied on your skin with a carrier oil. A diffuser seems to be the easiest because you throw a few drops in with water, press a button and you’re good to go! Steam inhalation isn’t too bad either, you just boil some water, add a couple drops and lean your head over and inhale.
Here are the best essential oils for morning sickness:
(please always consult your physician before use)
- Ginger -ginger relieves digestive issues, nausea being one of those!
- Peppermint – peppermint has been used for centuries as a digestive and a higher concentration may help reduce nausea.
- Lavender – reduces nausea if anxiety or pain is the cause.
- Fennel – eases digestion and settles your stomach.
- Lemon -reduces nausea if it is a digestive problem causing it.
PROTEIN
Eating a high protein diet during pregnancy can reduce nausea. Some high protein snacks you can eat throughout the day are:
- Hemp hearts sprinkled on coconut yoghurt
- Chia seed pudding or added to a smoothie
- Handful of nuts
- Peanut butter and banana sandwich
- Vegan protein powder in a smoothie
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Plant based protein bar
- Trail mix
- Edamame beans
EAT WHATEVER YOU CAN
Are you only able to eat completely plain noodles? Fruit? Potatoes and ketchup? If it’s salad like the lady above, I envy you. I was addicted to carrots when pregnant with my son, to the point my husband almost had an intervention because my fingertips had an orangey hue.
EAT IT!
Whatever you can keep down, eat it and don’t feel guilty about it. Your baby will take whatever they need and they will be fine. So take care of yourself and eat what you can.
This is why a prenatal vitamin is important though so do try to get that down!
Here are some tips for getting your prenatal vitamin down (and keeping it down) if you are having trouble.
EAT SMALL MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Small meals or constantly snack. The nausea tends to be amplified on a completely empty stomach so keep something in there!
FLUIDS
Drinking fluids is super important if you have morning sickness because of dehydration! Make sure you are drinking water as soon as you’re up and throughout the day.
If you don’t love drinking water and want to add something to it, try making a big batch of herbal tea that’s safe for pregnancy, let it cool and drink it throughout the day.
These bottles are super cool because you can add whatever you want, fruits or herbs for a fresh and healthy alternative to juice or pop! Try sticking the insert with the fruit into the freezer for fruit ice cubes!
LEMONS
This study that was done in 2014 used lemon essential oil and had the pregnant women inhaling the scent. It significantly reduced their nausea!
Drop a few drops on a tissue and inhale or pour boiling water into a bowl, drop a few drops and inhale the steam.
If you are pregnant, chances are you will experience some degree of nausea, at some point in your pregnancy. It’s not fun but at the same time, you are growing a brand new human and a bit of nausea isn’t too bad ❤
