Morning Sickness is no fun. The only good thing about Morning Sickness is that you know the pregnancy is going well because you have all the signs and symptoms that you are pregnant.
Compared with my friends, I have one of the worst Morning Sickness amongst them all. Some felt nothing, some felt nauseous, and some threw up, I was the latter. Throughout the first trimester, it was horrible. I never knew what I wanted to eat, and when I do, I threw up. My only solace was that at least the pregnancy was going well.
Here are the most effective methods I used to combat morning sickness:
1. Eat less, snack often
Eating small meals throughout the day was one of the easiest ways to help me keep the food down. Even though I still had morning sickness, it was a lot better, and I felt less nauseous throughout the day.
So instead of having one bowl of noodles, maybe just have half. I carried snacks with me throughout the first trimester, so I never get too hungry, because hunger was also a trigger for morning sickness for me.
2. Cut out oily and greasy food
Oily foods are harder to digest, so that is why if you can cut out deep fried or greasy food when you are feeling particularly rough. Not only will it help with your nausea, but your stomach will feel better too.
3. Drink lots of hot ginger water
Ginger in Chinese culture has many benefits, and drinking hot ginger water not only warms the stomach but help with nausea as well. It also helps to cut the grease in your stomach, so it is easier for food to digest in your system.
4. Take lots of rest
If you are tired, just take a rest. When you are feeling rough or worst throwing up the whole day, it does take a toll on you. So if you are feeling exhausted, have a quick nap if possible. If you can't at work, find a quiet corner, and close your eyes for a bit and rest. Even that will help and keep your nausea at bay.
5. Hot Coke with ginger
This one sounds like a strange one, but it is one that my Chinese doctor taught me. If you have trapped gas in your intestine and can't get it out, this method works like a charm as you will burb all that air out.
Cooking instruction:
1. Pour a can of coke in a saucepan and turn on the heat.
2. Whilst the coke is being warmed up, cut some ginger into slices (about 4-5 slices), and put it into the hot coke.
3. Let it boil until it is hot, turn off then drink.
6. Listen to your body
I know you want to do right for your baby and eat as healthy as possible, but it is also important to listen to your body. I found that whenever I tried to eat something that I don't particularly feel like even though it is healthy, I threw everything back up. In the end, I ate what I felt like eating, and the food stayed down. Even though at times I do think I should be eating more fruits and vegetables, but if they are not staying down, there is no point anyway.
7. Use a less foamy toothpaste
I had particularly bad gage reflexes during my first trimester, so even when I was brushing my teeth, it can set me off, and I will be throwing up again, which was very annoying as I just brushed my teeth.
So I switched to an organic toothpaste which doesn't foam, and that helped a lot. It just cut out the irritation of the throat, which helped with the gage reflexes.
8. Keep a food diary
It doesn't have to be an actual diary, but it is good to take notes of what your triggers are. Everyone has different triggers, and they can be very random. During my first trimester, my triggers were certain vegetables, which was very annoying as I wanted to eat healthier.
I know some people say eating cold food helps with nausea, but I find hot food soothes my stomach better. There was a period that all I want to eat is soup.
Everyone's body is different, so the best advice is trial and error. Some of the above tips might help you, and some won't. If you are having terrible morning sickness, I hope that at least one of the above methods works for you. However, if you are throwing up excessively, please see a doctor, as you might have hyperemesis gravidarum. If you get too worried, a trip to the doctors never hurts. At least it will put your mind at rest.
Did you have morning sickness during your pregnancy? If so, how did you combat it?
Sending you love and positive thoughts,
Christine xxx