Morning Sickness

A friend of mine once told me, “the first 16 weeks of her pregnancy felt like a never-ending hangover” Morning sickness, headaches, and dizziness are very normal, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Today we are here to talk about what’s normal, what needs medical intervention, and how to combat morning sickness.

What is morning sickness?

The name morning sickness is associated with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Despite the name, symptoms can occur any time, day or night. Most of the time, morning sickness is experienced during the first trimester, but it can last the whole pregnancy in some severe cases.

How long does morning sickness typically last?

Every woman and pregnancy is different, but for many, morning sickness starts somewhere between the 6th and 9th week of pregnancy with a peak in nausea between week 10-16. Typically morning sickness symptoms decrease by the beginning of the second trimester.

What will help elevate morning sickness

We want you to remember that even though morning sickness is common, you don’t have to suffer through it. You can try many things to help alleviate symptoms. Many find relief through a combination of different things. Natural remedies, certain foods, and medications can all be incredibly beneficial. Below are additional tips and tricks to combat morning sickness!

Go for a power walk- exercise helps with morning sickness. Yes, I know; if you feel nauseous, the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, it often helps to get relief. Try it out!

Change your eating patterns- Try to eat small meals and make sure you eat often enough that your stomach never gets empty. For many women during pregnancy hunger can quickly turn into nausea. Bay City Doula Tip: keep a little ziplock back with a trail mix and some saltines in your purse so you can make sure you always have a snack handy when you need one.

Foods that can help

Ginger is known to be a great remedy. Simply put some ginger in a glass of water or sip it or make a fresh ginger tea.

Lemon and other citrus fruit can help a lot as well. Bay City Doula Tip: squeeze some fresh lemon and freshly grated ginger into a glass of cold water and sip it throughout the day.

Mint is a great herb that can help when you feeling nauseous. Drink some mint tea or make mint-infused water.

Many gynecologists recommend eating plain toast or saltine crackers to combat morning sickness. The consistency can help with settling your stomach acids. Bay City Doula Tip: keep a handful of crackers on your nightstand; eating some before getting out of bed in the morning may help with nausea.

Additional thoughts

If your morning sickness persists your health care provider may recommend trying out vitamin B-6 supplements or even prescribe you certain medication like Diclegis or Zofran to help make you feel better and start to keep things down.

It’s important to remember that even though it’s very common there are a couple of things to watch for. Please make sure to stay well hydrated, and if you can’t keep anything down for 24 hours, please contact your provider immediately and make sure to be seen. Dehydration can happen quickly and is dangerous for you and your pregnancy.

You’ve got this! Morning sickness sucks, and when you are feeling sick, it’s important to be kind to yourself. It’s ok to hate your pregnancy until you feel better; it’s ok to not feel like doing anything but being at home until you feel better. Remember this May pass as well, and once it’s gone, you may start enjoying your pregnancy so much more.

Please always feel free to reach out to us for additional questions. The Bay City Doulas team has worked with many moms experiencing morning sickness and we are always happy to help.

Thank you for reading this week’s blog, ” Morning sickness.” For more great tips and conversations about all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood please visit our weekly blog.