June 20: Nausea tips
I have a love-hate relationship with morning sickness. I love it because it makes me feel like something is actually happening, but on the other hand, it’s not exactly fun to feel like you’re going to lose your lunch at any second of the day. I’ve only actually gotten sick a handful of times and really haven’t complained about morning sickness too much –even when I go to bed for a while during the day and the Pilot asks if I’m ok, I tell him I feel terrible but I love it, he thinks I’m totally weird- but it’s not to say I haven’t done what I can to ease the nausea.
Some of the things I’ve found to work:
–Eating every 2 hours. It’s when I miss a meal that I feel the absolute worst. I’ve learned to pack little baggies of gluten-free pretzels, ginger candies and dried fruit for when I’m out and about.
-Carbs. Plain starches help ease my stomach and I especially love gluten-free pizza dough (plain), gluten-free bagels, brown rice toast and teff tortillas.
–Ginger ale and hard ginger candies or ginger chews. Ginger is great for soothing stomachs and for digestion, and I love the taste of it. Every morning I have some Ginger Ale Zevia and nosh on ginger candies throughout the day.
–Salt and vinegar chips. Lots and lots of salt and vinegar chips. I thought that it was a beautiful accident because I was craving them so badly (and feasting on them every day) and then I read that salt and vinegar chips are great for morning sickness because they help to dry out the excess saliva that leaves you feeling icky. I’ll raise my [empty] chip bag to that! Haha.
–Distractions. When I’m super busy, I don’t have time to feel gross. I actually feel my best when I’m working out or teaching at the resort, but the second I stop is when it kicks in. I’ve been trying to keep myself as busy as usual with the blog, other work and projects.
–Cold foods and non-spicy foods. Fruit is my friend. Having a stash of fresh berries, watermelon or grapes has been a perfect snack and I’ve also found that I can tolerate smoothies. The cold feels good on my throat and stomach and is an easy way to get in some of the protein I’ve been lacking via my Sun Warrior or Vega protein powder. I’ve had to go easy on the spicy foods lately because as much as I love them, I pay the price later. I had 3 entire grilled jalapenos last week and regretted every.single.one. I’ve also found that certain foods (like nuts) are too heavy right now and make me feel blah.
–Going for a walk. It seems counterintuitive, because usually all I want to do is lay in bed with my Snoogle, but waking up for a morning walk seems to help me feel better throughout the day. I make sure to have breakfast beforehand (some kind of carb + protein) and pack up my ginger ale to-go.
Bonus: Bella appreciates the walks too 😀
-Naps. On the other hand, sometimes I just need to nap or sleep it off. Almost every afternoon I’ve snoozed for an hour or so, and it’s helped. I just make sure to eat a little something before and after my nap.
Different things work for different people, but these things have definitely helped me these past 12 weeks.
Did you experience morning sickness? What helped you?
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I had all day sickness. And I only actually vomited once, I just constantly felt nauseous a s sick. I would of liked to have actually thrown up just to make the feeling go away. Haha. I ate a lot of gf grains with olives and avocado. I too was big on chips. Toast prob would of helped, but through my whole pregnancy, the smell of toast made me feel sick. Weird! Anyway, feel better soon.. Or not.. Lol! 🙂
I’m obviously not pregnant (only 16!) but these tips actually relate to me. I’ve been dealing with a lot of nausea as I increase my food intake to recover from my ED… and a lot of what you’ve said I agree to. Cold foods seem to go down easiest, and I too find nuts to be way too filling right now. Sitting and doing nothing is absolutely the worst thing you can do, too; walking really does help, or even just standing up and moving around (cleaning or whatever…)
The foods that are currently helping me through this first trimester are baked potatoes (not sweet, just white potatoes), wheat toast, tangy fruit like blueberries (I have an intense banana aversion), wheat crackers, sparkling water, cold juice (natural apple or cranberry), caffeine free Coke (settles my stomach), and Fritos corn chips (a craving that makes me feel much better when I give in to it).
Also, SLEEP! I second the naps thing, getting enough sleep makes all the difference for me, as well as making sure I’m not over-doing it on activities.
I was nauseous until 16 weeks with my daughter (not a hint of it with my son!). Eating constantly was both helpful and a hinderance. It felt good to eat for about 5 mintues and then I would feel worse! Working out was the same – I felt awesome when I was exercising, but then about an hour later the nausea would kick in. I actually vowed that I would NEVER have a 3rd because the morning sickness was so bad (it’s funny how you forget – now I REALLY want another one!).
At night my nauseous was the worst and my Dr recommended taking B6 along with half a unisom. It was my lifesaver. I’m not sure I would have been able to get through those first 3-4 months without it!
Great tips dear!! I am surprised how yummy Zevia sodas are, just recently tried them and they really taste good! The rootbeer tastes sinful. I am obsessed with Ginger People ginger chews. Have you tried the coffee ones? If not, YOU MUST! <3 I also find fresh air/walks help with nausea big time. Glad you've found some ways to help with the nastiness of nausea.
p.s. What happened to your post about what you did to help conceive? That post was chock full of good info, and I only read through it once, then it was gone:-( I was hoping to print it out to have the info to go over again and also share with my best friend who really could use any help she can get on the matter. Thanks missy!
I feel too that you are having a girl. You are finding out, right???? Because I really want to wait until we know for sure before sending you a little giftie! I hope it’s a girl because then I can buy her a tutu!!!!!
I cannot WAIT til you have this little bundle of joy!! Thank you so much for sharing this with the bloggy world! You and the Pilot are going to have one beautiful baby!! Bella will make a great big sister!!
For the first three months of my pregnancy I had all day sickness! It was definitely worse in the morning but I did have nausea throughout the day. And it is like you said, if I stayed too long without eating it was the worse. Green grapes were my friend, especially towards the end of pregnancy, they went down so well, I really enjoyed those grapes at that time. Cold things also went down easier for me than hot, even though I was pregnant during the wintertime. My thing during the pregnancy was ice cream, it was my only craving and felt so good when I ate it, but then I always liked ice cream!
Ana
These tips are great. I haven’t tried anything ginger yet, but that might be a next step for me.
Currently (I’m almost 10 weeks), I feel nauseous a tad in the morning; it intensifies in the early to late evenings for me for some reason. Eating every 2-3 hours does help, and I tend to stick to blander foods – crackers, plain pasta, soup, and cereal. I’ve also had intense aversions to nut butters, which is sad because I used to adore them!
THIS is EXACTLY what my mom used to do. I can’t handle tummy sickness. That’s why I’m so scared of being preggo!!! AAAHHH!!! I’m LOVING following your journey!!!!!!!!!
I actually felt like i was ‘car sick’ all day during the first tri, but i followed all the normal ‘tips’ like you noted and all seemed to work. You nailed it, the worst was when i would sit at my desk, keeping busy and moving around helped A LOT. You are lucky you don’t sit at a desk, it was hell:)
I puked 3-5 times a day for 20 weeks, most of my pregnancy was spent in the bed (largely because I think I over did it the first 9 weeks of my pregnancy working a very stressful dance job)–Hopefully my next pregnancy I can do what you are doing. I love your tips…I wish I would have known these when I was prego w my son. I think the first go-round the pregnancy brain kicks in and I just went into survival mode laying in a heap of nausea everyday—the eating every two hours is huge because once you are locked into nausea land, its difficult to get out. I totally agree about the morning walk, it really does make you feel so much better. Im going to have to bookmark this post bc Im thinking i want to add to the fam soon. BTW, where do you buy Zevia Ginger Ale? Never heard of it.
What helped me seemed to change from day to day, Keeping food in my belly was definitely key though. I agree that moving helps too. I found some organic lemon drop hard candies that were a savior when I had to go to a 3 day conference with my boss at 8 weeks.
I had no nausea with my first but this time was a whole new experience, This time around I was sick almost everyday. Nausea is no fun, I definitely admire your positive attitude!
I’ve never been pregnant but I heard that slicing up a couple of fresh lemons (into quarters or however works for you) putting them in a ziploc baggie. When you feel nauseous open the baggie and inhale the scent of the lemons. The scent of the fresh lemons is supposed to be pleasant and helps ease the stomach.
Have you ever had The Ginger People Ginger Chews? I am obsessed with them. They are so good and even come in travel packs.
I’m not pregnant, but the afternoon naps sound wonderful 🙂 Along with the salt & vinegar chips. I’ll have to remember that for the future…
fresh cool air (I couldnt’ stand feeling stifled.. gag!), water and protein. It makes such a difference. I had to start eating stouter breakfasts and snacks.
Bookmarked for future pregnant self 🙂
You live in a really beautiful area, if that picture of you walking Bella is any indication!
If I had that kind of scenery, I would love going for walks too! 🙂
I had terrible nausea (debilitating, really) with my 3rd pregnancy. Acupuncture helped tremendously. It did not totally relieve the symptoms, but did allow me to be a functioning mama to my other two children while pregnant with #3.
I had morning sickness with my first pregnancy for the ENTIRE 9 months. And I was working then too, so it was horrible. I kept cheerios at my desk, as well as saltines. I even used those Prego Pops candies.
With my 2nd pregnancy, I was a SAHM, but it didn’t make it any easier. I felt sick for about 16 weeks, then it eased up. I took naps every afternoon with my then 2 year old, and that seemed to help some, but other than that, eating every couple hrs or so made me feel better.
Take it easy…I’m with you, I had a love/hate relationship with ms; I hated it for obvious reasons, but loved it bc I knew something was going on in there. 🙂
I had horrid morning sickness with both of my kiddo’s and lost between 15-20 lbs with both. I never found any perfect cure with my oldest, I just lived in a constant state of nausea. With my youngest I found that plain carbs (freezer waffles were my best friend) and think veggie juice (think V8) first thing in the morning would help me a lot. If I started out my day with those I was less likely to have problems later on.
I’m ten weeks now and I agree with your tips – I try to eat every few hours (even if food sounds gross) because the nausea is worse if I don’t. I really like cold food, especially fruit – canteloupe and cherries being current favorites. White rice is my favorite thing, but I’m trying to stick with whole grains most of the time. Triscuits are good too. Something bland that will fill up my stomach. Tomatoes are the only thing I’ve given up entirely. As soon as I got pregnant, my stomach just could not tolerate them. The only thing I’ve actually thrown up is my prenatal vitamin, so I’ve switched to a Flintstones Chewable and an extra folic acid. I tried to take my regular one yesterday and just the smell made me gag.
I found that eating bland foods constantly helped, but what really nipped the sickness for me with Sarah was a prescription for B12 vitamins. Before that I was literally reduced to crawling on the floor from room to room b/c I had zero energy/strength from being so sick. Things were MUCH easier with Noah. I was just VERY tired with him…..You should be over the hump soon!!
Protein helps a lot too. And that is such a beautiful view! I want to live there!
we have amazing mountains here!
Did you experience morning sickness? What helped you? = I was so incredibly, horribly sick. I threw up at least 10 times a day for most of the pregnancy. The first 20-25 weeks, yes for sure. And then by the second half, I “only” threw up a few times a day. And when I wasnt actually actively sick, I was nauseous. They tried to give me medication to control the nausea but the side effects were worse than the condition.
What helped me was yoga/meditation and just knowing that I loved my child, I would get through this, millions of women before me had done this, and that it would all be worth it. 🙂
And eating anything that I thought might help from saltine crackers to fruit to whatever I thought would help at that moment. When you’re that sick for so long, it becomes more about just getting anything in.
And I delivered a totally healthy baby who’s now almost 4.5 years! Time flies!
I’ve never had morning sickness, but I’ve been on medication that made me constantly vomiting/nauseous for well over a year. It was gross and totally messed with me long term.
–This is key. NEVER HAVE AN EMPTY TUMMY. I know it is gross to eat and the act of eating seems too close to barfing, but you will feel so much better if you have something in your stomach at all times. Little snacks all the time. Do not forget to eat.
–Carbs. Carbs were about the only thing I could stand. I think I lived on frozen waffles and mac and cheese for 6 months straight. Little carb, little fat=happy belly. Comfort food!
–Eat what sounds good. Eat nutritiously, but if something sounds good and you feel like you could stomach it EAT IT. It may never come around again.
–Whenever possible get people to prepare food for you ; ) Raw/cooking foods grossed me out. The act of cooking ruined it for me. But if husband/restaurant made it I was good to go. I could never think of something that sounded good, so I made my husband just list stuff until we hit something I thought I could eat. He loved that, let me tell you.
–Peppermint works as an anti-emetic for some as does the ginger you mentioned.
-IDK if you are prone to heartburn, but that is a common problem as you get bigger.
hope that helps.
having someone prepare the food for me is ideal. cooking still makes me gag
I used those wristbands that I found at the drug store. They press on pressure points in the wrist to help with nausea. I also ate lots of carbs!!
With all 3 of my girls I had morning sickness that lasted all day long, and it got progressively worse with each pregnancy. That said, labor and delivery were far easier than a trimester of morning sickness. Like you, I was “happy” to be sick because I knew it was a positive sign of a healthy pregnancy! Just stay hydrated! I fainted last summer when I was 11 weeks pregnant, you dehydrate quicker when pregnant. Needless to say, I am the mom of 3 beautiful daughters!!
I’m glad you’ve found some solutions!
Totally off topic but what harness do you have for Bella? We just adopted a new puppy and there’s just so many harness choices… I’d love to have an opinion from someone who has one and uses it a lot!
we have an old sparkly one from petsmart but it’s time to get a new one. i’m having a tough time finding one that isn’t too bulky and heavy for her little body though
I’m a few weeks behind you and I agree with all of your suggestions. I haven’t actually gotten sick yet but I have nausea during different periods throughout the day. The best cure for me is two things: eat often (and enough protein), and stay busy. When I’m busy at work, I almost never feel bad. Home on the weekends is when the nausea is the worst.
Thank you for this! I have been hunting for ideas as I’m 8 weeks… I thought I would be 9 by now but when we went for our scan they pushed back our date and I couldn’t help but think – an extra week of nausea lies ahead, according to the norm!
I have been eating Original Mary’s Gone Crackers (don’t like anything flavoured, which is weird I usually hate plain!), drinking peppermint tea and jelly snakes which all help.
I am dying at work at the moment, at 2pm I get a huge wave of exhaustion and just want to sleep. I am very jealous of your afternoon naps! They sound soooo good 🙂
Thanks Gina, I so look forward to your family posts and this was the most helpful for me yet!
I lost 10 lbs. my first trimester. I traveled a lot for work then and kept big containers of pretzels and crackers in the car and laptop case. Not having an empty stomach was essential. Though I don’t think I ever threw up.
Hi Gina, I’m only 5 weeks pregnant and its awesome to read about your experiences on here. I was wondering when you started to experience nausea & fatigue? At the moment I have zero symptoms which kind of freaks me out. I’m a fairly active person & eat frequent healthy meals like you, so I was wondering if the delay in symptoms had to do with having a balanced lifestyle in place? Any thoughts?
it hit me about 9 weeks… hard.
i thought i was invincible until then hahaha
you may be lucky and have no symptoms though!
As far as I’m aware some people (genetically gifted people :)) don’t experience morning sickness at all! My cousin has had two healthy beautiful babies (one boy, one girl) & had no morning sickness at all either time.
I’ve definitely never been pregnant and don’t want to be for a while, but my mom has always told me that ginger along with lemon on the upper lip help (I’m not sure how exactly you would put it on, but I think even just holding a lemon slice above your mouth can help)….
This probably sounds craycray, but reading these posts makes me excited for having little bambini in the future. 🙂
I don’t talk about this much at alllllllll in real life or blogland but I was pregnant about 2 years ago — lost the pregnancy (& haven’t gotten it back yet!) but I had horrible horrible “morning” sickness (I think that’s the worst term btw. The first day I had it I was like, OH well it’s *morning* sickness so I’ll be all better by noon! ummmmm yeah right..in my dreams.) ANYway in addition to the tips you listed here — which were all so super helpful for me — I learned towards the middle of the first trimester to really listen to my cravings. If I was craving ice cream but I ate a few saltines — whoa nelly, bad news bears! And yet oddly I could handle the ice cream. SO weird right? Our bodies are so fascinating 🙂
For about 2 wks (weeks 9 thru 11-ish) I had “can strike at any time sickness”. I noticed it would usually happen if I let myself get too hungry or if I ate too much (as I can’t eat as much in one sitting as I used to). So smaller, more frequent meals definitely helped!
i’ve found that too- my eyes are much bigger than my stomach
carbs and ginger helped. I had graham crackers next to my bed and usually ate one first thing in the morning. and avoiding drinking lemonade. but that’s not really an issue for you normally.