Wednesday, March 28, 2007

5 Tips for Dealing with Morning Sickness

Many women experience morning sickness during their first trimester of pregnancy. With it comes nausea, vomiting or heartburn. Morning sickness can actually occur at any time of the day, not just in the morning.

If you are experiencing morning sickness, the most important thing you can do is simply take care of yourself. Don’t try to push yourself or overdo it. Try these other tips for coping with your morning sickness.

Tip #1: Drink plenty of water. Saturate your body with lots of water. If you are feeling particularly nauseous, try something carbonated, like Sprite or ginger ale, but do try to avoid highly caffeinated drinks.

Tip #2: Steer clear of strong odors. If there is a food or smell in particular that causes you to feel sick, be sure to stay away from it if possible. Many pregnant women feel sick at the smell of certain foods cooking, or certain perfumes.

Tip #3: Don’t eat spicy foods. If you experience frequent heartburn, stay away from anything spicy. If you are craving spicy foods but they give you heartburn, eat smaller portions. Finish your meal with a small piece of bread and milk. (Tums works great for heartburn...and safe to take with the baby!)

Tip #4: Keep crackers by your bed. If you suffer from extreme nausea you may find that saltines help control it. Eat a few saltines before you go to bed at night. Try eating a few in the morning before you attempt to get out of bed.

Tip #5: Try ginger and peppermint. Ginger helps alleviate nausea so you can try ginger ale, ginger cookies or ginger tea to help calm your nausea. Peppermint may also help, try it in tea form or suck on a mint.

In some cases you may find what works for some may not work for you. If you still feel nauseous or are having severe morning sickness where you can’t keep any food down then it’s important to talk to your doctor since he or she may be able to help further.

No comments: