Tips for Dealing with Morning Sickness

I’m currently pregnant with my 4th child and “enjoying” all the 1st trimester joys of morning sickness. Luckily for me, my morning sickness (all day sickness) is only in the 1st trimester. I’m not sure what would happen in my house if it lasted any longer.

As I’m lying on the couch sick, I comfort myself with the fact that morning sickness is a good sign. Or it’s supposed to be. It means my baby is busy growing (i.e. making me sick). Doesn’t make me actually feel any better. It’s just nice to know.

With 3 kids and a pretty full schedule, I do often have to just muscle through the nausea, back pain, and exhaustion.

Though, by 4 I have gotten a little better at just rolling with it. If you’re struggling with morning sickness, here’s a few things that might help.

1. Find a good prenatal vitamin – I don’t mean find the one with the most iron or the biggest pill you can find. Find something that your body can stomach, and that actually helps you. I really struggle with this. I need a vitamin without iron and have you seen the amount of iron is most prenatal vitamins! I’ve resorted to taking children’s vitamins every couple of days because that was all I could handle.

Finally, after my 3rd pregnancy I discovered Premama Vitamins. They also have vitamins for fertility and lactation. You can get a flavorless powder that you mix in any drink (juice is recommended, I tried it in a carbonated beverage once and it foamed up and bubbled out of the cup and all over the counter!). Or you can get a citrus flavored powder.

Either one works great. It has all your folic acid, DHA, etc. and while it has some iron, it doesn’t have a ton. Plus, my morning sickness is actually less when I’m taking it. It’s the only prenatal vitamin I’ver ever taken that has helped me feel better.

This might not be the one for you, but if you’re struggling like I was because prenatal vitamins were so hard on my stomach, you should give this one a try. It’s making handling my morning sickness so much easier!

They’re available on Amazon and in most drug stores like CVS and Walgreens.

img_20160702_1822212702. Rest – I know you want to keep getting everything done. But listen to your body and get some extra sleep. I always have oodles of energy in the 2nd trimester to make up for my exhaustion 1st trimester.

A good prenatal vitamin can help some with the exhaustion. But, listen to your body and get some extra rest. And don’t feel bad about your messy house. You are growing a baby.

I find that taking some time during the day to just sit helps a lot. I’ll read a book, answer e-mails, work on my blog, etc. Anything that’s non-stressful. But just stopping and sitting for a few minutes here and there really helps.

3. Ginger, Lemon, Citrus – All 3 are great for helping settle an upset stomach. For me, Ice water with lemon is super helpful. Helps me stay hydrated and the lemon helps settle my stomach a bit.

I also like a ginger tea. It’s nice and warm and also helps me stay hydrated. You can get ginger chews as well if you’re not a fan of tea.

Oranges are great for digestion. Plus they have vitamin C and some fiber. You really can’t go wrong with these. Get the little mini oranges and you’ll have something perfect for a midnight snack or really a snack any time you’re needing a little something.

img_20160801_1224452474. Pace your eating – Take your time. You’ll do better if you don’t eat random large meals. Start your morning with a few crackers by your bed, make a cup of tea, etc. Something small. Then move on to breakfast. Oatmeal or something else easy on my stomach is my preference.

Keep healthy snacks on hand like celery sticks, peanut butter, cheese, or fruit. And snack on something good for you when you start feeling a little hungry. You might not eat as large a lunch or dinner as you did pre pregnancy because you’re snacking. Don’t worry about it. You honestly don’t need many extra calories the first trimester. Just focus on eating small meals with foods that are good for you.

And remember, there’s a tiny human growing inside you. Your body is working hard. So, don’t feel bad about taking it easy and listening to what your body needs.

Caring for Myself in My First Trimester

Aside from the actual delivery. First Trimester is by far my least favorite part of pregnancy. I have morning sickness – really all day sickness – from about 4 weeks until week 13. And with 3 kids, homeschooling, and a small business, keeping up while I’m sick is a challenge to say the least.

This is my 4th pregnancy, and if there’s anything that I’ve learned about my first trimester it’s to give myself permission to just take it easy.

Here’s just a few ways I take care of myself – and of course the new little baby – during my first trimester.

  1. Extra Sleep – Something about the hormones, I’m way more tired than normal. As in 10 hours of sleep at night and a nap tired. Of course, the more tired I am, the more sick I feel, so if I want to get anything done, I do actually need to sleep. And, technically, I’m sleeping for me and the baby, and everyone knows that babies need lots of sleep.
  2. Special Snacks – Another fun thing about the first trimester. I’m hungry all the time. Because I get less sick if I perpetually snack (rather than eat all my food in 3 meals a day) I do go ahead and purchase snacks that I’m craving. This pregnancy I’m craving oranges and avocados (eaten separately), both snacks that are definitely good for me. I’m not actually craving any unhealthy snacks this time around (one pregnancy it was krispy kreme doughnuts) so I’m pretty much allowing myself to snack as much as I want on what I want. I do limit the unhealthy snacking to my normal snacking limits. It’s important to eat well.
  3. Frequent Snacking – I feel better if I snack frequently. So I keep nuts and/or granola bars in the car for when I need a snack while on the go. What I have depends on how many of my snacks my kids “stole”. My kids just love all this extra snacking! Normally, I don’t do this, but, in the interest of feeling well, it’s good for me to do.
  4. Relaxing – I like to be on the go and I like to be busy. I also really want to rearrange the kids bedrooms. But all that stuff is going to have to wait until the second trimester when I have the energy to do it. I do manage to keep the house picked up – most of the time – which I think is pretty good with 3 kids. I constantly have to remind myself that it’s perfectly ok to take a break and finish the laundry tomorrow (guess what I didn’t finish today). A lot of times relaxing just means that I’m sitting down working on my blog, catching up on e-mails, or reading a book. Just something that lets my body rest.
  5. Vitamins – For some reason I don’t handle multivitamins very well. They make me sick. So, combine morning sickness with prenatal vitamins making me sick, and well, let’s just say that every pregnancy so far I’ve just given up on the vitamins. Whenever I discover a new prenatal vitamin I try it out for a week (even when I’m not pregnant) just to see how I handle it, and it never goes well. This time around I found a brand called Premama that actually works for me. Horray. It does actually help some with the morning sickness and energy. So I’m finally able to get those extra vitamins that I’m supposed to have without making myself sick.
  6. Pregnancy Brain – So I explained the concept of pregnancy brain to my 8 and 5 year old. I was having a really bad day forgetting things. And now, I’ve basically been given a pass to forget any and everything the entire time I’m pregnant. If you have kids, I highly recommend you do this. It’s honestly a great way to get away with things and have them be ok with it.

So, Mommas, tell me in the comments below, what are some special things you’ve done for yourself during your pregnancy? Or tell me about your favorite food craving?

This #BloggersTalkingAbout series features amazing bloggers writing from the heart. Continue reading more by following these links. Loving Yourself by Joanne | Loving Yourself This Valentine’s Day by Traci | New Routine & New Doctor by Karen | Care For Yourself By Reducing Anxiety & Worry by Karen | Permission To Cry by Brandy | Caring For Myself In My First Trimester by Jenny. If you’re a mom/female blogger, join us in our group, Bodacious Bloggers