Getting Real About My Morning Sickness

I’m now entering my third trimester – can you believe it?! This portion of pregnancy is often when women start to feel very tired and uncomfortable because the baby is getting big, so I’m relishing every minute that I still feel great and energetic. My second trimester has been my favorite so far, especially compared to the first – when I was riddled with horrible morning sickness as many of you guys may know. You hear people talk about morning sickness so often, but you can never truly understand until you’ve experienced it yourself. 9 out of every 10 pregnant women will experience morning sickness, and I had such a rough time with it that I am sharing my best advice on how to beat it today – in the hopes that it may help another mama-to-be in the future!

Eat little and often
If you can! To battle morning sickness before it’s even begun, eat a small carb-based snack (like crackers) often, even before you get out of bed if it tends to hit you strongest in the morning. Then, aim for small and regular portions of plain foods. Bland, carb-rich foods are usually the easiest foods to tolerate. But if you feel like you want something salty or sweet, then go for it – I would suddenly feel like I had to have cheese on toast – nothing else would do! Just remember to stick to small portions of it until you feel like you can keep it down, then add from there. When I was going through this, I would feel so nauseous that I wouldn’t want to eat, but it would actually make me feel better once I did. It seems counterintuitive to eat when you feel like you want to throw up, but it actually can help.

Avoid smells and foods that make you feel nauseous
Your body is pretty good at letting you know what it does and doesn’t want, so listen to it and avoid those that make you feel sick. Certain smells you may not be able to avoid completely while you’re out in public, but have no shame about banning certain things at home since that’s your domain. I literally banished Mackenzie to the guest room on nights that he’d had a beer with the boys because I couldn’t handle the smell of alcohol, and even had to stop using some of my favorite products for a few weeks, like my moisturizer and fragrance. I had to hold my nose when I opened the fridge and if somebody near me had BO – forget it – I had to run! It’s crazy how heightened a pregnant person’s sense of smell can become. Ask your partner for help doing things around the house that may make you feel sick, because there’s no point in trying to force yourself through something if it’s going to send you into a fit of nausea.

Stay hydrated
It’s so important to rehydrate when you’re experiencing any kind of sickness, but unfortunately the last thing you feel like doing is gulping down liquid. It’s important to keep an eye on how much water you’ve drunk in the day – I kept a 2 liter bottle and forced my way through it (being dehydrated when pregnant can be very dangerous). Another tip I found helpful was using electrolyte rehydration drops in my water – they’re designed for post-exercise rehydration and rehydrate you about 3 times as much as water alone. Just check when ordering that the product is as natural as possible, and safe for pregnant women. I personally love this one. If you’re bored to death of water, try drinking hot water with fresh lemon and ginger, with a little honey if you like. This was my personal savior! And of course, coconut water is filled with electrolytes and a great way to rehydrate even faster than with water.

Try alternative medicinal methods
Such as acupuncture or acupressure. By increasing your energy and blood flow in certain parts of your body, you can seriously relieve the nausea, even if only for a little time. I have been seeing an incredible acupuncturist since before I got pregnant, and he was able to alleviate my sickness, at least for the day, which was heaven. Definitely work a try!

Get some fresh air
This was a difficult one for me at times. I’m usually the kind of person who loves to be out and about, but for a lot of my first trimester I felt so unwell that I just wanted to be inside, in the air conditioning, preferably lying down. But getting even a little fresh air everyday can work wonders for your body and, perhaps even more importantly, your mood. A few days a week I still managed gentle workouts, such as pilates or barre class. The stretching, the distraction, and the sense of achievement really helped me mentally and physically.

Know it will end!
I constantly googled how long morning sickness is supposed to last, and although most websites said it goes away between 12 – 16 weeks, so women do unfortunately experience it the entire way through pregnancy. I was terrified this was going to be me, and at my worst moments, honestly not sure how I would carry on – dramatic I know, but true! Thank goodness, it eased off around week 13 when we were in England, and I’ve never been more grateful to wake up and actually look forward to breakfast. However severe your sickness, please trust me that it’s all worth it for a much greater cause (and I don’t know if they were just trying to make me feel better – but two doctors told me sickness is a good sign of a healthy baby!).

I hope you guys found some help in this, let me know how you get on and any tips you have to share!

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