Morning Sickness Survival Tips

Avoid Morning Sickness When You Are Pregnant

"Just eat a few saltines and you'll be ok".

I don't know about you, but as someone who suffered with prolonged, severe morning sickness (which I affectionately call morning noon and night sickness), when I hear someone say this, I just want to slug them!

If you're suffering with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, you're not alone. Most pregnant women experience it to some degree during their first trimester. If you're one of the unfortunate few whose symptoms last longer than the typical 6-12 weeks, I empathize. I've had the same experience with all 4 of my pregnancies. I have learned a few things that helped however, and I hope you can get some relief with these tips.

1) Getting your blood sugar regulated is priority #1.

One theory about why morning sickness is worse in the morning (and for some pregnant women only occurs then) is because when you wake up from sleep, you have low blood sugar. For some pregnant woman, going 8 hours without food is just a bad idea.

You might find it helpful to eat a high protein snack before bed, and even to eat a bite each time you get up in the night to go to the bathroom. (Which in the beginning may be quite frequent!)

Personally, I found that what I did first thing in the morning was of paramount importance. I had to eat a few bites of food *while still lying down*. So I either put some food on a plate beside my bed or asked my husband bring me a snack first thing in the morning.

Don't jump out of bed. Eat your snack slowly and lie still for a few minutes afterwards. Then slowly get up and immediately go to the kitchen and eat another bite. Again, emphasize protein.

2) Avoid foods that cause rapid blood sugar shifts.

Fruit juice, sugary snacks, processed cereal (the kind that comes in a box), anything made with white flour, etc...these types of foods cause your blood sugar to rapidly rise then come crashing down, triggering nausea and vomiting. Eat protein foods and whole foods.

Meat, cheese, yogurt (be careful here- try plain yogurt with frozen berries mixed in. Most yogurt has way too much sugar in it.), eggs, nuts, nut butters, veggies, and whole grains should be your staples.

Even if eating doesn't appeal to you, coaxing yourself to eat a little bit of a protein food every 2 hours will help prevent vomiting. Don't leave the house without carrying a snack with you.

Read more information about pregnant women morning sickness