Foods that May Help Curb Morning Sickness
Author: Dr. Anna Kaplan
Morning sickness occurs in approximately eight out of ten pregnancies, and is thought to be caused by a number of hormones that are elevated during pregnancy. Although it is most common early in pregnancy, some women are nauseous throughout and not necessarily only in the morning.
Some ways to combat morning sickness will seem obvious, while others you might not have thought of.
If there are smells from food or anything else that make you sick to your stomach - avoid them. Tell your friends, family, and coworkers if something they are eating or cooking is making you feel sick. If cigarette smoke bothers you, tell them to stop smoking. They shouldn't be smoking around you anyway, and you'll be surprised how willing smokers are to stop once they realize you are pregnant.
Ask someone else to do the cooking if the smells bother you. Often spicy, aromatic foods increase the nausea. You might find you want plain, bland food most of the time.
If - you have cravings for specific foods, go ahead and eat them. Just make sure not to overeat because overfilling your stomach can actually make you nauseated.
Most women feel the best if they eat frequent small meals and drink small amounts of fluids throughout the day. You do not want to get too low on either fluids or calories, as not eating can cause a vicious cycle making you feel even less like eating.
Dry crackers eaten in the morning have been recommended, as well as dry toast. Small amounts of dry, bland food often help as well.
To prevent low blood sugar, which results in low energy in the morning, eat protein before you go to bed. Cheese is a good choice, but any protein source will work. Put some crackers by your bed, and eat a few when you awaken, but before you actually get up. Then get up slowly.
If you are having a lot of morning sickness, be sure and talk to your doctor. If your vitamins have iron, and you cannot get rid of your nausea, ask your doctor if you can stop the iron long enough to calm down your insides.
What else can help?
- Vitamin B6 helps reduce nausea. If it is not in your prenatal vitamins, ask your doctor about taking it.
- Citrus. Some people recommend the smell of citrus. You can grate the peel of a lemon and maybe also an orange. Put the peels in a bag. When you feel nauseous, open the bag and smell the citrus. You can also try lemon hard candy, soda with lemon, or even a small slice of lemon or orange.
- Ginger. Many people recommend ginger, not only for morning sickness, but also for anything causing nausea. You can buy ginger tea, as well as hard candies made from ginger. Also if you buy ginger ale, but make sure it really has ginger in it.
- Salty foods. Some women feel better eating small, salty snacks like potato chips - but not too many.
Many women do better with cold foods and liquids. Sometimes popsicles and ice chips will stay down when other things won't. Others do better with room temperature liquids.
Some women swear by soda water with bubbles. Others can only drink flat soda.
That is one of the most frustrating things about morning sickness - there isn't one cure. What works for one woman may not help another. So if you are suffering with it, try some of these ideas. Start with one thing, and if it doesn't help, try the next. Ask your mother or your sister what helped her and try that.
Although some women have severe nausea and vomiting necessitating medical treatment (called hyperemesis gravidarum), the vast majority of women get through morning sickness on their own. If you are really unable to keep anything down, you must see your doctor.
