Organic Mama’s Top Ten Tips for Managing Pregnancy Nausea

The person who named pregnancy nausea “morning sickness” must have been a man! Ok, maybe that’s unfair. At least it was someone who’d never actually suffered a severe case of being sick in pregnancy. It’s more like “ALL DAY sickness”, the “curse of the first tri” or “the wretchedness“.

Whoa. Little bit of angst going on over here. Sorry, it’s just where I am right now. Unfortunately, some of the remedies we often hear prescribed for nausea – like saltine crackers (gag, gag, choke, choke) – often fall short of the mark.

A lot about you changes when you’re pregnant. Organs get shoved around, metabolism speeds up while hormones slow digestion down and increase saliva. Yuck! Is it any wonder we feel funky?

The third time around, I’ve found a few tips that at least make nausea manageable (meaning less vomiting), though I  haven’t figured out how to get rid of it!

1. Keep blood sugar stable. This tip comes from my midwife. She suggests breaking meals into snacks spaced every 1.5-2 hours. Start when you wake and don’t put off eating. The snack should include a carb and a protein. Some of the snacks I’ve been enjoying are:

• Fruit and nuts (or nut butter – like almond, peanut, sunflower etc).
• Salads with chicken or cheese (my current fave)
• Chicken, cheese and veggies wraps
• Cottage cheese and fruit (thanks for the tip, Jeanette!)

I would love to eat only fruit all day, but experience speaks. It boosts blood sugar really fast and leaves me reeling from nausea when my blood sugar drops. This is true of most sugary foods. They’re best avoided when you’re nauseous. Try increasing veggies in your diet. They will, ahem, keep things moving and possibly help you avoid some of the other tortures of pregnancy – constipation and hemorrhoids – that may be a result of slowed digestion.

2. Exercise. I know you’re tired (me too!), but a little exercise in the morning can reset your system for the day and get your energy moving. And, if you’re not used to it, try starting with twenty minutes. Biking, swimming, walking, etc – even briefly – can be a huge help!

3. Change your toothpaste. The toothbrush can become a torture tool when you’re nauseous and minty flavor seems to make it worse. Thankfully, there are lots of other flavors out there to  choose from like Cinnamon, strawberry etc. Try it!

4. Rest. I know. I know. You have a million things to do and if you don’t do the housework, no one else will. But, trust me, it will still be there in just a few months when second trimester energy and nesting kicks in. A nap or slightly earlier bedtime makes a huge difference between a day spent gagging from nausea and a day when nausea seems manageable.

5. Minimize offensive odors. Pregnancy nausea is often tied to super hero smelling powers, which seem to have no purpose other than letting you smell every disgusting thing on the planet. Try these tips.

• Switch to safe cleaners that won’t leave a smelly residue or potentially harm your growing babe
• Cook outside. It’s summer! Use the grill.
• Switch to cold brew coffee. If you’re like me – married to a coffee addict who’ll drink hot or iced coffee, teach him how to make a cold brew coffee. It tastes AMAZING. He’ll be hooked and you’ll be spared the smell of brewing coffee every morning.
• Let your husband change the poopy diapers (when possible). I know it seems unfair but he benefited from the, er, “joy“ of your fruitful union and now you’re paying for it. Just remind him if he’s forgotten already.

Here’s Day 2’s tips for managing pregnancy nausea.

If you have any great tips I missed, please share them for fellow readers in the comments below!