Between the sixth and 12th week of your pregnancy, you may experience pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting, otherwise known as morning sickness.
If you do, you’re not alone. More than one-half of all women experience morning sickness during their pregnancy.
Fortunately, if you’re having trouble managing your morning sickness, there are some steps you can take to help ease the symptoms:
Eat something before you get out of bed. Preventing morning sickness before it starts should be your first line of defense. Having a few crackers before you get up out of bed can help to keep morning sickness at bay. When you have food in your stomach, you’re less likely to experience morning sickness.
Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Eating five to six small meals per day, rather than three big ones, may help reduce morning sickness symptoms. When your stomach is empty, you are more likely to feel nauseated.
Avoid trigger smells and foods. During pregnancy, you may have a heightened sense of smell, and your taste buds may actually change as a result of the hormonal changes that are going on in your body, according to Pregnancy.org. As a result, certain smells or tastes may trigger nausea or vomiting.
Relieve symptoms. If you’re battling morning sickness, try eating ginger, sniffing a lemon or wearing an acupressure bracelet. All these may reduce the symptoms of morning sickness, according to American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can also try taking an antacid that is safe for use during pregnancy to relieve your symptoms.
Talk to your doctor. If you’re having trouble handling morning sickness on your own, talk to your health care provider. She may recommend prescription medications or acupuncture to help relieve your morning sickness symptoms.
