WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS AND 12 WAYS TO SURVIVE IT

What is morning sickness?

Pregnancy is full of joy and miseries. Luckily the joy mostly overweighs the rest. But the first trimester can be rough, especially if you are not sleeping well and nausea has gotten a hold of you. But what is this morning sickness and how can you survive it?

Actually, I do not quite agree with the term “morning sickness” since it can happen at any time of the day and if you are really unlucky, all day long. You can simply feel nauseous and queasy or be running to the bathroom ten times a day.

During my first pregnancy, I didn’t feel so well especially in the mornings but this time around, it has been worse. Nausea would hit me at any time of the day but mostly in the evening after work. I was tired and had very slow digestion, I guess this only made it worse.

I have tried several different morning sickness remedies but since the tips I received didn’t really work that well, I reached out to friends and colleagues and decided to do some research and share it with you.

When does morning sickness start?

Morning sickness starts around your 4^th week of pregnancy when your level of beta HCG (the pregnancy hormone) is starting to be highly present in your body. This is also around the time when your pregnancy can be confirmed by peeing on a stick or a blood analysis.

So, it is actually a good thing! Having morning sickness is a sign that your pregnancy hormones are there.

How long does it last?

Generally, it is said that this nausea lasts about the first 3 months of pregnancy but for me, it only ended at the end of the 4^th month so around 16 weeks into pregnancy. Some friends have confirmed the same.

What if I don’t have any morning sickness during my pregnancy?

Then I can only say: lucky you!

No seriously, do not think that every woman feels nausea during her pregnancy. And if you don’t have any, you are part of the 30% of lucky bastards!

Hyperemesis gravidarum

If you are just having some nausea and it happens that you vomit from time to time, do not read any further it will just freak you out. However, if you cannot keep any food or liquids and run to the toilet as soon as you have eaten something, you might suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum.

This has to be taken very seriously. It is a condition that is characterized by extreme nausea, vomiting, weight loss and other imbalances in your body.

Please talk to your doctor or midwife about it, they will know what to do.

Causes of pregnancy nausea

Well, the real reason is probably our lovely pregnancy hormones. The increased beta HCG, as well as oestrogen and progesterone, can be difficult for your body to handle. It needs some time to get used to them.

An empty stomach is also one of the causes of your nausea. This is something I never quite understood but it is so true. I guess this is where the term “morning sickness” actually comes from.

When you get out of bed you probably haven’t eaten anything for the last ten hours and, as you might have noticed, that doesn’t feel so good.
But it can also happen during the day.

I had to have snacks all day long during my first trimester, I felt like I was constantly eating, even if it was mostly fruits, nuts and other healthy stuff. Although I hadn’t announced my pregnancy yet, one colleague knew since she had suffered from morning sickness as well.

Hypoglycaemia goes probably together with the empty stomach. If you are hungry or your sugar levels are low you could feel nauseous. 

Your stomach is also more sensitive, at least at the beginning of your pregnancy. While this will get better, it can also come back during your 3^rd trimester. You might not be able to digest some foods properly and spicy and fatty foods need to be avoided.

I once ate a delicious “aligot” (a French speciality of mashed potatoes with Cantal cheese) which was too fatty and unfortunately, every last bit of it landed in the toilet after a couple of hours. The same happened every time I had sweet pepper.

Try taking your prenatal vitamins at a time of day when you are least nauseous and together with some food so it can be digested more easily.

Anxiety and stress should be avoided to have less nausea. And it would definitely be better for your baby not to be stressed.

Meditation or a nice hot bath can help you with that.

Your toothbrush or any other hard object in your mouth (no ambiguous pun intended) can give you a reason to vomit.

And last but not least, the increased sense of smell. This was the worst for me since I work with my nose!

Scents that you might have liked before can become a cause of your nausea and others might just be too strong and unbearable. The smell of coffee or soap can suddenly disgust you as well as the odour of cigarettes or onions.

Ways to fight morning sickness

Edible ways

• Small meals
  Eat rather a couple of small meals during the day than three big ones and don’t allow yourself to get hungry. You might have some food aversions, try to avoid these foods for a while.
  Either you eat what you like but still in small quantities, or if nothing helps, you can try the “flu diet” meaning bananas, rice, apple sauce and zwieback.
• Salty snacks and crackers
  Always have some neutral biscuits lying on your bedside table so you can eat some before getting up. This will help you in case you feel nauseous when you get out of bed.
  You might also need to adapt your morning routine for a while. While you might have started your day with a nice hot shower before having breakfast, you should try having breakfast first.
• Ginger!
  Yes yes yes, in all of its forms.
  I used to cut a few pieces of ginger root in the morning so I had something to chew all day long if needed.
  So ginger root, ginger tea, ginger beer (it’s like lemonade without alcohol), ginger drops.
  You can also add hot water to a freshly squeezed lemon and freshly cut ginger root with a spoon of honey and use this to replace your tea or coffee in the morning.
• Stay hydrated
  Whether you have always had a big water intake or not, now is the time to drink.
  Try drinking very chilly water or sucking on ice cubes, try hot water or decaffeinated/herbal tea.
  A colleague of mine used to drink Coca Cola all the time but during her pregnancy, she switched to sparkling water with mint syrup. Whatever works for you.
• Morning sickness tea
  You can either buy a special herbal tea in a pharmacy or use some old remedies like lemon balm tea, thyme tea, ginger tea, peppermint tea or even try a combination of several:
  – 1 teaspoon of dried peppermint leaves
  – 1 teaspoon of ground ginger root
  – ½ teaspoon of thyme
  – ½ lemon
  Let infuse for 10min, drink hot or cold.
• Other food
  Proteins are supposed to help and the calcium intake is very important during your pregnancy.
  You can try Greek yoghurt or any other type of yoghurt if you can stand the taste/smell/texture of it. You can also try cold popsicles, watermelon and sour candy.

Non-edible ways

• Go for a walk & get some fresh air
  Getting fresh air can be really helpful.
  It has saved me so many times to open the window while brushing my teeth, even when it was below 0°C.
  During both of my pregnancies, I had to sleep with the window ajar to always have some fresh air.
  Going for a walk is good so you can get your daily exercise, intake of fresh air and think of something else.
• Rest
  Get a good night’s sleep to be well-rested.
  Yes, this might not be easy during your first trimester but at least try going to bed early, read a good book and rest.
  I found that being tired makes nausea even worse the next day.
• Avoid your triggers
  If opening your fridge or loading the dishwasher makes you nauseous, ask your partner to do this for you.
  Try also to avoid the smells of soap, coffee or whatever makes you want to vomit.
  For me, it was also eating sour green apples – which actually helps some people.
• Acupressure
  Sea-Bands have been known to help with morning sickness. Plus, they are rather cheap. You can either buy them in a pharmacy or find them on the internet.
  Or, you can keep your money and learn where to find the pressure points on your wrist and massage them when feeling nauseous. Acupuncture can also help if you are constantly suffering from morning sickness.
• Sniff a lemon
  This is very helpful! Sniff it, lick it, drink it. Whatever helps.
  This can also work with other citrus fruits but lemons are the most effective. The smell makes your nausea go away, at least for a little while.
• Talk to your doctor
  If nothing helps you might want to talk to your doctor or midwife to get the right medication.
  My pharmacist sold me some ginger pills which did not help much but if you are desperate you can try some chemical medication like Dodormyl (see on www.crat.fr).  

And if nothing of the above helps, try not to think about your nausea, find something else that fetches your attention. Sometimes it works to trick your mind.

I know this is not easy but try to see the good months that are yet to come. Always remember, even the worst day, the worst nausea, the sleepless nights, will be totally worth it.