Morning Sickness, Be Gone!

When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, I was ecstatic! My previous pregnancy with daughter #1 went by without a hitch—no morning sickness, easy progression, minimal swollen ankles, textbook labor—so imagine my dismay when at 8 weeks with daughter #2, I found myself having debilitating bouts of nausea. 

The dreaded morning sickness reared its ugly head from then on to halfway through my fourth month. Just feeling the vibrations of pushing a cart through the grocery store was enough to send me into gagging mode—bumps on the road, getting up suddenly from a reclining position or even just seeing the swaying motion of clothes hanging on a store rack were enough to make me want to close my eyes and brace myself for another series of queasiness and gagging. 

I felt weak, unsteady and already at the point of mentally telling myself that this little one would be my last.

At the peak of it all, I sent an online shout-out to my fellow moms and begged for remedies (homemade, store-bought, mental exercises or otherwise) and got the following list that helped me through my morning, afternoon and evening sickness. 

I hope this helps all you struggling moms out there!

1.     Nibble on crackers: the dry, starchy kind helps neutralize stomach acids

2.     Eat several small meals a day: six small meals a day are better than three big

     ones and kept my hunger pangs and sugar level at bay. A hungry stomach is a

     queasy stomach.

3.     Avoid oily, fried and hard-to-digest food: your stomach is already in turmoil, keep your meals simple and easy-to-digest (ie: fruits, steamed vegetables, simple sandwiches, bran muffins etc)

4.     Eat hard candy: citrusy hard candy or lollipops that can be sucked through bouts of nausea really help control the urge but caution to eating too much of the sweet sugary kind—stick to natural and organic, if you can. Or better yet, freeze natural citrus juice in an ice tray and slowly suck on a cube when nausea strikes.

5.     Lessen or better yet avoid stress: stress has been known to trigger gastrointestinal symptoms and increase stomach upsets

6.     Take plenty of liquids: Do this especially if vomiting, to replace fluids lost. If liquids are the only thing you can hold down, make sure you’re getting as much nutrition as you can from each glassful. Try soups, broths, fruit or vegetable juices even milk shakes. But if liquids make it worse, stock up on food with high-water content in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables—melons, oranges, apples and the like, served cold, can alleviate the symptoms.

7.     Drink ginger tea (aka Salabat) : the cool, soothing taste have helped a few moms ride through this phase. Do it at home by steeping ginger slices in hot water for 3-5 minutes--depending on how strongly you like it--then sip slowly for relief.

8.     Use aromatherapy: for smell-sensitive moms, please test this first before going all out but it’s been known that peppermint essential oil can alleviate the effects of a queasy stomach. Place a few drops of oil in a large bowl of hot water. Rest beside it and breathe in (hehe, do NOT drink) leisurely. You may also use an aromatherapy diffuser.

9.     Rest up: your pregnant body is working overtime right now (and getting used to an onslaught of hormones) so get a few extra hours of sleep and relaxation to help your body do its job of preparing for baby.

10. Lastly, focus on your growing baby: you'll be seeing her/him in a few more months--this will all be worth it, believe me!