Pregnancy S.O.S: Morning Sickness

20 weeks pregnant

I had a question from a friend about dealing with nausea and morning sickness, so I thought I'd post about it. As you might know from past posts, I had TERRIBLE morning sickness (more like all day sickness!) during my first trimester. It started around week 7 and it started to get better around week 14. At my worst, I used to get sick every single day with maybe one good day a week! I'm 20 weeks now and it has improved significantly! It does get better!!! It might even go away entirely! I still get sick about once a week though... almost like clockwork it seems!! But I can't complain! I'll definitely take that over what it used to be any day!!!

Here are some things that worked for me:

-Snack continuously and don't let your stomach get empty. Munch on saltines (the salt seemed to help) or cheerios or plain shortbread cookies if you need variety. I got bored with just the saltines very quickly. Keep them on your nightstand and have a snack as soon as you wake up!

-Drink Gatorade to help hydrate and replenish electrolytes

-A lot of my nausea was related to gas -- I had to burp but couldn't, and it made me nauseous :( ... Sprite helped get the burps out. So did gum. The minty kind! The gum also helped keep a fresh taste in my mouth, which definitely helped. (I carried these two with me everywhere!!!!!)

-Ginger is a very popular remedy, but it tasted awful to me and it didn't work, I just threw it up. :(

-Protein seemed to help. I ate very plain food like white rice and chicken, or lentils with avocado, or some kind of soup. Definitely helped settle my stomach.

-Carry a plastic bag with you in your purse... I never used mine, but I was always afraid I'd get sick while outside or worse -- like while I was driving!

-Set up a foldable chair in your bathroom. This really made it more comfortable when it got really bad. You can quickly unfold it when you need it and fold it away when you're done. Sounds silly, but when you get really sick, this is a godsend.

-Ginger is a very popular remedy, but it tasted awful to me and it didn't work, I just threw it up. :(

-I've heard something called Preggie Pops that seemed to have helped some people I know, but I've never tried them.

-If the nausea gets really bad, tell your doctor. They have a prescription that can help, it's called Zofran. I was really reluctant to use it because I wanted to do get through it naturally, but on 2 occasions that I was really sick I took it and it helped wonders!!

-It also helps if your hubby or loved one is there to take care of you and cook and clean like mine was! Jorge and my mom were great! :)

Anyone dealing with morning sickness has my sympathy! It is very uncomforatble but just keep in mind there's a little baby growing inside you that will thank you for it later. Well, maybe won't literally thank you, but will thank you with all the love and laughter they will bring to your life. That's what keeps me going!! :)