Morning Sickness refers to nausea and vomiting that many experience during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Despite the name these symptoms can occur at any time of the day. It is believed to be caused by the hormonal changes that happen in early pregnancy, old research said it was casused by the rise in human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen and progesterone levels. New studies are underway and you can read about it here. Regardless, we know that every pregnancy is different and some feel the effects more than others.

Morning sickness can really take away the joy that comes with finding out you're pregnant! All the excitement is overshadowed with feeling crummy and sick. Try and keep in mind this won’t last forever!

Tips to Manage Morning Sickness:

1. Eat Small, Frequent Meals:

   -Keeping your stomach from getting too empty can help manage nausea. Try eating small protein rich snacks or meals every few hours.

   -Before you get out of bed try snacking on a few lightly salted almonds or nuts in the morning.

2. Ginger:

   -Ginger has been shown to reduce nausea for some women. You can try ginger tea, ginger ale or ginger candies.

3. Stay Hydrated:

   -Drinking water, electrolyte drinks or sucks on ice chips can help with nausea. If drinking large amounts makes you feel sick, try sipping on small amounts frequently.

4. Avoid Strong Smells:

   -You can develop a heightened sense of smell, which can trigger nausea. Try to avoid foods or environments with strong odors.

5. Protein is Your friend:

   -We crave all the carbs when we aren’t feeling well. Unfortunately this increases our blood sugar and then it quickly drops. Protein rich meals and snacks will stabilize your blood sugar, helping you overall feel better.

6. Choose Bland Foods:

   -Avoid overly seasoned foods which are easier to tolerate.

7. Rest and Relaxation:

   -Fatigue can make nausea worse. Make sure you’re getting plenty of rest and try to relax throughout the day.

8. Acupressure Bands:

   -Often called Sea Band. Easily found online or in stores. These press on a specific point in your wrist which helps reduce nausea.

9. Homeopathics:

   -Can be found online or at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Ann’s Natural Grocery & Nutrition. Borion Nux Vomica 30c - Take 2 of the tiny homeopathic pellets under your tongue every hour until the nausea goes away. Just twist the cap, dropping the pellets into the cap and use the cap to administer, do not touch the pellets.

10. Over the Counter:

    -Unisom/B6 combo: Unisom (doxylamine) 25mg by mouth at bedtime and 12.5mg (1/2 tablet) in the morning and in the midafternoon PLUS Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 25mg three times a day.

11. Prescription:

    -If none of these are working please send us a message and we can discuss prescriptions that can be called in for you.