Morning Sickness Tips

Below are some tips that might ease the discomfort of morning sickness.

1. Smells and odors sometimes trigger morning sickness. Sprinkle a damp washcloth with lemon or lime and store in a sealed Ziploc bag. This cloth placed over the nose helps with disagreeable odors. Keep your bedroom well ventilated to eliminate odors. Your sense of smell may become acute, smelling things no one else notices, and these smells can set off a bout of nausea or vomiting.
2. Eat foods that sound good to you. Even if your choices seem odd or strange.
3. Try to choose foods high in fiber. Some good examples are cracked wheat or mixed grain, instant oatmeal, apples, baked or boiled potatoes and cream of wheat.
4. When eating, take time, chew slowly, and listen to your stomach. Stop eating when you feel the least bit full. Eat another small meal later when your stomach feels stable. Eat solids first; try liquids at a separate time from the rest of your meal.
5. If nausea and vomiting occurs after eating, rest on your right side immediately after eating.
6. Plain water for drinking can be spiced up to make it more palatable with lemon, lime or crushed mint leaves.
7. Keep a record of your successful food choices.
8. When you are dehydrated, a change in temperature is often not tolerated well, especially cold. Don’t turn up the heat in your house as this causes increased fluid loss. Instead, dress in layers. Wearing loose clothing also creates pockets of air, improving insulation.
9. Ice chips help to soothe a raw throat
10. Toothpaste may produce nausea. Try changing to tooth powder, salt or baking soda. If these are not tolerated, brush with water only and floss.
11. If vomiting occurs in the middle of the night, wait 1 or 2 hours after your last meal before retiring.
12. Your healthcare provider may order medication for nausea. Listed below is a recipe for an anti-nausea medication. The Unisom and Vitamin B6 are over-the-counter medications.
    • Unisom 1/2 tablet and Vitamin B6 50 mg. In the morning.
    • Unisom 1/2 tablet at mid-day.
    • Unisom 1 tablet and Vitamin B6 100mg at bedtime.