Help with Morning Sickness

The cause of morning sickness is still pretty much an unknown, with many people saying it is a good thing as it’s a hormone surge when the placenta and baby is developing. Some mums state that morning sickness is worse with a boy, some its worse with a girl; the reasons for morning sickness are vast and varied.  Around 80% of us mums will experience nausea during the first trimester of pregnancy, it can really plague this otherwise ecstatic and exciting time! With so many mums-to-be spending the first trimester of their pregnancy feeling nauseous for the whole of the day, morning sickness is definitely not confined to the morning; with the unlucky few, including myself suffering for the whole 9 months!!

There are loads of conflicting views on the best ways to tackle the nauseous growing a baby can cause, and everyone is different, so we have put our mummy heads together here at Get Fruity and compiled a list of remedies for morning sickness.

1. Staying hydrated is essential, with good old water being the best drink of choice. Morning sickness can be the worst in the morning due to becoming dehydrated during the night, so utilize one of those many night toilet trips by sipping water when you are awake!
2. Reducing refined sugars helped my morning sickness considerably. I cut out refined sugar foods but there was occasions when I was feeling better that I would eat something really sweet and I would really suffer the next day. I used to eat lots of pancakes with a tiny bit of lemon and honey. All my food contained naturally occurring sugars, dried fruit and fruit juices were fine. Our Get Fruity snack bars contain no refined sugar at all but still have the sweetness your growing tummy can crave (natural sweetness is the greatest sweetness!).
3. Reducing salt in my diet really helped with my energy levels and morning sickness. This may be to do with needing to keep your hydration levels up but steer away from high salt foods and cook without adding salt (you will need to get used to this before weaning your baby anyway!!!).
4. An increase in B vitamin rich foods, particularly B6 can help. Vegetables are a great source of B vitamins, it can also be found in eggs, (though eggs and nausea can sometimes be a bit of a risky mix!). Oats are also a great source of vitamin B and can be found in all our delicious Get Fruity Bars; a perfect morning sickness busting snack bar.
5. Ginger, in all its forms is highly recommended to help morning sickness, ginger root in warm water makes a lovely gentle ginger tea. Grating ginger is the ideal easy way to add ginger to anything, ginger and turmeric shots are an amazing energy and anti-sickness addition to the day.
6. Plenty of rest is also important although life can be hectic and stressful it is so important to get as much rest as possible through your pregnancy; tiredness is known to make nausea worse so take advantage and pop your feet up with a cup of herbal tea, a Get Fruity snack bar and your favourite magazine!
7. Acupuncture really helps a lot of people overcome their morning sickness and acupressure wristbands really helped to keep my morning sickness at bay. These are usually used for travel sickness. If you are lucky enough to be at home, I would recommend going to a registered acupuncturist as this did wonders for my energy levels with my first child.
8. I avoided caffeine and alcohol completely, the smell of coffee and wine used to make me feel really sick. So it’s really important to stay away from things that will trigger your morning sickness. I ate little and often and I was very happy to eat quick simple foods, sandwiches, baked potatoes, plain rice, and cereal with chopped fruit. Its important to say to your family that they are going to have to cook meals or get friends to help.

Hopefully some of these remedies will help with your morning sickness and will help you find a balance that suits your ever-changing body at this amazing time.  I think the most important thing is to listen to your body when it needs rest and try and reduce stress as much as possible (sometimes easier said than done!).  Simple things like taking a walk when you least feel like it due to nausea can change your frame of mind and fill you with positive energy.  Get Fruity is the perfect snack for a healthy, delicious energy boost along the way.