Combating morning sickness in pregnancy

Being a parent is a joy and something that so many people long for in life.  For most parents to become moms and dads though there is the necessary stage of pregnancy.  Although being pregnant is a wonderfully exciting time, it can also come with its downside.  This begins a series of articles related to pregnancy and how you can help make it an even more joyful time.

One of the most common ailments during a pregnancy is morning sickness.  Although the name implies that this is something that happens in the mornings, for some woman that couldn't be further from the truth.  In reality morning sickness can come at any point in the day or may last all day and night long.  In general for most woman this sickness includes nausea and for some vomiting as well. 

Although there is no cure for morning sickness, there are ways to help make it more comfortable until it fades away.  Not all of these things will work for all women so it may take some trial and error to discover what combination works best for you.

• Eat small amounts often throughout the day.  If you try to continue to eat three normal sized meals this may be too much for your stomach at this point. 
• Before even getting out of bed in the morning try nibbling on a few crackers.  Sometimes having an empty stomach can make the morning sickness worse and our stomachs are most empty in the mornings.
• Drink ginger ale or purchase ginger tea or ginger pills to take.  The ginger can help calm the stomach.
• Wear Seaband wristbands.  These are made for seasickness but can help relieve the nausea of morning sickness in some woman.
• Talk to your doctor about possible vitamins that may help relieve the sickness.
• Take your prenatal vitamin at night before you go to bed so that if it does make you more nauseous you can hopefully sleep through the discomfort.
• Get plenty of rest and try to relieve stress in your life as both exhaustion and stress can make the morning sickness worse.
• In extreme cases doctors will prescribe medication that can be taken to help stop the vomiting and nausea.  If you feel you may fall into this category contact your doctor immediately.  These prescriptions can be filled at Meeker Drug for an easy way to not have to leave town. 

For most women the morning sickness starts to taper off and get better by the beginning of the second trimester or the 14th week of pregnancy.  If you haven't started receiving prenatal care it is important to start as soon as possible.  Contact the Meeker Family Health Center at 970-878-4014 or the Rangely Family Medicine Clinic at 970-675-2237.