Sea-Bands and Saltines

I'm not sure why we as humans feel that certain things "won't happen to us" when they most certainly can, and do. It happens with getting a flat tire, catching the current cold, and morning sickness.
And boy oh boy did things ever happen to me.

I can only recall some of my friends experiencing "morning sickness" during their pregnancies; one friend in particular had it pretty severe throughout her whole pregnancy. Because of this I always thought that it wouldn't happen to me. Quite the contrary took place for me, it all started at week 5... and ended at about week 19.

I'm sure many women can relate the part that makes it so much harder was that it starts so early while your exciting pregnancy news is still a secret. At work or with family and friends I couldn't say a word so I was left to suffer in silence and later vent to my very understanding husband. For me I found a few things that provided some relief and thought it might be helpful to share.

Sea-bands are some of the first things that I highly recommend to other women experiencing nausea. The type that I wore starting at my 5th week were the 'Sea-Band Mama' set that I already had on hand. Any of the original Sea-Bands will do the trick; I've heard the adjustable options on the market do not work as well though. Fortunately for me, early pregnancy took place in the winter when these were easily camouflaged  with long-sleeved shirts and sweaters to keep things a secret.

Prenatal vitamins and B vitamins can have a positive or negative effect on many women as well. Positive because they can greatly relieve symptoms, negative if you don't find the right brand for you with what you and your baby need. Sometimes finding the right vitamin can make all the difference in the world. I recommend trial and error to see what works best as well as talking with your midwife or OB; softgel and smaller options were easier to get down for me. Also, B vitamin shots or supplements may be needed if your sickness becomes severe.

Hydration, hydration, hydration. This is something that is stressed to us as mamas-to-be throughout our entire pregnancy, but can be crucial in helping with morning sickness and nausea in early stages. Something I received from my OB mentioned Gatorade, which I definitely consumed plenty of and still do on occasion. For me, with fruit and sweeter items already being all too appealing, thanks baby girl, I wanted to  make sure that I wasn't consuming sugar all day so I threw in a couple other different options. I love Nuun tablets and Pedialyte pouches since I can take them on-the-go with me and they have much less sugar per serving. Additionally, fruit infused waters can help, especially when you include mint or your current fruit craving. These few tips can make water taste much more appealing; often needed by many mamas.

Last but certainly not least.. Snacks were another huge part of fighting my queasiness. Making sure I had plenty of smaller, healthy snacks was a necessity. The second I would feel hunger coming on or feel a little weaker it was snack time! There were days when I was busy with work and would be "too late" and my nausea would hit me like a ton of bricks. I learned quickly that I needed to do my best to avoid that at all costs. In the mornings I would also make sure to eat a little something before I got out of bed to go to the gym (yes, staying active helped me as well). My go-to snack for this became berries. I know many people recommend crackers, but I just couldn't wrap my head around a dry ball of dough in my mouth first thing in the morning. Of course there were days when we were out of berries and I had to turn to my beloved saltines. Crackers definitely came in handy at all other hours of the day. Minty items typically help as well such as: mints, gum, and mint tea.

Hopefully these tips help some other preggos out there! Try to stay active, take care of yourself, and remember it is only temporary. It can also be a sign of a healthy pregnancy and little one.