I remember the joy of seeing those two pink lines show up on my pregnancy test, the first conclusive evidence that I was having a baby!!“¦but then, a few days later, being extremely concerned that I didn’t feel especially “different,” considering I was growing a brand-new human being inside my body! But I had no reason to worry””by week six, I was puking and gagging like any other typical pregnant woman.
Ah, morning sickness. Or as mine should have been called, all-day overall ickiness. I had nausea, I had exhaustion, I thought whoever ate scrambled eggs in my presence was evil, and I couldn’t even look at a jar of peanut butter without needing to run for the nearest trash can or sink.
Fortunately, through trial and error, I discovered the following time-tested way to battle nausea and stay energized during that trying first trimester.
1. Try Sea Bands
Being pregnant isn’t that unlike being on a boat, traveling rough seas. You feel jostled about with every twist and turn of this strange journey. So try the remedy that sailors have known about for years””Sea Bands, acupuncture wrist brands that use pinpointed pressure to relieve nausea and are completely drug-free. (And now there is even a Sea-Band Mama product especially designed for pregnant women””yay!)
2. Pop a Preggie Pop Drop
Tart sucking candy is always a good thing to dry if you’re feeling queasy, and these all-natural, drug-free candies by Three Lollies are specially formulated for pregnant women to ease the ickies with nausea-fighting flavors like sour raspberry, sour apple, sour lemon and sour tangerine. Prefer a lollipop? Preggie Pops makes a ginger flavor that’s awesome!
Speaking of ginger, ginger root has been believed for centuries to be a natural remedy for nausea. You can take it by the capsule, drink it as a tea or even inhale it as aromatherapy.
3. Eat enough carbs
I was a carb-phobe prior to pregnancy, but let me tell you””when your tummy is tormented by all of those extra hormones, crackers, bagels and pretzels are your BFFs. You can go the multi-grain route if you want to make the healthiest choice”¦but honestly, I was a big fan of “comfort food” like Ritz crackers and was thrilled to discover, a healthier, organic (but just as buttery) version by the company Late July. I kept crackers in my purse, car and desk at work and popped them in my mouth as soon as I started to feel icky.
4. Get enough sleep
First trimester sleep is rich, heavy and filled with vivid dreams. Skimp on this and pay the price of possibly puking the following morning! Of course with such a big life change pending, sometimes it’s hard to drift off to sleep. There is so much up in the air: What will your cousin say when she finds out you’re using “her” favorite baby name if the baby is a girl? When should you tell your boss your good news?
You can’t ease off to bed with a glass of wine, of course, but a nice herbal tea can help””I always have loved Yogi Bedtime, which has chamomile and valerian. If tea makes you queasy, aromatherapy is a nice alternative. Lemon and geranium are good, soothing scents that aren’t too strong. Inhale some and soon you’ll be dreaming of flying moose and giving birth to kittens like the rest of the pregnant ladies!
Jorie Mark is Vitacost.com’s Director of Marketing Communications and mother to three children, ages 3 to 10.