The Ultimate Morning Sickness Survival Series

Part 2 - Survival Tips & Tricks

So don’t think that I forgot about the importance of nutrition during pregnancy during all my ranting about other morning sickness survival strategies.  Nutrition is SO important while you are pregnant.  However, for many, the first trimester (or so) of pregnancy is not so much about "getting" proper nutrition as it is about "keeping nutrition down."  

Medications

(Warning: I know this is a controversial subject for some people.  Just remember to show grace to women who really suffer badly from morning sickness.  Sometimes there is no choice around taking medicine.)

Depending upon the severity of your morning sickness, some doctors will prescribe different meds to help keep you from throwing up too much and landing in the hospital dehydrated.  Nothing truly helps with the nausea, let me just make that clear.  These medications slow down vomiting.  As far as helping you feel better, I feel like they just kind of “take the edge off” and slow down the trips to the “throne.”

1. Zofran- I used Zofran for a couple of weeks with my last three pregnancies.  It helped a bit.   It was too expensive to continue to take the first two times I used it.  During my last pregnancy, it was generic and I could afford it.  However, I just couldn’t tolerate it since one of the side effects seemed to be making things worse (constipation).  So, I only took it for a few weeks that time, too. {Be sure to talk to your doctor!}
2. Reglan- This was prescribed with the Zofran with pregnancies #3 & #4.  Reglan helps with the peristalsis of your GI tract, so it helps keep food moving.  I probably should have tried it with the Zofran last time, but I just decided to stop the Zofran.
3. Unisom & Vitamin B6- I discussed this medication in my last post.  I took one 25mg. Unisom Sleep-Aid Tab (not gel nor dissolvable) at night and it really did help.  Unisom is considered one of the safest drugs on the market for pregnant women.  It’s been used for decades.  My doctor was extremely comfortable with me taking it.  I’ve read that you should take it with B6 at night.  Ask your doctor about what doses of B6 you should use.  All I know is that the internet is full of women singing praises about using Unisom and B6.  Personally, it was probably one of the best things I used.  By sleeping through the night without nausea, I had better mornings.  I could actually function for several hours.  So, this is one of my favorite tips.  But I know choosing to take medications is a personal choice and one you should consult your doctor about.

Vitamins

When you can barely keep things down, it’s so important to supplement your meals with vitamins.  As I mentioned in my last post, smoothies were one way that I tried to get extra nutrition and vitamins.  Here are a few vitamins that I suggest.

1. Prenatals- It’s extremely important to take prenatal, especially during your first trimester!  But you may have to try a few brands to find one that doesn’t make you sick from their smell or after taste.  I had one that I took that I couldn’t keep down, even though it advertised that it helped with nausea.  The two I’ve settled on are: Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin by New Chapter & Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal by Garden of Life.  The Vitamin Code one has some ginger in it, which is supposed to help with nausea.  However, the smell of ginger was hard for me.  I noticed that many of the prenatal samples given to me at my OB/GYN office didn't have all the vitamins in them that these two prenatals did.  So, just be sure to look at labels.  All in all, even if you have to take your kids’ gummy vitamins, just do it.  :)
2. Calcium Magnesium Citrate- Most prenatals don’t have enough calcium or magnesium.  So, be sure to supplement.  The added bonus is that calcium magnesium citrate helps keep you regular and helps you sleep.  I take mine before bed.
3. Vitamin B6- Vitamin B6 is one of the most highly recommended vitamins for women with morning sickness.  Many say that it is the “cure.”  However, I didn’t experience much change taking it on its own.  I did want to make sure I mentioned it though since others are getting results from it.  I may just be an oddball.  :)
4. Digestive Enzymes- When you are pregnant, your GI tract kinda doesn’t know what it’s doing.  Food sitting in your tummy and intestines doesn’t make things any better.  So, taking digestive enzymes just before eating does help a bit.
5. Ginger Capsules- Ginger is truly a wonderful natural way to combat nausea.  It always seemed to help a bit.  Most doctors have their own recommendations as to how much and how long to take them.  Ginger capsules actually have helped me with seasickness, too. You can also rub ginger essential oil on your feet.

* My doctor okayed all of my vitamins, but check with your doctor just in case.

Don't Let Yourself Get Too Hungry

It’s really important to make sure that you eat a lot of small, but frequent meals when you have morning sickness.  Snacks with protein are always a great idea to have handy.  Protein helps to control hunger longer than other foods.  Always remember that what you like one day, may not be appealing the next day.  I actually ate Grape Nuts three times a day for two weeks with my second pregnancy.  Then suddenly I couldn’t stand them.  I had a friend tell me the weirdest morning sickness remedy I’ve ever heard--Hawaiian Punch.  I was willing to try ANYTHING, so I had my hubby pick me up a bunch.  I loved it that first night and was so excited.  But the next day it made me sick.  So, I was stuck with a couple of 2L bottles of it.  All to say, you need to be eating at least every 2-3 hours.  Not huge meals, just small snacks and meals throughout the day.  You really don’t want your sensitive tummy starting to rumble that it is hungry.

I do want to point out that when you are sick, you just need to eat whatever you can and whatever sounds good at the time.  Don’t be hard on yourself.  I had a few weeks when the only thing that I could handle eating was Breyer's Rocky Road ice cream.  I justified in my head that it was all-natural and had almonds in it.  :)  But you really just have to survive this time.

So, try to eat healthy...but give yourself grace!!  But also don’t believe the lie that "you can eat whatever you want when you are pregnant because it will all melt off when you’re nursing."  Ha!  Only after my first pregnancy did I lose the pregnancy weight fairly easily.  I had to work really hard to get the weight off with all my other pregnancies.  But again, don’t think about that at this stage of your pregnancy.  That’s more a tip for when you are feeling better and want to start eating like crazy.  :)

Keep Snack Handy & Well Stocked

Here are some ideas for different foods and snacks to try.  Preparing them in advance helps tremendously.  I kept nuts and bars in my purse, so I was never stuck somewhere without food.  Just keep nibbling!

*Remember to eat slowly!  You don’t want to overfill your tummy.  Stretching out your tummy is not a good idea at this stage.

Protein:
Snacks and meals with protein are great at helping you to stay full longer.  They also help balance your blood sugar.  You should try to get a little protein throughout the day.  Here are a few ideas of foods that you can eat to get some extra protein into your diet.

• Meat- Whether it's beef, chicken, (pork-for others), or fish, meat is a great way to get protein and iron into your diet.
• Cheese- Sticks or Slices.  Plain or with crackers.
• Yogurt- Greek yogurt and kefir are great choices.  You can also freeze little yogurt tubes to give yourself a little healthy, cold treat.
• Deli meat- Plain or on sandwiches. Sometimes I’d just roll up some deli meat & cheese to snack on.  If I was really feeling fancy, I'd add some avocado & a dab of mustard & make a lettuce wrap with it.
• Chicken salads or tuna sandwiches- Just remember that you aren’t supposed to have tuna more than once or twice a week due to high mercury levels.
• Eggs- Eggs are a great source of protein.  So, if you can handle the smell of them, then eat them.  :) Egg salad sandwiches, hard-boiled, deviled, scrambled, & french toast are all great ways to add eggs into your diet.
• Nuts- Almonds & walnuts are my favorite “go-to” nuts.  I always keep them handy.  I also picked up some sweetened walnuts, which made for a good snack and salad topping.  Really, any nut is great!
• Nut butter- Spread nut butter on toast, dip apples in it, or just enjoy a good ol’ fashioned PB & J.
• Seeds- Pumpkin seeds make a great snack.  You can also try adding sunflower seeds or flax seeds to things.
• Protein bars- There are so many great options.  I love Luna bars, Green Bars, and Lara bars.  Just check the labels.  Many protein bars are just glorified candy bars.  So, check the sugar content along with the protein and fiber.
• Trail mix- Trader Joe’s has lots of great nut trail mixes.  But I will admit that Costco's trail mix is my favorite since they have lots of M&M's in it.
• Legumes- Try adding different beans to meals, salads, and soups.  Lentils are great, too.  They are a great source of protein.

Whole Grain:
Whole grains are great to eat.  They are loaded with fiber and B vitamins.  It’s always best to try to avoid white, bleached grains...and of course, sugar.  Sugar is hard for the body to handle even without morning sickness.

• Toast & bagels-I prefer Ezekiel Raisin Cinnamon bread and Trader Joe's Sprouted Raisin Cinnamon bagels. Yum!  They taste great with coconut butter spread on them.
• Cereal-I lived on Grape Nuts and Cheerios with some of my pregnancies.  There are lots of wholesome cereals to pick from.  My favorites are oatmeal, Cheerios, Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat, and Malt O Meal.
• Low fat granola-Add a little dairy, like low-fat milk or yogurt, for some protein and it will make its glycemic level lower.
• Popcorn-I had to go with air-popped popcorn during my pregnancies.  Microwave popcorn was NOT a happy smell for me.  But I did enjoy the salty, buttery flavor of homemade popcorn.
• Quinoa & brown rice- These two powerhouse whole grains are packed with nutrients. If you’ve never cooked with quinoa, check out Pinterest and try a recipe that looks good.
• Wheat Pasta-I love Trader Joe’s whole wheat penne pasta.  My family doesn't even notice that I switched from white noodles when I use it.

Fruit:
Fruit was probably the one thing that I could count on to be able to eat.  I’d eat it all day long some days.  Try freezing fruit and then eat it slowly!  Frozen grapes were one of my favorites.  I’ve heard that watermelon was a good fruit to try frozen.  I personally didn’t like it for some weird reason when I was sick.  My taste buds always seem to go a bit haywire during my first trimester.

• Apples-My mom told me that she heard that apples were known to help with nausea.  So, I did eat apple slices for most of my first trimester.  But no magic happened for me.
• Berries- Strawberries, blueberries, and really any berries are great.  They’re packed with antioxidants.
• Bananas- (& strawberries) are loaded with potassium.  This is good to remember when you start getting those charlie horses in your calves in your last trimester.  Potassium is great for sore muscles and muscle cramping.
• Peaches and nectaries
• Melon-Watermelon and cantaloupe are high in water content, so they are great at keeping you hydrated.
• Citrus-Be careful with citrus.  Oranges can be too acidic and cause an upset stomach.  However, the vitamin C is wonderful for your immune system.

Veggies:
Cool, crisp veggies were usually refreshing.  Sometimes I couldn’t handle the smell of some veggies when they were cooking, but I could usually get them down.

• Cucumbers
• Carrots & bell pepper-  Great with hummus if you can handle it.
• Salads & leafy greens- Green leafy veggies have folic acid and other nutrients you need.
• Sugar snap peas & snow peas- Sweet and crisp
• Baked sweet potato fries- These are tasty with some olive oil and sea salt sprinkles on top.
• Butternut Squash- I like to add a bit of cinnamon to mine.
• Green beans- Fresh, steamed green beans were a favorite of mine.  I actually ate them plain.
• Baked potato with plain yogurt and cheese
• Spinach- Remember you can try to add it to your smoothies.
• Broccoli- I really liked the stems steamed for some reason.  It was a weird craving.

Meal Prep

As soon as I get a positive reading on a pregnancy test, I start prepping!!  I pull out my Easy Meals List and start putting together as many easy meals, freezer meals, and crockpot meals that I can.  Cooking is a real challenge for me once the morning sickness sets in.  Food is not my friend, and yet my family (and I) have to eat.  So, meal planning strategically is really important!  Having a list like this is not only handy in times when I don’t feel inspired about what to make for dinner and need something easy, but it works great for busy, crazy seasons in my life -- like morning sickness and having a new baby.  The only difference here is that some meals get taken off the list since I don’t do well with any pork products during my nausea.  Those types of meals get dropped. No Salsa Verde Pork Tenderloin Tacos for me, but I can substitute chicken into this recipe instead.

Personally, I know that my morning sickness lasts from about 5-6 weeks until about 18-20 weeks.  The last few weeks are just slight nausea.  So, I know that I will need about 12 weeks of meals planned out.  Basically, I use my 6-week meal rotation twice.  I substitute easier meals for some of the more time-intensive ones (you know the 10 minutes meals for the 30-minute ones).  :)  I need easy!  I also change any meals that I know will smell up my house or make me queasy, like the pork tenderloin tacos turning into Salsa Verde “Chicken” Tacos.

Here are a few other things that helped me in regards to meal planning:

1. Freezer Meals-I try to make freezer meals somewhat regularly.  However, when I’m pregnant or about to have a baby, they are a must.  I’m always on the lookout for a good freezable meal, preferably one that can be tossed in a crockpot. Click here to see my past post on My Top 10 Favorite Freezer to Crock Pot Meals.
2. Cook outside whenever possible!!- What I learned to do in my last two seasons of morning sickness was to cook outside.  Sounds funny, but it really saved my life!  Whether it was plugging in the crockpot or rice cooker, it was always nice to have meals prepared outside.  I just couldn’t take the smell of food cooking.  Plus, my house would absorb the smell and retain it for hours, even days.  I'd close windows upstairs to avoid any smells wafting into my room.  This really made for less torturous evenings.  I also had my hubby barbecue a lot.  I’m lucky to have a small stovetop next to our grill.  So, sometimes I'd try to make meals outside on the stovetop -- or better yet, recruit someone in the family to cook outside for me. (Thank you, Mom!)
3. Crock-Pot Meals-  Crockpot meals are not only easy but can be handy to help with the trick mentioned above.  I stick my crockpot outside, plug it in, hold my breath as I dump the contents of the ziplock in, and press start.  Easy!!  Just be sure to keep the crockpot away from open windows.
4. Close doors-As I mentioned in the "smells" category, it’s important to close any doors to rooms that you don’t want filled with dinner smells.
5. Order In!  Have food delivered.  Again, if food is not cooked in your home, you don’t have as many food smells...or the work.  :)
6. Get Dream Dinners or Dinner Studio to prepare meals for you and deliver them.  It seems like this kind of defeats the purpose of these in-studio meal prep places, but this way really meets your needs right now!
7. Ask for help!!  (This is one of my M.O.M. “Top 10 Tips”)

• Family & Friends!- Ask if family or friends can go to the store for you, run errands or bring a meal.  I know it’s awkward to ask for help, but at least try--& definitely accept help when offered!!!
• Grocery Delivery Services- Try out grocery delivery services.  You just shop online, and they deliver it to you.  This works well if you plan ahead since they usually can’t give you a date of delivery right away -- usually 2-4 days.
• Meals Ministry- This is a great time to find out if your church or small group might be able to set up meal deliveries for you.  People often love to bring meals to those who are sick, especially when you have a new baby.  :)
• Ask your butcher for help!!- Just tell him that you have morning sickness and raw meat is a trigger for you.  They are usually more than happy to get you whatever meat you need and even cut it the way you need it for a recipe.  I would make a list for them.  Just touching raw meat would set me off, so this really helped.
• Neighbors- Ask your neighbor if you can cook lasagna in their oven so you don’t have the smell up your house.

 Stay tuned for more...Morning Sickness Tips & Tricks--Part 3

Click here if you missed "Morning Sickness Survival Tips & Tricks - Part 1"

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