How to ease sickness in pregnancy

Being pregnant is a hugely special time in your life and there are many things to love about growing a baby. However, being pregnant can also be extremely hard work and, particularly in the early months of pregnancy, many mums-to-be face daily nausea and sickness. 

Is pregnancy sickness the same as morning sickness?

The name morning sickness is commonly used when talking about nausea and sickness during pregnancy as it can often strike in the morning, especially when you first wake up. Unfortunately, it can last a lot longer than the morning and many women experience pregnancy nausea and sickness throughout the day and well into the evening. Feeling sick when you are pregnant is undoubtedly tough, particularly if you’re also combating pregnancy tiredness and are yet to announce your baby news at work or to friends.  

What causes morning sickness?

The main factor thought to cause morning sickness is your body’s reaction to the pregnancy hormone hCG. This is produced at higher levels during the first trimester and it can knock your body a little sideways as it tries to manage this sudden hormone rush. 
How long does pregnancy sickness last?
The good news with morning sickness is that hCG production slows as your pregnancy progresses, so feelings of nausea and sickness pass for many women in the second trimester. And the silver lining is nausea and pregnancy sickness are usually one of the symptoms of a healthy pregnancy, even though they can make you feel pretty rotten.

What helps with pregnancy sickness?

You can try these ideas to help ease your morning sickness (or afternoon or evening sickness!) as many mums-to-be have found the following can help:

• Eating regularly, as hunger can make pregnancy sickness and nausea worse.
• Drinking plenty of water throughout the day -- doing this in small amounts may help.
• Steering clear of food you’ve gone off or for which the smell of makes you feel nauseous.
• Making sure you get enough sleep, as pregnancy sickness can feel worse when you’re tired.
• Using an acupressure band on your wrist, as some people find this relieves their pregnancy sickness and nausea.

Foods that can help ease pregnancy sickness

Foods that are high in carbs but low in fat can sometimes help reduce pregnancy sickness, such as bread, rice, crackers and pasta.

Because it’s common to feel sick first thing in the morning, keeping some crackers or plain biscuits by your bed to have a few bites of before you get up can sometimes help.

There is also some evidence to suggest ginger can help ease nausea, so it certainly won’t do any harm to try nibbling some ginger biscuits or ginger snaps and see if they do the trick, too!

Seeking help

If your sickness doesn’t ease off in the second trimester or if you’re being sick a lot, be sure to talk to your midwife or GP. With pregnancy sickness, rather than nausea alone, they may be able to prescribe some anti-sickness tablets.

Some women experience severe vomiting during pregnancy, called hyperemesis gravidarum. If you are having prolonged periods of vomiting and struggle to keep food down, it’s important to seek help and treatment from your GP as soon as possible, to avoid dehydration and weight loss.

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