How To Survive Morning Sickness

Give thanks! Nausea in early pregnancy means your hormone levels are high enough to support a healthy pregnancy.

During pregnancy your dramatically increasing hormones cause a corresponding increase in stomach acid. This is why it is important to eat frequently and also why eating saltine crackers, which absorb the acid, is helpful. Eat many small meals, ideally eating every two to three hours, even during the night. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just a couple of bites will help neutralize that acid. It can be a cracker or two with nut butter, a small handful of trail mix, a chunk of cheese, or a couple of bites of yogurt (it is also important to make sure you eat some form of protein each time you eat to minimize the chance of developing preeclampsia).

Additionally, some women experience relief when sipping peppermint tea, chewing a piece of peppermint gum, or sucking on a peppermint candy. If peppermint doesn't work, try ginger.

Also, it is important to drink an adequate amount of water. I recommend using a one liter bottle, filling it in the morning when you get up, drinking it by lunch time, refilling it, and finishing it again by bedtime. You can take little sips throughout the day, just make sure you have emptied your bottle twice by bedtime. This will ensure you have consumed the minimal amount of water necessary to sustain a healthy
pregnancy.

Pregnancy Complaints - Resolved!

I recently wrote this article and am publishing it in various places on the web. Enjoy!

Solutions to Common Pregnancy Complaints

There are many changes that take place in a woman's body when she becomes pregnant and as the baby grows within her. There are also many resources that detail the "complaints of pregnancy.” Virtually every pregnancy book lists these complaints and offers solutions for them. I will concentrate on those most often presented in my practice, and the solutions most of my clients find helpful.

Nausea: The increased hormones in pregnancy cause over-production of stomach acids. I recommend eating every two to three hours, even through the night. Keeping something in the stomach seems to minimize the effect of these acids. Also, either drinking mint or ginger tea or sucking on mint or ginger candy or chewing mint or ginger gum often provides a calming effect on the stomach.

Leg Cramps: Try eating a baked potato with sour cream or have a banana with a glass of milk at bedtime. Or take a potassium supplement and consider also a supplement of calcium citrate with vitamin D and magnesium (this will have the added benefit of helping you sleep better when taken within an hour of bedtime).

Indigestion or Heartburn: Eat small meals (eat something every couple of hours rather than concentrating on three meals a day), and limit spicy and greasy foods. Try slowly chewing a pinch of raw oatmeal when experiencing discomfort. Antacids are an option but I suggest limiting their use.

Headaches: Headaches are another side effect of the increased hormones of pregnancy. Ensure consumption of at least 75 to 100 grams of protein a day, a minimum of two liters of water each day, and some form of regular exercise. Many women find relief with essential oils. My favorite is a drop or two of peppermint oil on the temples. If the headaches persist, an over-the-counter pain reliever is an option, but I encourage limiting their use. Occasionally one of my moms benefits from a progesterone cream.

There are many discomforts that can be experienced in a normal, healthy pregnancy. Most of them can be dealt with relatively easily. The good news is that they do not last forever!

For more information about pregnancy complaints, please visit my websites: TheMidwiveOnline.com, SonomaMidwife.com and NapaMidwife.com.