Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Christmas "Naus"talgia

The Holiday season has a way of triggering memories stronger than any other time of year. The sights, sounds, and smells all bring us back. Sometimes this is a great way to be nostalgic and reminiscent of Christmases past, but this year I'm continually remembering the morning sickness I endured last year. I remember being horrified when my husband's Granny told me that she had terrible sickness for all TEN of her children! When I asked her how she coped, she replied, "I just loved having those black-haired babies." (Ok, I get it now.)

So how does a pregnant mom-to-be get through the Holiday season? My advice is to sleep through it. Nap as often as possible and take off as many days as you can to rest. If you can avoid travel, save it for after the baby comes. Nausea can also hit later in the pregnancy from surges in hormones, so it's a good idea not to aggravate that with travel if possible. Luckily you can do a majority of shopping online now, but if you are at the mall seek out a department store with a lounge to take a quick power nap.

The number one cure for morning sickness is (unfortunately) time. It will eventually pass. There are a few things I did to ease the distress that may work for you, so here are my suggestions:

1. Sea Sick Bands
These 80s style arm bands are ugly as sin, but they work wonders. You can pick up a pair at the drug store with the rest of the nausea remedies for about $10. Take them off at night and keep them next to your bed so that you can put them on first thing in the morning for about 10 minutes before rising.

2. Wheat Thins
Any time you get out of bed can trigger an upset stomach. To lessen this, try eating a Wheat Thin or other flavorless cracker before rising. Also, keep a few in a ziplock or pyrex container. Your husband will thank you for not digging into the crinkly, loud box first thing in the morning.

3. Flintstones Vitamins
Remember those awesome chewy vitamins from your childhood? You can take those when you're an adult, too! Lots of women get sick from their prenatal vitamins and find relief by taking two Flintstones instead. If you want to go this route, talk with your doctor to be sure it's right for you. Vitamins are very important for pregnant women, but so is digestion. Keeping down a healthy meal is much better for you than heaving prenates.

4. Eat Small Meals
I knew about eating small, frequent meals and I tried to go that route with limited success. I found out later in pregnancy that this can mean eating 2 grapes every half hour, so maybe I just wasn't eating small enough frequently enough. Maybe it will work for you?

5. Read Baby Blogs
Yes, I'm sure you've already joined TheBump, but there's a lot of information on that site. For me, the best cure was reading honest-to-goodness mommy blogs about wonderful babies. Hearing about how they play, looking at pictures, and seeing the joy in the family were the best pick-me-up I found. I'll post as much of that as I can here, but my favorite during my pregnancy was http://mamamayiblog.blogspot.com/ so you can check that out, too!

Keep thinking about the amazing little baby growing inside of you and rest as much as you can. Take care little Mama!

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for writing this, Jeannette! I had a horrible time (couldn't get out of bed, vomiting 2-3 times a day) for about 8 weeks at the beginning of this pregnancy - your specific advice about small frequent meals potentially being 2 grapes every half hour was a life saver! :)

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  2. I'm so glad this was helpful for you! Congratulations on your pregnancy.

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