Surviving Morning Sickness During the Holidays by Mommy MD Guide, Dr. Jennifer Gilbert, DO, Ob/Gyn
Guest blog by Mommy MD Guides member, Dr. Jennifer Gilbert, DO
You’re pregnant! It’s the holiday season! You have terrible morning sickness! While it’s never a good time to have morning sickness, something about all the holiday gatherings and the smells/tastes of various foods seems to make it even rougher. Couple that with the trains, planes and automobiles to GET to family gatherings, and, well, it’s not easy being queasy this season.
However, you can definitely help keep morning sickness in control with a few tips:
- Work around food aversions— Many who get morning sickness develop food aversions. Scientists at Cornell reviewed hundreds of studies and found that the most common foods pregnant women become averse to are meats, fish, poultry and eggs, which were the foods that were more likely to carry harmful microorganisms and parasites before the advent of modern refrigeration and food-handling processes. If you’ve developed an aversion to a traditional holiday food, plan ahead by substituting other holiday foods on your own menu or preparing something separate for yourself.
- Don’t arrive or go hungry– It’s seems counterintuitive to eat if you are nauseous, but it’s best for your stomach not to get too empty. Try to eat small, more frequent meals before going to an event, this will ease your stomach, and it could also prevent the nausea that can hit hard when you smell food on an empty stomach.
- Don’t overdo it— Although the invites are flying in, it’s important to remember you’re not Superwoman. Don’t feel obligated to RSVP “yes” to all the seasonal parties and carve out a few nights to relax and just take it easy. Your body will thank you and it will help your holiday stress stay at a minimum.
- Try natural remedies—The Sea-Band Mama! line includes the drug-free Sea-Band Mama Wrist Bands and Sea-Band Mama Ginger Lozenges with folic acid. They can be used separately or in combination for the relief of nausea from morning sickness. Both can be easily popped in your purse so you never forget to bring them when you’re on the go to gatherings. For more information, visit https://www.sea-band.com/mama.
- Pack a snack– If you’re going to a holiday party, where you’ll have no control over what foods will be served, bring along something that you know you can stomach. If you’re not up to making a dish, just bring a snack. Many moms-to-be with morning sickness find that blander foods, such as tea biscuits or graham crackers, are easy on the stomach.
- Combat nausea-inducing smells– Almost all moms-to-be have a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy, and many pregnant women become ultra-sensitive to strong smells. You can’t avoid all people wearing perfume and the smell of food, but you can trick your nose into not smelling them. Buy some essential oil in a scent that smells good to you, such as peppermint, vanilla, or lavender, and dab under your nostrils to distract your nose. Sea-Band Mama! Essential Oil Rolette is a great option using plant extracts in the form of essential oils to help settle your stomach.
- Get fresh —Lots of bodies in a room celebrating or ovens on 350 degrees cooking the Christmas ham can mean increased heat and humidity indoors. Crack some windows if it’s your own house, or take some time to step outside for fresh air.
About the author: Jennifer Gilbert, DO, is a mom of twins, an ob/gyn at Paoli Hospital in Pennsylvania, and a contributor to The Mommy MD Guide to Your Baby’s First Year andwww.MommyMDGuides.com. Learn more about Sea-Band Mama, available at CVS athttps://www.facebook.com/sea-band and www.sea-band.com/mama.
