Are you having a hard time keeping food down lately? Many pregnant people experience nausea in the first trimester—luckily, the feeling usually passes by the start of the second trimester. If you’re not able to eat much right now, it’s important to make every bite count. This week, we’re providing tips for nourishing your body.
What's New with Baby
Your baby is changing quickly, as the major organs of their little body are now forming. The brain is developing into five areas, and some cranial nerves are already visible. Blood is pumping through the main vessels to all parts of their body. Yet even as all of this is going on, your baby is still not much longer than a cucumber seed!
What's New with You
Nausea is so common in early pregnancy, it’s often the first sign you are pregnant. It may help to think of that queasy feeling as nature’s way of keeping you and your baby safe from harmful substances during your baby’s most sensitive developmental stage.
The tips below can help you cope—but above everything remember to keep your eyes on the road ahead: nausea will end eventually. For most, it goes away somewhere between the third and fourth month.
- A change in diet can help. Eat and drink whatever you think you can handle—try small, frequent snacks that sound comforting and are easy to digest, and look for foods that contain the top nutrients you need each trimester.
- A high-protein snack before bed, as well as to snack on before getting out of bed, is a traditional remedy for morning sickness. Munch on yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, eggs, canned light tuna, and oatmeal.
- Motion sickness bands, which stimulate an acupressure point near the wrist, can ease symptoms.
Ginger and vitamin B6 (75 mg daily) provide relief for nausea and vomiting. Take ginger capsules (1 g daily), add it to cooking or brew it into a tea.
Words of Wisdom from Another Mom
“I am 10 weeks pregnant. I haven’t experienced any nausea, which had me worrying—but my doctor says it's fine. I get ravenous and feel awful if I wait too long to eat. I am only craving meat! I hate red meat and normally avoid it, but now I dream of hamburgers and steak...in the middle of the night!”
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