Handling morning sickness and the rest
When you find out you’re pregnant this often comes with one downside - instant morning sickness. If this wasn’t bad enough, I was also dealing with pending lockdowns and teaching high school students at the same time.
“Miss, why are you drinking apple juice and eating crackers in class?” Kids are curious, and they don’t change, even in high school. They always know something is up. Leaving the classroom to pee on the regular, or even the cheeky spew was just your average day at work when I first fell pregnant. A few of my students began to form an awareness that something must be going on. I found having a constant snack in my top drawer a necessity to get through two classes until I could legitimately have a break. Some of my go-to’s included apple juice poppers, Vita-Weats with Vegemite, muesli bars and popcorn. I never thought I’d need to eat every hour, and particularly never thought I’d crave food after throwing up, but hey, that’s the joy of pregnancy morning sickness!
After experiencing early pregnancy nausea I wondered why it was called 'morning sickness'. But the longer it went on I became aware that most of the time I would throw up when I hadn’t eaten in a while, hence the morning was often the longest period of fasting. But it soon became apparent that other things would trigger a nausea episode, such as when I ate certain herbs and spices (particularly curries), didn't drink enough, or when I had eaten something that lacked protein and fat. And so having some fluids (not just water as this was often not enough) on hand as well as some well-balanced snacks (trying not to only eating carbs) was always necessary. This made sense as theories suggest morning sickness could be caused by reduced blood sugar. Other scientific theories include hormone fluctuations, micronutrient deficiencies (particularly B6), gastric problems or emotional stress.
Ironically, I found myself regressing back to childhood snack habits…cornflakes, sugary muesli bars, instant noodles, sweet juices, canned peaches and fruit, canned baked beans were always tempting and an easy option. If that's what my body craved, I went along with it. However where possible, I added in some nutrient dense wholefoods. For example - adding an egg to my instant noodles and sprinkling hemp seeds on top of my cornflakes. Electrolyte drinks also tempted me too. I really wanted to go on a 3 day hike before my belly got too big and I remember packing so much food and liquid in my bag - mostly the ones listed above - I couldn’t physically lift the pack. I just never wanted to be caught off guard and hungry!
During this ‘joyful' time, the world was experiencing serious COVID anxiety. And so here I was washing my hands at every opportunity, and trying to act cool, calm and collected when students would come in and lay all over their desk, come up and ask me questions while (accidentally) spitting in my face or sneezing. And then the impending lockdown came where we all had to transition to online teaching in a matter of days.
The rest of my morning sickness days played out in a blur of online teaching, trips to the bathroom then to the kitchen...repeat all day. I must say, being at home was refreshing as I was able to go at my own pace, eat what I wanted and shy away from having to admit I was pregnant and not sick to any students or colleagues. It’s always a little awkward in those early months, when things are still unknown. You’re trying to keep it secret and yet the physical symptoms are so confronting you just want to yell at everyone - “I’m pregnant okay!”
I was one of the luckier ones who only experienced 4 months of nausea and vomiting which is generally when nausea is most common (affecting ~70% of all pregnancies). Many go their whole pregnancy. But I can truly say that it does and will end. I never felt 'guilty' about eating those random foods that were quite frankly overly processed and nutrient poor. Because I knew I had good nutrient stores in body to rely on, and I was confident that this time would pass and I'd soon be back eating the wholefoods that I love. While morning sickness is difficult to navigate at the best of times, there seemed to be a reason my body repelled certain foods and went for others. Listen to your cravings and your aversions - they may just be telling you something.
I really believe that you need to do anything to survive whilst suffering from morning sickness. Below are some suggestions that may assist in easing the nausea and in getting some additional nutrients into your day. But remember, you will not harm your baby by eating less fruit and vegetables for a few weeks. Trust your body and don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself.
Keep snacks on you at all times – bedside table, work space/desk, car (you get the picture!)
Aim for snacks and meals with a balance of macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein). This will help prevent blood sugar spikes which may lessen the nausea. Some good examples include peanut butter on crackers, cheese and avocado on sourdough, dried fruit and nuts, bliss balls, a glass of milk.
Chose wholegrain varieties of carbohydrates (eg. Wholegrain bread/crackers, brown rice, quinoa)
Keep up your fluids (soda water/fizzy drinks help some people).
Try a smoothie. You can easily load a smoothie full of nutrients by adding nuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, yoghurt, fruit, vegetables or whatever else takes your fancy
Change or discontinue iron supplements - some types of supplemental iron can exacerbate nausea and vomiting. Get your iron levels checked regularly and focus on eating iron rich foods.
Minimise cooking smells if you can - get someone else to cook or eat cold foods that can easily be put together.
Try food or drinks that contain ginger - ginger in a stir fry or curry, ginger biscuits, ginger and lemon tea, ginger beer (non-alcoholic), ginger ale.
Always eat breakfast (even if you don't feel like it). And try to eat every 2 hours if you can.
Minimise stress - get outside in the fresh air, go for a walk, rest, take a bath, read a book. Do something for yourself and seek professional help if you're not managing.
Give acupressure or acupuncture a go. There is a pressure point on your wrist (P-6) that has been recognised as being effective against nausea and vomiting.
Medications - if nausea and vomiting is seriously limiting your ability to eat, drink and perform your usual daily activities, you should discuss the medications available to you with your doctor. There are a range of anti-nausea medications that are considered safe during pregnancy.
Supplements -if you are struggling to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods for a long period, ensure you are taking a prenatal supplement that is right for you. If you are struggling to swallow the larger ones, talk to a dietitian or doctor about which nutrients you are lacking, as individual vitamin supplements are often much smaller and better tolerated.
I'd also like to highlight that if you are able to plan your pregnancy, your preconception diet is so important. This is what you body will rely on when morning sickness denies you the ability to nourish yourself in the way you had wanted. Focus on foods that are high in iron, iodine, folate and vitamin B12. And get some sunshine for that vitamin D.
One bonus of being a teacher and pregnant was that when the students did finally find out, they were extra nice to me and would even share some of their delicious snacks. Plus they thought I was ever so cool when I let them eat in class...there's got to be some upside to morning sickness, right?
Written by Georgia Gregory
