The message is finally out!  Prego town over with baby number 2.  But I’m onto my second trimester and STILL feeling morning sickness.  Blah.  I honestly couldn’t tell you how long I had it with Oaks, it’s been 4 years and I feel like all I remember were the joyous moments, such as giving birth and meeting that sweet boy.  All of the bad just goes straight out the door, thats kinda why we put ourselves through it again, and again.  Otherwise we wouldn’t keep having the babies!

This time around it feels worse to me and thats probably because I have another child to take care of and look after, all while running a business and keeping up with it all.  It just feels like a lot when all the sudden your health is gone and you feel like you have the constant flu all the time.   BUT I’m here to tell you there are ways to help ease it a little a make it more manageable.  At least in my case there as been.  Obviously we have good and bad days and everyone has it different than others.  Some have it worse, and some don’t even have it.

So here are some things that I’ve tried that worked for me, and gave me some relief at times and made the sickness a little more manageable.  When you have a toddler, you have to find something to make it manageable.  You’re kinda forced to in a way ha.

1. MINT/FRUITY GUM.  The peppermint in gum just helps with nausea and gets rid of the weird taste in your mouth.  Fruity gum works as well, but I can’t do any sugar this pregnancy… I literally get super sick when I eat any processed sugar, like I’m talking 1 bite of a cookie and my blood sugar SPIKES and it feels like I ate a whole bag of cookies.  Huge bag of cookies.  It really sucks, all I want is a chocolate croissant, ya know?
2. OILS.  Okay smelling citrus helps so- much with nausea.  I like to burn THESE OILS in my diffuser everyday, or even all day and it gives me relief.  Also, Peppermint is another one you can do too.  Along with burning Peppermint Candles & Citrus candles.   All those smells give you so much relief.  Smells are huge when you’re pregnant.  Smell something wrong and you’re on the verge of puking.  I even rub some of the citrus under my nose, on my neck and wrists, so I can smell it throughout the day.  Another thing, I add peppermint to my coffee with soy.  I like my coffee but didn’t love it weeks 6-10, so I’d avoid.  But when I started drinking again I couldn’t have my usual, which is almond milk with sweet leaf vanilla drops.  I had to have soy with peppermint.  I just order this Peppermint Sweet Leaf to add to my coffee, but I usually get mine at Starbucks.
3. DON’T LET YOURSELF GET HUNGRY:  This is huge.  Make sure you’re snacking every hour, sometimes every 30  minutes to be honest.  Eat small frequent meals to help keep your stomach full.  If you let yourself get hungry and start to feel sick, once you eat you’ll still feel sick.  Thats whats happened in my experience.  When I keep up on my eating I don’t feel as sick and don’t get as much acid reflux, if at all, any that day.   Obviously choose the healthiest option, but eat what sounds good to you.   Don’t force yourself to eat something that doesn’t sound good.
4. AVOID THINGS THAT TRIGGER NAUSEA.  Whatever sounds doesn’t sound that good to you, don’t eat it, don’t even try.  This is kinda obvious, but like I said sugar doesn’t really sound good that to me, but occasionally I’ll try and have a cookie or something and it makes me so sick.  I just have to avoid it.  So if you’re like me and processed sugars make you sick, avoid it completely.  Natural sugar, like honey, and fruits are fine with me.  Avoid driving in the car when you’re feeling sick.  I get car sick super easy, but even worse when pregnant.  And like I said avoid certain smells too.
5. WHAT TO EAT WHEN FEELING NAUSEOUS.  These are things that I eat that help me, so I’ll list them off and you can see if they’ll help you too.  Everyone is different.  Carrots & watermelon.  These two things are natural ways to relief nausea.  Scoop of peanut butter between meals, sometimes I’ll eat with a banana.  Toast with grass fed butter, apples, cottage cheese (sometimes), Liv Owyn Protein Shakes , turkey sandwiches, over easy eggs with toast, crackers, cereal, I like ezekiel or special k. I never drink with cows milk though.. yuck.  Always soy or almond.  BUT.. if you’re really sick like i was 6-10 weeks, you can’t eat that much that sounds good.  All that I ate was crackers, toast, cereal, ramen, more ramen and then more crackers.  Just very very bland foods.  It was hard.
6. EAT WHAT SOUNDS GOOD.  But really, just eat what sounds good, regardless if it’s healthy or not.  Try your best to eat healthy, but all I could keep down was ramen those first weeks and thats okay, be kind to yourself, you’re doing your best.  
7. DRINK TONS OF WATER.  Man, I get so- thirsty.  I make sure I have my Pink Starbucks Cup always filled up and next to me, so I can sip on it all day.  Staying hydrated will make you feel so much better. 
8. DRINK CARBONATED DRINKS.  Carbonation helps a lot with nausea.  I had to do this in the beginning weeks, but now I don’t at all really, just water is good for me now.  I had those ICE drinks from costco a lot, and the Spindrift Sparkling Water drinks that were in the can, also can get them at costco.  I tried sprite once, and of course the sugar in it made me sick so I stopped that.
9. KEEP CRACKERS BY YOUR BEDSIDE.  Before getting out of bed in the morning, eat some saltine crackers 10 minutes before getting up.  This will tide you over until you can make some cereal or toast, and keep you from throwing up right when you get up.  If I didn’t do this I would throw up after I brushed my teeth.. yikes.
10. GINGER BERRY SMOOTHIE.  When your up for making a smoothie, this easy ginger berry smoothie really helps with nausea.  1 cup water, 1 cup berries, handful spinach, knob of ginger, 5 ice cubes and blend!
11. EAT PROTEIN.  There are moments where you can’t even think about eggs or any sort of meat.  So what I did in those moments was got a really chocolate-y or vanilla protein shake, whatever I was feeling and drank that a couple times a day.  Protein really helps with nausea and helping you feel a little fuller.  I know all you want to eat is carbs, but add in protein and fat and you’ll feel better. I don’t count my macros while I pregnant btw.  Thats been a big question I’ve been getting.  I kinda don’t understand why thats even a thing when you’re pregnant.  You gotta eat and you gotta eat, when you need it.  
12. UNISOM & B6 COMBO. I did this a couple times when I was so sick and just couldn’t handle life anymore.  It for sure helped a lot, but the only thing I didn’t love about that was it made me extremely drowsy, cranky and groggy the next day.  I felt super foggy.  But worth it if you’re puking a lot and can’t keep anything down.  I just took it at night and it made me sleep like a baby.  I don’t need that anymore now, so I just don’t take it. 
13. GET SLEEP.  I know, I know.  Mamas with kids can’t really take naps, BUT when they do, get a little nap in there.  I struggle with napping and have only napped twice this pregnancy, but I go to bed super early.  Like 8pm, no later than 10.  Then I get a full 9 hours of sleep, sometimes 10 if I’m being honest, but you really need it!  Oaks every once in a blue moon will have a weird week where he  wakes up in the night, and if he does he comes in my bed.   I don’t mess around with that.  He’s coming straight to mommas bed haha.
14. GO FOR A WALK.  Obviously if you’re really sick and can’t leave your bed this doesn’t apply to you haha, you stay in that bed and get rest and then make your hubs or friend make you meals.  I’m talking to mommas who’re getting over the sickness, but not quite there yet, kinda like where I’m at right now.  14 weeks and nauseous but not enough to sit in bed all day.  It really helps to get outside and go for a walk.  Getting some movement really helps and gives you a boost of energy.

DRESS (UNDER $40) I WENT UP A SIZE, SO WEARING A MEDIUM

I hope this post helps any of you suffering from morning sickness and gives you little relief!  It’s not fun going through this and it makes everyday super hard to get through, but just remember that this doesn’t last forever and it’s all so incredibly worth it.  Also, remember to feel your baby and connect with them and just feel gratitude that you’re able to carry a child.  Thats what I do on my very hardest days and it helps.

Is there anything I’m missing?  Please share your tips below, would love to hear what helps you!

Have a great week!  You got this!

xoxo,

SARA LYNN