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Overcoming Morning Sickness

Tips From Moms Who Have Been There

By Paris Wolfe Ferrante

While medical experts have good, solid advice to offer, some of the best tips for beating the burden of trimester one come from the voices of experience. Their solutions don't always make sense to the medical community, but many moms cling to them for comfort.

Some of these tips aren't found in books because most people don't want to talk about the unpleasant side of pregnancy. But the moms I know say you might as well face reality: If your morning sickness means throwing up, eat foods that don't hurt on the return trip – and be sure to chew everything thoroughly. For obvious reasons, avoid stringy foods like spaghetti. Also carry plastic (not see-through) "barf bags" and plenty breath mints with you to minimize the inevitable inconveniences.

Theresa C. Parker of New Market, Alabama, creates variations on standard medical information and finds a lot of help from common sense solutions shared by experienced moms. "I hated crackers while I was especially barfy," she says. "I did better eating whole wheat bread instead. I ate foods high in proteins and carbohydrates and avoided sweets, which increased the nausea."

Many pregnant women crave sour or bitter tastes like lemon or vinegar. While Parker was eating bread, Heather McIntosh in Fort St. John, B.C., Canada, was chowing on pretzels, sour candies and slightly unripe fruit. She even resorted to sucking a lemon wedge if the craving for sour tastes became overwhelming. Dr Tenpenny says this makes sense, because sour and bitter foods are both "neutralizers" that help balance your system. In my case, I couldn't stomach a friend's suggestion to drink some white vinegar, but I was able to pour myself a shot glass full of balsamic vinegar and took small sips of the bitter liquid. The fruity Italian vinegar was actually palatable – in fact, some native Italians actually sip the stuff as an aperitif.

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