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How to Survive Morning Sickness from an Expert

Posted on by wellborn.madeline

Morning sickness is the freaking worst – I’m sure we could all agree on that. There are different levels of morning sickness. Some women have very mild symptoms, some have morning sickness last for the first trimester, and some have extreme sickness that makes them hospitalized called HG (hyperemesis gravidarum.)

Needless to say everyone struggles differently and this page isn’t about comparing but its about helping each other get through it! As a Childbirth Educator i get asked all the time – “how can I get rid of my morning sickness I am so miserable!” I can’t promise to take it all the way away but I can help your symptoms lessen.

In this post I will share with you what I have learned in my 7 years in the birth community about morning sickness! I will start with the things i think are the most effective and work my way down. Now, just because it worked for me or for others doesn’t mean it will work for you.

My advise it is to TRY different things out!

1. Stabilizing your blood sugar

Blood sugar is everything. In recent years experts have related morning sickness do to drops in blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops it causes your morning sickness to increase, leading to you not feeling good and not wanting to eat. Then it becomes hard to eat even though eating would help you and then the vicious cycle continues.

When I say eat I mean small snacks through the day. CARB snacks! Pregnancy isn’t the time to stress about gaining weigh. Eat what sounds good! even if it doesn’t sound good eat some carby snack – toast, cereal, crackers, etc. Small amounts throughout the day. Eat every hour!!!

Eat RIGHT when you wake up! Do not let your body realize that its blood sugar is low! Have small quick snacks on your nightstand.

The first trimester is not the time to be worried about eating! IF the nausea goes away for you, you can think about it more then. (if you want to) Don’t get caught up in the vicious cycle of “its not healthy enough i can’t eat it.” Then you don’t eat and then you feel sick! Just eat small snacks throught the day and who cares if they are all carbs!

ADDED TIP TO BLOOD SUGAR– if you can handle it had have a protein snack every 2 hours. This will help even more!

2. A really really good Prenatal Vitamin

I know you might be on a prenatal already. Which is awesome but if you’re on a prenatal that doesn’t have all the right ingredients it isn’t going to help you feel better. A good prenatal is going to help your morning sickness, digestion, fatigue and more. I am a first hand witness of this! In my first 2 pregnancies I took some generic gummy prenatal thinking “this surely should be good enough.” It wasn’t, the difference i feel in this pregnancy compared to the last is astounding!!

My morning sickness subsided at 15 weeks, for my other pregnancies it usually lasts up to week 20. My energy is up, my trips to the bathroom are regular! My body works so well when i’m taking Needed. Needed is the prenatal I swear by! If you cant swallow pills they have a powdered form you can put in drinks and smoothies!

If you want a discount here is my code! Talkbirthtome2

3. Magnesium

Okay, the prenatal i talked about above has magnesium. Which was a game changer but i added to this too! I loved this spray magnesium. I sprayed it on my feet every night before bed. It helped my nausea and it helped me sleep! It was a double win! Absolutely loved this stuff.

Make sure to try it out for a week or two before deciding if it works or not.

4. Unisom + Vitamin B

Unisom + B6 (25mg of each)

This may sound weird because unisom is a sleeping pill but studies have shown that unisom WITH vitamin B can reduce morning sickness. I found this to be true. I would take these at night before i went to bed and i felt like it helped loads.

5. Peppermint

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record but i freaking love peppermint for morning sickness. I know you have heard of having it in the the oil form which is good but i love it in the form of mints, gum oil and tea!

Peppermint is great to take out and about! Have peppermint on hand at all times. Having a gum or mint ready when you need it is so helpful! It makes it easier to get through the day.

6. Ginger

I feel like everyone loves ginger. Im not a huge fan but i know it has helped many women and i think its worth a shot!

Here are some ways you can take ginger – one ginger capsule every two hours, in a candy form, in a shot, in a tea, or in a ginger drink link ginger ale.


7. Acupressure

You can preform your own acupressure on your wrists but I prefer sea bands! Acupressure is pressing on a point on your body. Some of these points can relieve some ailment. There is a pressure point on your wrist. When you wear the sea band it will help relief the nausea by pressing on that point!

Here is a bonus list you can try!

•Celery and beet juice
•Eat protein every two hours
•Chew on almonds
•Suck on lemons
•Sip high-quality electrolyte drink every two minutes
•cayenne drink: 1 qt water, juice of half a lemon, 1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne, honey to taste (optional)
•acupressure (sea bands, by hand, or with electric stimuli via TENS unit)
•acupuncture
•licking salted lemons or sucking on lemons
•wild yam tincture, 20-30 drops up to three times per day
•chamomile tincture or tea can help especially calm dry heaving 
•dandelion root tincture 15-20 drops per day

I hope any of this helps you! Good luck to you on your pregnancy journey and i hope the sickness subsides soon! If you want to learn more about pregnancy visit the rest of my blog or email me!

-Maddy

How to Prep Your Partner for Birth With 5 Easy Steps! 

Posted on by wellborn.madeline

How to prep your partner for birth – with 5 easy steps. Have you been one of those people that researches and researches so that you can feel mentally prepared? Then you talk to your partner about it and they just nod their head and say okay. Haha!! So frustrating! I want to help you know how to incorporate them in your birth planning!

Having your partner be apart of your birth planning can help on so many levels. I can help you feel empowered, it can give them a sense of understanding and it can help you both feel like you’re on the same page.

Here are 5 easy steps to help you prepare your partner for your birth.

1. Tell them how much you need them.

This is going to be a really hard experience and you NEED there support. This may sound silly but having this statement being told to them will help them with the rest of the steps.

2. Prep them on what happens during labor and birth.

Even if its not their first time watching you in labor. LOTS of husbands pass out because of what they see. So lets prep them a little more! Go to THIS blog post for what happens step by step in labor. Also help them know how to help you postpartum. This stage can we rough and unknown. Please go to THIS post to learn more about it and how your partner can help.

3. Teach them how to help you relax during labor and birth.

Figure out what helps you relax. Is it back rubbing? Is it relaxing music? Is it essential oils or a candle? Is there words of affirmations you need to hear? Talk to them about it. Figure it out together. MAKE A LIST. This will help when you’re in labor and give them a task to be helpful. Giving them something to do before hand will help them not feel hopeless and lost while you’re in pain.

Here are some products for relaxing at natures sunshine. Click Here

Lets teach them counter pressure and the hip squeeze! This helps so much when you are in pain. I will do my best to explain it but if you need a visual there are lots on YouTube. Place your upper body onto a counter or bed, made it so you are bend over. Now have your partner place their hands right on the top of your hips on the bottom of your back. Once they have their hands in the right position have them press down HARD! You will love the pressure when you are in labor. If it is painful it means their hands are in the wrong spot. The hip squeeze- have your partner take their hands and place them on the sides of your hips and press hard again.

4. Give them tasks to do while you are in labor.

Tasks will help them relax because they are in charge of something. We don’t want your partner to feel helpless. Like, being charge of the phone chargers and the bathroom supplies. Have them be in charge of snacks tell them what you want during labor and what you want postpartum. Examples of snacks could be nuts, fruit snacks, popcorn, gatorade, whatever it is that you like that is quick and easy. (PLEASE snack while you are in labor. Even if you are doing a hospital labor. It is vital to keep your nutrition up while your body goes through the hardest thing.. EVER. The reason they ask you not to eat is if you need an emergency c-section.)

5. Have them help you with the birth plan!

GO HERE for a free birth plan. Just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for a free birth plan. Fill it out together and talk about all the little things on the sheet.  

About Me

Posted on by wellborn.madeline

Hi! I am Maddy McGlinchy. I am a Child Birth Educator, a Doula, and a Lactation Councilor. I am from Seattle Washington but currently live in sunny Phoenix Arizona with my husband and two babies.

I have been on this journey for years and have seen so many women feel lost as they become pregnant. They struggle through pregnancy and they feel incompetent to give birth and then breastfeed their baby. I hope that with this blog I can help women empower women as they grow into motherhood.

This blog is different that any other birth education blog because I am open, honest and try to add humor into it.

If you are new here and are just at the beginning of your journey I highly suggest to read this blog.