"Morning" sickness kicking your butt?

It seems like a lifetime ago when I found out I was pregnant, but I do remember thinking after a week, “Meh, this isn’t too bad.” Jinx! The following day I woke up feeling like all the contents & organs inside my abdomen decided to pose a revolution against me. Never once did I puke, but the never ending nausea made me wish sometimes that I did. Oh, and the whole “morning” sickness is BS, because I had it 24/7. 

After scouring dozens of blogs, websites, and forums dedicated to all things pregnancy related, I learned a few things that helped me endure the first trimester. Here are my top three:

Exercise: You’re probably thinking what the heck am I drinking, right? No, seriously, exercise helps. Part of the nausea comes from being so tired as your body adjusts to the new hormones and starting building a new human. Exercise helps boost your energy level. In my case, I worked 4/10 hour days/week. I needed all the energy I could get and then some. My exercise of choice was swimming. It was gentle enough, but still a great workout. I learned that 20 minutes in the pool every morning before work, helped me get through the day and reduced my nausea.Going for 15-20 minute walk worked too.

Ginger: My two favorite ginger tricks are the gum and fresh ginger slices in my water bottle. The gum I kept in my purse for emergencies. The fresh slices I would put in my bottle in the morning and drink it all day long and then put new slices in the water bottle by my bed at night. The volatile oils inside the fresh ginger helps with nausea. 

Motion Sickness Bands: I bought a pair right before our 7 year anniversary vacation to Victoria, BC. The capital of British Columbia is located on an island, in case you didn’t know. Plane or boat are the only two ways to get to the island. We usually take the ferry over. You can imagine the dread I was feeling about going on this vacation 8 weeks into my pregnancy. Despite my anxiety, I still wanted to go. This would be our last real vacation before the baby. Plus Victoria happens to be one of my favorite cities in the world. 

We took the train up to Seattle and then caught the ferry from there. Between train and boat, I knew I needed something. Ginger gum and the motion sickness bands were my best friends on that trip. Not once did I experience any unbearable discomfort while we traveled there and back, besides itchy wrists (the bands are pretty tight). I wouldn’t recommend continuous wear, but if you’ve got a trip coming up or need to drive somewhere but aren’t feeling so hot, they do help. 

All of the aforementioned tips never took away my nausea 100%, but the reduced it significantly enough so I could function throughout the day. Something is better than nothing in my option.

Comments welcome. Don't forget August is breastfeeding awareness month. :)