Coping With Morning Sickness

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (also known as morning sickness - although it can occur at any time of day) is very common in early pregnancy. It's unpleasant, but it doesn’t put your baby at any increased risk, and usually clears up between weeks 12 and 14 of pregnancy. Unfortunately, for some women, it can have a significant adverse effect on their day-to-day activities and quality of life.

Managing your diabetes if you suffer from morning sickness may be especially difficult. You may find that making adjustments to your insulin doses – both in amount and timing – may help you with this. Often you will need less insulin during this stage. However, it is very important that you discuss this first with your Diabetes Specialist Nurse or Midwife or other healthcare professional.

If you do suffer with morning sickness, your healthcare professional may also recommend that you try a number of changes to your diet and lifestyle to help you cope better. These may include:

• Getting plenty of rest because tiredness can make nausea worse
• If you feel sick first thing in the morning, give yourself time to get up slowly – if possible, eat something like dry toast or a plain biscuit before you get up
• Drinking plenty of fluids, such as water, and sipping them little and often rather than in large amounts, because this may help prevent vomiting
• Eating small, frequent meals that are high in carbohydrate (such as bread, rice and pasta) and low in fat – most women can manage savoury foods, such as toast, crackers and crispbread, better than sweet or spicy foods
• Avoiding foods or smells that make you feel sick
• Some women find that ginger biscuits or low sugar ginger ale can help reduce nausea