IT’S the part of pregnancy that many women don’t look forward to, but in fact, more than 50 per cent of pregnant women experience it.

Morning sickness or nausea in pregnancy usually occurs in the first few months of pregnancy, and despite its name, it can affect pregnant women at any time of the day.

Dr Charles Rockhead, obstetrician-gynaecologist, assured that there are ways to relieve nausea or morning sickness.

These include:

1. Choosing your foods carefully

“Try and choose your foods carefully. Pregnant mothers need to choose foods that are high in carbohydrates but lower in proteins or fat,” he said. “The process of digesting fat and protein tends to slow gastric emptying and therefore causes more gastric juices to be present and creates a greater propensity for you to vomit.”

2. Opting for salty foods

Dr Rockhead said salty foods are sometimes very helpful, but he warned against overdoing it as the issue of high blood pressure during pregnancy is not to be taken lightly.

3. Avoiding greasy and spicy foods

These have a way of resting on the chest and making women feel sick.

4. Snacking often

Another way to avoid nausea and vomiting is to snack often. “Before going about your business you can eat a few crackers or a piece of dry toast,” he said.

5. Nibbling throughout the day

“Rather than eating three large meals that are harder to digest, nibble throughout the day,” Dr Rockhead advised.

6. Eating and drinking small quantities

“The stomach has two curvatures, what is called the lesser curvature at the top, and the greater curvature at the bottom. The folds create a little tunnel at the lesser curvature called the magenstrasse (stomach road). When you take very small amounts of fluid it doesn’t just stop in the stomach. It goes all the way down through that little tunnel and goes all the way down into the small intestine and that’s where a lot of the absorption of fluids takes place. So it allows for easier absorption of what you eat.”

He also said an empty stomach may make nausea worse and advised pregnant women not to empty the stomach too much.

7. Stocking up on ginger

All the randomised controlled trials have shown that ginger is a really good anti-nausea medication. “So you can drink small quantities of fluids throughout the day and you can use ginger ale as a part of it, or ginger tea. You can also use the ginger to make ice or ice popsicles and suck on it,” Dr Rockhead said.

8. Paying attention to nausea triggers

Dr Rockhead said it is important to avoid foods that smell or make your nausea worse.

9. Breathing fresh air

“Open up your windows in the morning as it helps to get rid of the stagnated air, which may make the place humid,” he said.

10. Taking prenatal vitamins

If you feel queasy when taking them, take them at night. Dr Rockhead said as personal practice, he starts his patients on folic acid and not the iron therapy until after the nausea phase. “I start the iron therapy after 14 weeks when nausea should have stopped. The process of absorption of iron can sometimes create nausea in the female patient, so I usually wait until after that period for patients who are sensitive,” he said.