Category: Healthy Pregnancy

When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy, I obsessed over every twinge of pain, trying to determine if I’d had my first contraction. I wondered constantly: What do contractions feel like? What will labor be like?
I also experienced what I can only describe as pregnancy-induced rage when women would say with a knowing smile, “Oh, you’ll just know,” when I asked what real contractions feel like.
Instead, I was left to anxiously pore over pregnancy message boards reading other women’s experiences of going into labor.
The night before I had my first contraction, we’d headed to the hospital because I thought I was leaking amniotic fluid. I wasn’t, but the triage nurse told me I was probably in the initial stages of labor.
So, when I felt that first contraction, I suspected my labor had started, although I wasn’t sure, because I didn’t know exactly what to expect. And I was scared out of my maternity panties.

All that stuff they teach you in childbirth class? Right out the window.
Until I realized, Hey, my body was made to do this. And in that moment, as my husband frantically ran around our house throwing stuff in a bag like a first-time dad on TV, I remained pretty calm. Because here’s the deal: A baby is going to come out of you one way or another.
But giving birth isn’t and shouldn’t be a scary experience! There’s no need to be nervous about giving birth. We’re going to tell you exactly what contractions feel like, how to manage your contractions through labor, and answer all your contraction questions.
Here’s everything you never knew you needed to know about what contractions feel like.

So what are contractions, anyway?

Short answer: Contractions are your body’s way of gearing up for labor.
But what if I told you there are actually two types of contractions? In addition to those contractions—the ones that kickstart your labor—there are Braxton Hicks contractions, also known as false labor contractions.
And what do Braxton Hicks contractions feel like? Those are more of a tightening in your abdomen, but you’ll know they’re not real, we’re-about-to-have-a-baby contractions because they’re sporadic, painless, and will usually stop if you rest or drink a glass of water.

So how the heck are you supposed to know the difference?
“Braxton Hicks are contractions as well, just not powerful enough to cause cervical change,” says Heather Bartos, an OB-GYN at Be. Women’s Health and Wellness Center near Denton, Texas. “Labor starts when there are persistent contractions and cervical change.”

What do contractions feel like?

You asked, and oh, baby, did we answer.
While contractions do usually signal the beginning of labor, how they feel can vary wildly from woman to woman.
“Imagine the worst menstrual cramp you’ve ever had,” says Bartos. ”Now imagine that all of the sudden you want to punch your partner in the face because it hurts so bad, like you’re trying to pass a huge bowel movement.  But you physically can’t get to them to punch them because it hurts too bad every three minutes or so. It almost brings you to your knees and takes your breath away.”
And that, ladies, is what contractions feel like.
Sounds great, right?

We also spoke to real moms and asked the question What do contractions feel like?
Ali Garrett, a veteran mom who’s given birth twice, says, “With my second baby, I had textbook contractions. When my contractions began, it felt like my belly was shrinking; a tightening if you will. It didn’t hurt, but it got my attention.”
Garrett had experienced Braxton Hicks throughout her pregnancy, but these contractions were the real deal.
“These contractions would last about 30 seconds, as opposed to Braxton Hicks, which would last about 10 seconds, but didn’t increase in pain or pressure.”
New mom Dora Smith-Cook says, “For me, contractions came on suddenly. They felt like a very intense version of menstrual cramps. Lots of pressure and tightening in my lower abdomen. It was a dull but powerful pain, almost like a vibration that shook my whole lower body.”
I gave birth six months ago, and my early contractions also felt like intense period cramping. Early on, I definitely felt the ebb and flow of a contraction like doctors describe. But closer to delivery, contractions came so fast I didn’t even have time to breathe through them.

Great, now I know what contractions feel like, but when will they start?

Now, I’m not saying your friend’s sister’s niece who had zero contractions during her labor is telling a fib, but…she’s probably not telling the truth either.
“99.9 percent of women will feel contractions,” says Bartos. “And they are painful.  I don’t know who that 0.01 percent woman is but I’d like to meet her!”

While Bartos says that most women will begin having intermittent labor contractions as early as 37 weeks, sometimes contractions aren’t felt until well into active labor.
Amanda Johnson, who gave birth to her son about four weeks before her due date, says, “My water broke first, and I didn’t even realize that I was having contractions until the nurses hooked me up to the monitor. For me, strong contractions didn’t begin until I was almost ready to push.”
When your water breaks, sometimes it will sort of feel like a hot water balloon has burst…inside you. But your bag of waters doesn’t always come out in a gush. Sometimes it’s like a trickle and can feel exactly like you’re peeing yourself (a sensation most pregnant women are already very familiar with).
Whether it comes out in a trickle or a gush, you can expect labor to begin within 12 to 24 hours if your water breaks, so get thee to the hospital pronto.

Contractions are happening! When should I head to the hospital?

Most doctors recommend following the 4-1-1 rule, which does not mean dialing information for the name of the pizza place down the street.
If your contractions are consistently four minutes apart, lasting about one minute each time, for about an hour, you should probably give your doctor a call and let them know you’re heading to the hospital.
If you want to labor at home longer, your doctor may okay it, but Bartos says it’s time to head to the hospital when the contractions feel like they are too much to bear, or if you start shivering or shaking a lot. These could be signs that you’re in transition, which means you’re dilated to around 7 centimeters.

Of course, it would be too easy if everyone had a textbook labor and delivery.
“With my first baby, I had no warning signs I was in labor until my water broke,” says Garrett. “Then contractions came quickly and painfully, without any warning.”
For most first time moms, it can be hours before your contractions reach the 4-1-1 mark consistently, and sometimes labor can stall altogether if contractions don’t continue to build.
“[My contractions] got closer together after a few hours, and occasionally I would have two back to back,” says Smith-Cook. “The level of intensity never really increased, which may have something to do with why I ended up with a c-section. I think if I had been able to deliver vaginally, they would have progressed to a stronger level.”

I heard sometimes you’re given medication to start contractions. Why is that?

Sometimes a doctor decides to administer Pitocin, a common medication given to jumpstart labor, especially if your water has broken but contractions haven’t started yet.
Pitocin is actually a big dose of oxytocin, the same hormone your body produces naturally to stimulate contractions.

Because it’s a much larger amount of oxytocin designed to stimulate labor, Pitocin contractions can be incredibly intense, and it may be difficult to labor through them without an epidural.
“I was given Pitocin after 24 hours with my first delivery,” says Garrett. “It was like getting struck by lightning; no peak or trough like they teach you in childbirth class, just blinding pain.”

What do contractions feel like during labor?

During labor, your contractions will get progressively more intense, until it’s hard to breathe through them.
It’s at that point that you may decide to get an epidural. “An epidural doesn’t take away the sensation of pressure,” says Bartos. “But the physical pain of contractions are significantly reduced.”
Epidurals can be especially helpful if you’re experiencing back labor, which is often felt when the baby’s head is pressing against your tailbone due to its position in the womb. Epidurals sound kind of scary, but the relief they provide can help you catch a break during labor and replenish your energy for pushing.

Aubree Dickerson, a first-time mom who gave birth in January, says, “My contractions felt like intense period cramps. It was hard to take a deep breath through them, so I could only take short small breaths. Then I got an epidural and felt nothing. Praise God for that!”
If you want to try to manage the pain of contractions naturally, you can try a ton of different pain management techniques, like good old-fashioned breathing exercises or even hypnotism.
For natural relief of back labor pain, you can try having your partner press firmly against the small of your back each time your experience a contraction. The pressure of their hand counters the weight of the baby’s head, relieving some of the pressure and pain.
So is one pain management technique better than another?
“It depends on the woman,” says Bartos. “Some women really prepare (hypnotherapy, classwork prepping) and do well with more natural techniques, but some women fear those modalities and request anesthesia. Either is a fine choice!”

My doctor says I have plenty of time after contractions start before delivery, but I’m worried about giving birth in the car!

“Once my contractions with my [linkbuilder id=”6718″ text=”second child”] were 10 minutes apart, we went ahead to the hospital, where my water broke five hours later and active labor began,” says Garrett. “Twelve hours later, we had a baby.”
Generally, first-time moms do tend to have a longer labor. Most of the time, active labor for first-time moms lasts between eight and 12 hours.
But sometimes labor can progress quickly, even for first-time moms.

Take my son’s birth, for example. I had intermittent contractions the night before I gave birth, and the next morning, I sent my husband off to work with the promise that I’d call if I felt anything. An hour later, I was trying to tell him to get home between contractions. About four hours later, our son was born. My contractions came hard and fast, and I felt the need to push within just a few minutes of arriving at the hospital. The nurses had to scramble to set up our room for delivery because they assumed I’d be in labor for hours!
The best thing to do? Head to the hospital whenever you feel like you need to. You’ll get checked out and sent back home if your doctor decides you’re not in active labor.
A few false alarms are totally worth avoiding an impromptu home birth.

Is it true I’ll have contractions after delivery too?

Ah, you sweet little starfish. No one told you that contractions don’t end immediately upon giving birth?
It’s true. They don’t. But, there’s a silver lining! Actually, there are two silver linings.
The first? You have your baby!

The second? After-labor contractions are nowhere near as painful as the ones felt during labor.
Generally, you’ll feel contractions as you deliver the placenta.
“Your uterus was up by your rib cage and it rapidly shrinks down to your belly button—that requires muscle contraction … These are essential for your uterus to return to normal—if this doesn’t happen, a woman can experience significant postpartum bleeding and hemorrhage,” says Bartos.
You may also continue to feel mild contractions for several weeks, particularly when you breastfeed, as your uterus continues to shrink back to its normal size. These contractions feel like manageable period cramps.

Now that I know what contractions feel like, I don’t exactly feel better about giving birth.

So here’s the deal: Giving birth hurts like a mother.
But it really is manageable. I promise.
Now that you know what contractions feel like, you can use this information to reframe your mindset about labor pain.
“Embracing the idea that childbirth is painful (for a short period of time only, thank goodness!) can actually help your brain prepare for such an event,” says Bartos.
And you know what, mama? You’re gonna do great.

Exhaustion. Tender breasts. Morning sickness. They’re all signs of pregnancy. But almost as important: They’re all signs that pregnancy hormones have kicked into high gear and they’re doing exactly what they need to do to keep you and your baby healthy.
Okay, okay. When you’re running to the bathroom for the third time in an hour, it may not feel like such a great thing. And the ebbs and flows of pregnancy hormones can have you tearing your hair out one minute and then marveling at how thick and lush it is the next. But hormones play a crucial role in helping the body get pregnant, stay pregnant, and prepare for the arrival of a baby.
Unlike your skin, hair, and belly, however, hormonal changes occur without us ever seeing them, making for one of the great mysteries of pregnancy.
What’s really going on at the hormonal level? When can you expect your pregnancy hormones to spike, and how do they change throughout the course of the nine months (give or take) of making a baby?
Let’s dive in!

What’s a hormone anyway?

We might not spend much time thinking about them, but hormones rule our lives. Produced by a number of glands throughout the body—from the pituitary to the thyroid—hormones are essentially chemicals that travel throughout the body, coordinating the functions of our organs and tissues.
“Hormones are for essential for life,” says nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife Patricia A. Evans of MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California. “[They] contribute [to] and influence immune system functionality and can even affect behavior.”
Hormones also play a major role in puberty, dictating body changes and—in cisgender females—spurring the beginning of the body’s menstrual cycle.
Not having a period? Having periods that are too long or too frequent? All those issues come down to hormones, says Sherry Ross, MD, OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. And because fertility is directly tied to the body’s menstrual cycles, doctors will typically test a woman for a hormonal imbalance if she walks in the office citing infertility concerns. Correcting that imbalance can be the key to helping solve infertility woes.
On the other hand, when all of the hormones are right in line, it’s these chemicals floating around the body, keeping everything in check, that help make conception happen.
Not making the connection? That’s okay; you’re not the only one who hasn’t been back to science class in a while.
Diana Bitner, MD, an OB-GYN at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, broke it down for us. “A correct hormone balance is crucial to getting pregnant, and hormones are in good balance when the ovary is functioning well and the brain and the ovary are communicating well,” she explains. “If the ovary is able to make a good quality egg, then the hormones are right.”
So how does it work?
When a woman is healthy and in the reproductive phase of her life, she’s typically ovulating every 28 to 30 days (depending on a woman’s “normal” cycle). When her period is starting, a new follicle in the ovary is being stimulated by a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
“The cells around the immature egg make estrogen in the first half of the cycle,” Bitner explains.
Ovulation, which typically occurs smack dab in the middle of your menstrual cycle, is triggered by yet another hormone: luteinizing hormone (LH for short).
When the follicle stimulated by FSH syncs up with the LH-stimulated ovulation, the follicle releases an egg, Bitner says, and the body’s cells make yet another hormone called progesterone.
“The lining of the uterus is analogous to the ‘lawn,’ and [the hormone] estrogen acts as fertilizer and the progesterone as almost weed-killer to keep it from growing out of control,” Bitner says. Together the hormones help the lining of the uterus mature and get ready for a fertilized egg to plant. If that happens, the fertilized egg will then have a home on the “lawn” to develop into a fetus, the way a seed develops into a flower in your yard.

Pregnancy Hormones: The Big 3

So hormones help you turn all that bedroom fun into an actual pregnancy. Then what? More hormones get in on the action.
After an egg is fertilized by the sperm, it heads to the uterus to implant, and hormones kick in to help the body sustain a pregnancy and help the embryo grow into a fetus. The three main pregnancy hormones are human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, and estrogen.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)

A popular fad diet featuring human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has gotten the stink-eye from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making the term sound a little scary for a pregnant woman. Fortunately, the hCG produced by the body during pregnancy isn’t just healthy…it’s absolutely vital.
While all three major pregnancy hormones will increase in the weeks after conception, hCG is the first, Evans says, and it’s responsible for keeping the other two at appropriate levels while the placenta grows. Once the placenta is developed enough to sustain the growing embryo—at around 10 to 12 weeks, basically the tail end of the first trimester—hCG production slows down as the placenta steps up to the plate.

Progesterone

Initially produced by the ovaries, progesterone kicks in early in the pregnancy, and you’ll start seeing physical changes because of it. A rise in progesterone levels will increase a pregnant woman’s heart rate—and her appetite. It can also lead to some of the more uncomfortable side effects of pregnancy, such as fatigue.  
Because progesterone has an impact on the smooth muscles of the body, it affects the lower esophageal sphincter, Evans says, which can cause heartburn and acid reflux, mostly later in pregnancy. Progesterone also softens the cartilage, which contributes to pelvic pain. On the other hand, it’s that softening that helps the hips to expand during childbirth!
Low progesterone levels can lead to miscarriage, warns Anita Somani, MD, an OB-GYN with OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio, so your OB-GYN or midwife may be doing blood tests to keep track of your progesterone levels, especially if you’ve had issues in the past.
If you’re looking at the blood tests for answers, here’s a basic guideline. Progesterone levels can range from 9 to 47 ng/mL in the first trimester, with an average of 12 to 20 ng/mL in the first 5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. But Evans is quick to say that these numbers are not to be taken alone, as each woman’s body is different. “It is not the single value that can predict a healthy pregnancy outcome,” she warns. When in doubt, ask your doctor or midwife.
Some OB-GYNs do suggest women who have had a previous miscarriage or have experienced a pre-term delivery take progesterone during their pregnancy in addition to the amount the body produces.
Studies on the efficacy of added progesterone are mixed. One 2015 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that progesterone therapy in the first trimester of pregnancy “did not result in a significantly higher rate of live births among women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriages.” Because of studies like these, it’s not recommended that women take progesterone on their own without a doctor signing off.
The body’s progesterone production will slow down in the end of the first trimester as the placenta takes center stage.

Estrogen

Along with progesterone, estrogen is produced in the ovaries, and it helps sustain the lining of the uterus in the first trimester, supporting the developing embryo. It’s also one of the two hormones (again, along with progesterone) most responsible for the physical changes we have come to associate with pregnancy.
The most pronounced? Those achy, throbbing breasts can be blamed on increased estrogen production in your body. If you’ve got a stuffy nose, you can blame that on estrogen too. The hormone helps increase blood flow through the body. This is good news for your growing fetus, which will depend on that increased blood, but it can result in swelling in your nostrils. (Then again, it’s all that extra blood flow that contributes to a pregnant woman’s “glow.”)
The ovaries’ estrogen production will begin to wane near the end of the first trimester.

What about the baby?

While the big three hormones begin to taper off by the time you hit your second trimester, that doesn’t mean hormones aren’t still working on your body.
As the embryo grows, so does the placenta. By about week nine of your pregnancy, the placenta takes over pumping out estrogen and progesterone and adds yet another pregnancy hormone, human placental lactogen (hPL), to the mix. One of hPL’s main jobs is to inhibit insulin, preventing glucose from absorbing into a mother’s cells. In turn, that makes your bloodstream glucose levels increase, providing more sugar to the baby so he or she can grow.
Overall, hormones produced in the placenta will work together to promote fetal growth while also helping a mother’s body become an even better place for a baby to develop. That means some will spike, decrease, then spike again, and you’re just along for the ride.

Up and Down and Back Again

All that ebbing and flowing of hormone levels may be natural, but let’s face it, it’s not easy having your hormones fluctuate. From exhaustion to wild emotions, hormones can make you feel like you’re on a roller coaster.
“Mood swings, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, breast tenderness, sensitivity to smells and odors can be overwhelming at times,” Evans admits. “The good news is that these are temporary and most decrease with time.”
In truth, there’s nothing you can do about hormone fluctuations. They’re part of pregnancy. But they also don’t have to plague you the whole nine months.
“Change is normal and moods can be affected,” Bitner explains. “The best is self-care and awareness. If a women has underlying mood issues, such as anxiety or depression, the worries of pregnancy, body changes, and relationship changes can add stress and expose coping difficulties.
“The best way to cope is to have good self-care in place with a healthy diet, adequate sleep, a support network of family and friends, and (if necessary) counseling to deal with more difficult situations,” she adds. “Women who cope are able to ask for help when needed, believe they deserve to be happy and do well, and keep a network in place. Some women do need medication for mood during pregnancy and there are safe options.”
Evans recommends her patients break down the nine months into chunks to get through.
“I like to describe the first 20 weeks of pregnancy as [wedding] planning,” she says. “[You’re] busy with anticipation, worries, excitement for the future, and ups and downs of event planning. When the wedding day arrives at around 20 weeks, you find you have more energy and sense of euphoria as the honeymoon begins and you start buying baby clothes and life is grand as the hormones settle in and calm down.”
By the last month, however, the honeymoon is over and you’re facing yet another hormone change.
“As your body prepares to give up this growing life inside, you can’t breathe, sleep, eat, find clothes that fit and your feet have outgrown every pair of shoes in your closet, and all you want is to meet your new baby, and for the pregnancy to be done so you have more energy and a sense of euphoria never before experienced—the birth of your baby,” Evans says.

After Baby Comes

Once the baby arrives, your hormones will change once again. The placenta leaving the body means it’s no longer producing hormones, and estrogen and progesterone levels fall to low levels rapidly after birth.
If you decide to breastfeed, estrogen and progesterone will help support milk production and suppress ovulation (which is why many breastfeeding moms don’t get a period for months or even years after giving birth).
These hormonal changes can be dicey for moms who are risk of anxiety or depression, Bitner warns, as the loss of estrogen is associated with less serotonin activity.
“Serotonin is the brain chemical which impacts many women in how they cope and how they feel,” she explains. “Lower effective serotonin levels can lead to marked depression and/or anxiety, especially if other risk factors exist, such as sleep deprivation and life stressors.”
Depression treatment can start during pregnancy, or you may need to be watched for postpartum depression symptoms. So if you’re worried about the way hormonal fluctuations can affect your mood during and after pregnancy, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider. There is help available.
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When those two pink lines appeared on your pregnancy test you were absolutely thrilled. You imagined cuddling with your baby and even got excited about the big, round belly that was coming your way. You started shopping and dreaming up the perfect name.
Then you started throwing up. And thus the quest to find nausea remedies became an essential part of your day.
Pregnancy is a beautiful time, but there is nothing that can put a damper on the excitement of the impending new arrival as much as morning sickness. (For starters, it must have been a man who coined that term, because any woman who has been pregnant knows that pregnancy nausea can last all day or creep up suddenly when you least expect it.)
To make matters worse, nausea usually peaks in the first trimester, when you might be opting to keep your news private. Trying to work or even just function while constantly feeling sick adds another level of emotional depletion to pregnancy when emotions are already running high, so finding nausea remedies that work for you is critical to feeling better.
While morning sickness is often short lived compared to the 40 weeks of pregnancy, that still means dealing with unending nausea for weeks. Who, besides moms-to-be, would be able to endure that?
Fortunately, if you’re spending your days puking in flower pots, running to the bathroom at work, or just feeling constantly queasy, there are some nausea remedies that can alleviate and prevent morning sickness. You can take advantage of these nausea remedies until the second trimester rolls around and brings sweet relief.
Here’s everything you should know about morning sickness—and the nausea remedies that can keep it at bay.

What causes morning sickness, anyway?

If you’re like most pregnant women, you’ve probably wondered why you’re feeling your worst when your body needs to be healthier than ever to support a pregnancy.
The answer is those pesky hormones. In particularly you can blame human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that is produced in the placenta and helps your fetus develop. This hormone first becomes detectable in your system about 11 days after you ovulate, and some women might need nausea remedies beginning right then. The hormone peaks around weeks 8 to 11 of pregnancy, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Not coincidentally, this is also when pregnancy nausea is at its worst and women are most in need of nausea remedies.
“We think there may be a relationship between high pregnancy hormone levels like human chorionic gonadotropin, estrogen, and morning sickness,” says Patricia Lo, an OB-GYN at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California. “Women with twins or triplets have higher levels of hCG and generally have worse symptoms.”
The small silver lining to feeling sick is that it is likely a sign of a healthy pregnancy. Low hCG levels can indicate an impending miscarriage, so higher hormone levels—and the nausea that accompanies them—are generally a good sign that your body is doing what it needs to to help your baby grow.
“Women with mild nausea and vomiting during pregnancy experience fewer miscarriages and stillbirths than women without these symptoms,” says Sherry Ross, an OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. “So, for me, when a woman is really nauseous and has occasional vomiting, I know she is probably carrying a healthy pregnancy!”
Of course the peace of mind is great, but it does little to alleviate the physical symptoms you’re experiencing, so experimenting with different nausea remedies that work for you is still important.
If you’re prone to nausea in general or have had morning sickness with a previous pregnancy, you’re more likely to experience it again, Lo says. Some people say that women who are carrying female fetuses are more likely to experience nausea, but experts disagree about whether this is true or merely an old wives’ tale.
And if you’re feeling frustrated that your sickness lasts all day, you’re not alone.
“Unfortunately, for most women, nausea and vomiting can persist throughout the day. For these women, the term pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting may be a better term” than morning sickness, Lo says.
Lo points out that nausea isn’t the only symptom of morning sickness—some women will experience dizziness or lightheadedness or have increased saliva. Although all of that is entirely normal, it certainly isn’t pleasant! Hang in there.

Study your triggers and you might not need nausea remedies.

Since pregnancy nausea differs from woman to woman, the most effective thing you can do to keep nausea at bay is to study your own symptoms and figure out what nausea remedies work best for them. Learn what triggers your morning sickness, and stay away from those things.
“Avoid anything that makes you nauseous,” says Lo. “This can include foods with strong odors, stuffy rooms, hot places, and loud noises.”
This step requires some patience, but it is ultimately very effective.
“It may take some trial and error before you find out what your triggers are,” Lo explains.

Figuring Out Which Nausea Remedies Work

The American Pregnancy Association says that half of pregnant women experience morning sickness, and the experts we spoke to put the number closer to 80 percent. That leaves a lot of women looking for nausea remedies just so they can go on completing their everyday tasks.
Fortunately, there are lots of available nausea remedies for morning sickness, ranging from lifestyle adjustments to dietary changes. Medically, there are over-the-counter and prescription medications that are available if you need them.
“Treatment for morning sickness is often necessary and is usually in the form of dietary adjustments and medications available over the counter,” says Michael Nageotte, MD, a perinatologist and associate chief medical officer at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, California.
Treating and preventing morning sickness can be a matter of trial and error, so the nausea remedies here are arranged from the least invasive treatments to the most medical. However, all of these nausea remedies are safe and available if you need them.

Nausea Remedies That Can Help You Get Through the Day

1. 1. Take your vitamins.

   Preventing morning sickness can start before you need any nausea remedies. In fact, it can start before you’re even pregnant.
   “Women who take multivitamins when they are first trying to get pregnant generally have less morning sickness,” Lo says.
   Of course, that info might be useful for the future, but it’s no help if you’re already pregnant and trying to find nausea remedies that will give you a bit of relief. Taking your prenatals is still important even if you’re feeling sick, though, yet many women feel that the vitamins make them more likely to feel nauseated. If you find that to be the case for yourself, try taking them at a different time of day, like before bed, or with a meal.
   When I was expecting, even that didn’t work, so my midwife suggested taking two Flintstones chewable vitamins until I could get back to my prenatals without feeling sick. It worked well and was much more fun!

2. 2. Eat more often.

   If you’re feeling sick, snacking is the last thing you want to do, but eating is one of the most important nausea remedies during pregnancy. Having smaller, more frequent meals is one of the best ways to keep pregnancy nausea at bay, according to Lo.
   “Often, women avoid eating when they start having symptoms and an empty stomach can actually make their symptoms worse,” she says. Instead of avoiding meals, Lo recommends eating small meals every hour or two to keep your stomach settled. Sipping a drink can also help quell nausea.

3. 3. Become a picky eater.

   In addition to eating more often, it’s time to seriously consider what you’re eating if you’re trying to discover nausea remedies that work. Many women love simple carbs for keeping nausea at bay, and reaching for protein is another great option. Try to take note about which foods help settle your morning sickness and which do you more harm than good.
   “Ideally, eat foods high in carbohydrates and low in fat,” says Ross. “Avoid foods that are spicy, salty, or high in protein.”
   The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) is a great remedy for nausea, she says.

4. 4. Go for ginger, one of the oldest nausea remedies in the book.

   Many women turn to traditional natural nausea remedies for relief from pregnancy nausea.
   “Natural remedies are often of value and it is unclear as to why they work,” says Nageotte.
   Fortunately, most moms-to-be are more interested in whether nausea remedies work than they are in discovering how those remedies work. Ginger is one of the most commonly recommended natural nausea remedies. You can sip ginger tea, suck lozenges, or eat fresh ginger.
   “It’s thought that ginger helps relax gastrointestinal muscles, relieving symptoms associated with morning sickness,” Ross says.
   Treats like ginger ale and ginger snap cookies are less effective because they don’t contain a large amount of ginger, but if they make you feel better, incorporate those into your diet every once in a while—surely the baby will appreciate the occasional cookie!

5. 5. Give acupuncture a try.

   Many women find that acupuncture and acupressure (pressing on certain points) are effective nausea remedies.
   “Acupuncture and acupressure are easy and safe alternatives to help the woes of morning sickness,” Ross says.
   The P-6 pressure point has been shown to help relieve mild nausea and vomiting. To activate this point, press into the middle of your forearm three fingers lengths down from where your wrist meets your hand. Certain nausea-relief bands also activate this point.

6. 6. Take vitamin B6.

   You’re already taking prenatals (right?), but many healthcare providers tell women experiencing pregnancy nausea to take vitamin B6. Taking 25 milligrams three times a day can keep you from feeling ill.
   “It’s not clear how it works, but has a great track record,” Ross says.
   If that doesn’t do the trick, you might want to talk to your doctor about Diclegis, a prescription drug that combines vitamin B6 and an antihistamine to treat morning sickness.

7. 7. Try prescription nausea remedies.

   If you’ve tried everything else and are still having severe morning sickness, your doctor may recommend more serious prescription nausea remedies, such as promethazine (brand name: Phenergan) and metoclopramide (brand name: Reglan).
   Women with severe pregnancy nausea may have to take ondansetron, more commonly known by the brand name Zofran. It’s important to be aware that there is a small increased risk of heart defect in the babies of mothers who take this medicine during the first trimester, Lo cautions. Because of this, it’s important to discuss the side effects of all nausea remedies—particularly prescription medications—with your doctor to weigh the risks and benefits.

8. 8. A change in mindset can be a powerful nausea remedy. Really.

   Morning sickness is absolutely miserable. There’s no denying that. But when you’re feeling overwhelmed and no nausea remedies are providing relief, try to remember that it will all be worth it in the end.
   “Feeling miserable the first 12 weeks can be a soft sign to your health care provider that all systems are working normally,” Ross said. “Reassuring women who don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel is important so they understand morning sickness is common, it’s short lasting, and it suggests your pregnancy is off to a healthy start.”

Understanding more about morning sickness might also help you get through those long weeks of feeling ill.

When should I get concerned if nausea remedies aren’t working?

In most cases, pregnancy-related nausea is a normal pregnancy symptom that will peak around the ninth week of pregnancy, Lo says. Although you should certainly speak to your doctor if you are concerned, most women can keep themselves and their baby healthy by using the nausea remedies listed above.
However, for some people, morning sickness becomes much more serious. The Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton) brought the condition hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) into the public eye when she was pregnant with her first child, Prince George, in 2012. The duchess was so ill during the beginning of her pregnancy that she had to be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluids, which isn’t an uncommon nausea remedy for women with this rare and serious form of prenatal nausea.
“Hyperemesis gravidarum is severe nausea and vomiting associated with weight loss, dehydration, and often electrolyte abnormalities,” says Nageotte. “Patients are usually unable to tolerate anything orally for several days to weeks.”
Women who have HG vomit nearly constantly and will have other signs of dehydration, including dark urine. Unfortunately, normal nausea remedies aren’t very effective at treating HG. This condition is diagnosed based on symptoms, Lo says, and doctors may run additional tests to make sure that there isn’t another cause for your illness, such as a virus.
Because dehydration can be dangerous for both mother and baby, it’s important to talk to your doctor if you are at all concerned about the extent of your pregnancy nausea or if the nausea remedies listed above aren’t giving you relief.  
Although morning sickness is common in pregnancy, you don’t have to just suffer through it. Experiment with different nausea remedies to find the one that works for you, and keep in mind that it won’t last forever. You’ve got this, mama!

“I had acid reflux so badly by the end of my twin pregnancy that I couldn’t lie down at all for the last six weeks,” says Kelly Smith, a mom of two in Minneapolis. “I ate Pepcid every couple of hours and ‘slept’ in a reclining treatment chair from my acupuncture practice. My stomach was so displaced that I could only eat three or four bites of food at a time (like every hour), and often had to choose between eating—since I was always starving (twins)—or drinking water because I had the thirst of a trillion deserts.”
Ah, pregnant life with acid reflux. Why is it so, so horrible? And what can you do about it?

What is acid reflux and what does it feel like?

A hot, burning feeling in your chest. The constant need to burp. A feeling of pressure around your throat. An inability to eat or drink without burning in your chest or the feeling of wanting to hurl: This is what acid reflux feels like. Unfortunately, it’s very, very common.
“Acid reflux woke me up in the middle of the night,” says Sarah Tucker, mother of one in Los Angeles. “I had to sleep propped up on a wedge pillow my husband called ‘the ski slope.’ Not comfy!”
“With my second pregnancy, I took so many Tums I started twitching and having charley horses multiple times a day, and still I got no relief,” says Ashley Patronyak, who lives in New York City with her two boys. “The nurse at my doctor’s office told me there were no other options and to take even more Tums, so I went to Dr. Google for a second opinion, then went to Duane Reade that same afternoon and bought the biggest box of Zantac they had.”
“I felt awful all the time, and didn’t want to eat anything because I thought it would make the sensation worse,” recalls Becky Weiss, a physician in LA. “The heartburn was worse at night and I tried not to eat too much at dinner because if I got into bed too soon afterwards, I would feel the acid in my chest.”

What causes acid reflux?

Acid reflux occurs when the acid in your stomach—which should stay in your stomach!—travels back up into your esophagus. This happens because pregnancy causes the body’s musculature, including the esophageal sphincter, to relax.
Acid reflux can be particularly bad if you lie down soon after a meal, and it occurs for two main reasons. The first is that your level of progesterone is much higher, which slows digestion down and makes you feel fuller faster. There’s also a basic anatomical reality to it: There’s a lot of pressure on your stomach.
“It’s both hormonal and structural,” explains Jocelyn Brown, a licensed and certified professional midwife in Los Angeles. “A woman can make all the lifestyle adjustments in the world, but sometimes they just have to ride it out, and it’s miserable.”
For some women, acid reflux is particularly acute in the first trimester, when hormones begin slowing digestion down (so that the fetus can absorb the nutrients in your food). For many women, though, acid reflux begins or noticeably worsens in the third trimester because of the baby’s size and its effect on your stomach’s ability to take in and digest food.

Will acid reflux hurt me or my baby?

The good news is that neither the acid nor the Tums hurt the baby, says Brown. But there is a risk for you: overdoing it on the antacids.
“Women go to Tums because it’s easy and they are miserable, but antacids neutralize the hydrochloric acid in your stomach,” she explains. “When the drug wears off, the feeling of heartburn gets worse because your stomach actually needs acid to digest your food. As a result, your body will overproduce it.” This causes a vicious cycle.
Sometimes women have this reaction in 20 minutes—they’ll feel great and then instantly worse—or it’ll happen over the course of a few weeks. “If a woman is 39 weeks, I say, ‘pop all the Tums you want.’ But if she’s 24 weeks, I’m worried that the antacids will backfire over time and we look for another solution.”
Rachel Sinex Graves, MD, who works in family medicine and obstetrics in Portland, Oregon, agrees that lifestyle changes are always the first approach to treating acid reflux, but she doesn’t think women should suffer unnecessarily by staying away from medication: “There’s enough suffering in pregnancy,” she says. “Acid reflux can add one other thing that can really weigh on people. Women get depressed about their acid reflux! They can’t eat or drink anything, which makes them feel terrible.”
Graves also points out that Tums can be an incredibly useful tool for women who feel awful and assume it’s morning sickness. “If a woman is miserable—not sleeping, so uncomfortable she can’t eat; if she’s vomiting or gaining weight—she usually assumes she has morning sickness or hyperemesis, but it might just be acid reflux.”
There’s no harm in using Tums to make your life a little easier. Graves says that acid reflux usually goes away right after the baby is born, so taking something for six months to make your life manageable is not the same as taking Tums indefinitely for the rest of your life. One adverse effect it can have, however, is to make you constipated, which can exacerbate the reflux.

Tums don’t work for my acid reflux. Is there anything stronger?

“If women are munching on Tums several times a day, and still symptomatic, then I look at medications,” Graves explains. These medications come in two categories: histamine-2 (H2) blockers, like Zantac, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as Nexium, Prilosec, or Prevacid, which should only be taken with a prescription.

Will acid reflux medications hurt my baby?

There is very little research on most matters related to medication and pregnant women because pregnant women are usually unwilling to enter a randomized control trial—no one wants anything terrible to happen to their baby!
“With all medication, we minimize use as much as possible and don’t use it if we don’t need it,” explains Graves. “But a woman’s level of suffering is really important to take into consideration. Maternal suffering is not good for baby either.” The research shows that if you’re taking a PPI for your acid reflux once a day so you can sleep, the potential for harm is very low.
A very recent study published in Pediatrics suggests that acid reflux medications—such as PPIs like Prilosec and Prevacid and H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) such as Pepcid and Zantac—can be linked to childhood asthma. “Overall, pregnant women who used PPIs and H2RAs were 45% more likely to have children with asthma than women who didn’t use these drugs during pregnancy,” the study concludes.
If you’ve been tossing back the Tums, don’t panic just yet: “Tums are just calcium carbonate,” explains Brown, “so they don’t fall into this category, but some of my moms will graduate from Tums to the PPIs and I can no longer say, ‘don’t worry about it!’”
Speak to your doctor before considering more intensive medication.

Reducing (or Preventing) Acid Reflux During Pregnancy

“What is magical for one woman might not work for another woman,” says Brown. “It’s a crapshoot.” As a result, there are a laundry list of things you can try before popping the antacids.

• Avoid triggers in your diet, says Amanda Broomell, a certified holistic health coach. These include acidic citrus drinks (like orange juice and lemonade), carbonated beverages (even La Croix; sorry!), grains and processed foods (breads and cookies), tomatoes and tomato sauce, and anything with hydrogenated oil. It can also be helpful to avoid eating too much meat. Other triggers: chocolate (boo!), onions, garlic, mint, caffeine.
• Instead, Broomell suggests, consume easy-to-digest foods: organic fruits and veggies, bone broth, and organic meat.
• Avoid greasy, fried, or spicy foods. If you eat something spicy, pair it with a cooling food, like cucumbers, avocado, melon, or coconut.
• Eat smaller portions. Remember Kelly with the twins? She could only eat a bite or two an hour. You may not be that desperate, but it’s best to go easy. The more food in your (already cramped) stomach, the harder it will be to digest it.
• Get some protein in. Make sure you get protein in every meal—and even with snacks (almonds are a great one).
• Chew, chew, chew. Broomell recommends chewing 30 to 40 times with every bite. It’s easier to process if the food has already turned to liquid when it gets to your stomach.
• Suck on hard candies. Lemon and ginger can be especially helpful.
• Chew gum. “I couldn’t go anywhere without Tums and Orbit gum,” says Megan Heuer, a mom of one in New York City. (For natural gum, we love Simply Gum.) This can be particularly helpful right after a meal.
• Try drinking organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar (it must be organic, raw and unfiltered). Broomell suggests 1 tablespoon in a cup of water 10 minutes before a meal. “Apple cider vinegar supports the digestive system, has natural probiotics, as well as acids and enzymes that restore a natural pH,” she explains. Try it by itself for a week—just so you can be clear about whether it’s working—then add in other remedies over time so you can figure out what’s really working.
• A digestive enzyme can be super helpful. It can boost the digestive process. We need hydrochloric acid to digest meat, and this can move that process along.
• Take a probiotic. This can help maintain good gut flora, but there is some controversy over how effective it is for acid reflux in pregnancy because nothing can change the fact that you have an 8-pound baby pressing on your stomach! But there’s no harm in taking one. If it’s too costly, Graves recommends either eating good yogurt with active cultures or taking ¼ teaspoon of baking yeast.
• Food relief: Try raw almonds, coconut water, aloe vera juice, ginger tea, fennel tea (steep for 10 minutes), and papaya.
• Sleep propped up or on your left side. Stack pillows, or sleep in a La-Z-Boy if you have to. Lying on your right side actually positions the stomach higher than the esophagus, which can cause even worse heartburn.
• Eat pickles! There’s a reason women often crave them, explains Brown. They are very acidic and help with digestion—so do all pickled foods. “A woman’s body usually craves what she needs in that moment,” she says. (Tell that to anyone who side-eyes you for your third chocolate shake of the week.)
• Wear loose-fitting clothing. Wearing tight bras or waistbands that squeeze can also make acid reflux worse.
• Breathe slowly and deeply. Focus on your breathing; you may be surprised by what breath exercises can do for you.
• Go for a short walk after eating to stimulate the digestive system (exercising heavily after meals, however, may contribute to heartburn).
• Try an herbal tea. Teas that contain even trace amounts of peppermint, chamomile, ginger, licorice root, and catnip can help the stomach lining repair itself and improve digestion.

Can I use essential oils for acid reflux during pregnancy?

Essential oils aren’t a cure for acid reflux, but Broomell says that they can help support healthy digestive functioning. “Essential oils are one component of overall lifestyle shift,” Broomell explains. “If people are consuming acidic food and drinks, it’ll be hard to slap on essential oils and feel great.”
You should always consult your doctor before using oils during pregnancy. Broomell advises women in the first trimester to stay clear of ingesting them, but even smelling or diffusing them can make a difference if you’re really suffering. The most powerful oils for digestion are ginger, cardamom, and peppermint. You want to dilute these with fractionated coconut oil (FCO)—1 drop of each oil in 4 to 5 drops of FCO—and you can apply them to the back of your neck, behind the ears, or inhale it.  
Dealing with acid reflux is never fun, but when you’re pregnant it’s even worse. Hang in there, mama. Soon you’ll have your sweet babe in your arms—and hopefully no more acid reflux to boot!

Twenty-six weeks into my pregnancy, my OB informed me that I might have gestational diabetes. I was shocked. Other than my age—I was 35—I had zero risk factors. I exercised regularly. In fact, I had once been a dancer and yoga teacher. I was fit and healthy. I figured it was all a big mistake. I’d do the glucose tolerance test and all would be fine.
Sometime between 24 and 28 weeks, most healthcare providers recommend pregnant women be screened for gestational diabetes. The glucose challenge test is relatively painless: You drink a syrupy sweet drink and wait an hour. Your blood and urine levels are tested, and if they fall within a certain range, you’re fine.
If they spike outside that range, however, you go for a follow-up glucose tolerance test. This test, which is slightly more involved, necessitates fasting overnight (no fun). The following morning, having forgone breakfast, I went in to have my blood and urine tested. Then I consumed an even sweeter drink, and my levels were tested every hour for the next three hours—all while I continued to fast. (Bring a good book and a few podcasts. You’ll be starving.)
When the test came back positive for gestational diabetes, I panicked. Was my baby okay? Had I done something wrong? Was it all those croissants I’d eaten in the first trimester? What should I do now?
There was no need to panic. My baby was fine. I was fine. I had a mild case, which meant I didn’t have to take insulin. But even if I had, it’s an entirely manageable and relatively common condition, as anywhere from 2 to 10 percent of pregnant women experience gestational diabetes. The trick is learning to test your blood sugar at regular intervals, sticking to a balanced diet, and prioritizing exercise.
Beyond that, we’ve got all the details you need to know to manage gestational diabetes or put your mind at ease if you think you might be at risk.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is not the same as type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It is a condition that develops during pregnancy, almost always ends with the birth of the baby, and has nothing to do with whether you have type 1 or type 2. Typically diagnosed between weeks 24 and 28, gestational diabetes causes high blood sugar levels that affect how your cells break down sugar or glucose. If managed well, gestational diabetes isn’t a problem, but it can be dangerous for mother and baby if the condition is not addressed.
Although gestational diabetes has little to do with types 1 or 2, “[Doctors] sometimes diagnose type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes during pregnancy that had previously been missed,” according Rebecca Weiss, MD, an endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills, California. “This can be apparent based on a woman’s blood sugar control during pregnancy.”

Am I at risk?

“Gestational diabetes is caused by hormones produced by the placenta that increase insulin resistance in the mother,” explains Weiss. “The main causative hormones are growth hormone, placental lactogen, corticotropin releasing hormone, and progesterone. These hormones increase the body’s insulin resistance, leading to higher sugars, and in some cases, gestational diabetes.” Weiss explains that this is why all women are screened because even thin, healthy, fit women can develop the condition.
No one really knows how what causes gestational diabetes, but there are some risk factors:

• Age—if you are over 25
• Overweight or obese pre-pregnancy 
• Excessive weight gain during pregnancy
• A history of diabetes in your family
• Hypertension or preeclampsia in this pregnancy

There is also an increased risk for expecting women in certain ethnic groups, including African American women, Latinas, South and East Asian women, and Native American women.
A woman can lessen her risk of developing gestational diabetes by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits before and during pregnancy, explains Julie Peacock, RDN, a registered dietician nutritionist and integrative whole-health wellness counselor in New York City.
“Before getting pregnant, talk to your doctor to establish if you have any risk factors—family history, overweight, history of polycystic ovarian syndrome, and history of irregular blood sugars.” You can then target your food and exercise plan to specifically watch carbohydrate intake and get the recommended amount of exercise daily.
Peacock emphasizes, however, that this holds true for all women, pregnant or not. “The goal is always to move your body frequently and load up on whole foods while decreasing or eliminating processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt, and [linkbuilder id=”5310″ text=”artificial ingredients”].”
“The saying ‘eating for two’ is not accurate at all,” adds Weiss. “Pregnant women actually only require about 250 extra calories a day during pregnancy. I always recommend to pregnant patients to maintain a healthy diet and to continue to exercise as they did prior to pregnancy.”

How do I know whether I have gestational diabetes?

There are no symptoms of gestational diabetes, so unlike other conditions during pregnancy, it is virtually impossible to tell without a test. After testing, your OB will be the one to deliver the news.

Will gestational diabetes affect my baby?

If your gestational diabetes is well managed, you baby will be totally fine. It’s when gestational diabetes is mismanaged—or not treated at all—that the baby might face one or more of the following risks.

Increased Birth Weight

According to the Mayo Clinic, an excess of glucose in mom’s bloodstream may prompt baby’s pancreas to make too much insulin. This can make the baby grow too big to be birthed vaginally, and will necessitate a C-section.

Pre-Term Birth

If a baby seems to be growing too big, your doctor might induce before the your due date to ensure a safe delivery.

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)

Occasionally, babies of moms with gestational diabetes develop low blood sugar shortly after birth because their insulin production is too elevated. In extreme cases, this can cause seizures in the baby, which may necessitate intravenous glucose solution treatment to help the baby’s blood sugar level return to normal.

Type 2 Diabetes

The baby could be at a slightly greater risk of developing diabetes later in life.

Will this affect me after my baby is born?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that there is a very, very small chance that it could.  “Ninety percent of the time, gestational diabetes goes away after birth,” explains Peacock. “But if a woman had gestational diabetes, she is at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.”
It’s very important to continue eating and exercising healthfully throughout the pregnancy and after delivery. Stick to the same dietary guidelines you followed during pregnancy (eat whole foods and limit processed and refined foods), maintain a healthy weight, and be sure to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

Tips for Managing Gestational Diabetes: You are what you eat.

“What a woman eats is just as important as how much and when she eats,” explains Peacock. “Keeping her blood sugar levels stable is the goal.”

Key Foods to Incorporate Into Your Diet:

• An abundance of vegetables—leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower
• Protein-rich foods—hormone-free meats, beans, and legumes (black beans, split peas, lentils, etc.), eggs, and pregnancy-safe fish
• Fiber-rich complex carbohydrates—oats, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, and brown rice
• Dairy—milk, cheese, and plain yogurt are good sources of protein and can be a healthy part of any diet

What to Avoid:

• Soda, juices, and candy
• Most coffee drinks and purchased smoothies
• Donuts and baked goods
• Deep-fried foods
• Flavored water, milk shakes, certain nut milks

“These foods are high in refined sugar and/or flour,” Peacock explains. “When you order these foods at a restaurant or buy them at the store, they contain more sugar, fat, and sodium than what you would make at home.” That said, this isn’t advice that only goes for diabetics—this is Peacock’s advice for anyone trying to eat in a healthful way.

Two Tips to Keep in Mind:

1. Protein with each meal can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
2. When you have a carbohydrate source, make sure it’s a whole food. This will ensure that it’s fiber rich, and therefore healthier. Eat the apple instead of drinking an apple juice.

A Typical Menu

For a lot of women, the most challenging aspect of gestational diabetes is developing different eating habits and sticking to them. If you’re used to inhaling a bowl of sugary cereal before running out the door, you’ll have to make some major amendments to your diet.
Here are some basic guidelines:

• Someone with diabetes can have two to four carbohydrate servings with each meal and one to two per snack.
• One serving is equal to one piece of bread, one small apple, half a banana, ¾ cup berries, one cup of milk or yogurt, ⅓ cup beans, or ⅓ to ½ cup rice, pasta, or cooked grain.

Looking for inspiration? Try the following sample menu on for size.

For Breakfast

Prepare and enjoy a small portion of a cooked grain like oats along with an egg or high protein yogurt to help the body absorb the carbohydrates more efficiently. Opt for natural, no-sugar-added peanut or almond butter on whole grain toast.

For Lunch and Dinner

The bulk of these meals should be leafy greens. Add 4 ounces of chicken (or another protein) and 1 cup of a cooked grain, a piece of fruit, or a roasted root vegetable like sweet potatoes, beets, or squash.

Snacks

Enjoy two to four snacks a day, keeping in mind the goal of spacing them out evenly, every two to three hours, to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking or falling. Having a snack before bed also helps keep levels from plummeting overnight. Examples of good snacks include:

• A hardboiled egg, a few whole grain crackers, and a handful of carrots
• ¾ cup blueberries and 6 ounces of Greek yogurt
• One rice cake with ½ avocado, mashed
• Two slices of cheese, a few crackers, and 1 cup of raw vegetables
• A pear and a handful of almonds

Move your body.

“Regular exercise helps the body use insulin better and can lower blood sugar,” Peacock explains. She suggests that women get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. “Think of moderate exercise as the kind that leaves you slightly out of breath, with a faster heart rate, and makes you sweat.”
If you’re unsure about what kind of exercise to pursue, Peacock advises continuing to do what you did before you were pregnant. A few good options include brisk walking, stationary cycling, swimming, and yoga. Consult with your doctor about what forms of exercise are appropriate for you.
Since it does affect blood sugar levels, eating a snack or meal one to two hours before exercise is important. A snack could be half a banana and a scoop of almond butter, or a plain rice cake and spoonful of hummus or smashed avocado.
Remember to always have a form of quickly accessible sugar with you when you exercise, such as glucose tablets or hard candy just in case you experience a blood sugar low.

Don’t give up carbs—really.

Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and dairy products. Though trendy diets often treat carbohydrates as something to avoid, Peacock says they are one of the basic food groups and are important to a healthy life. Carbohydrates are macronutrients, meaning they are one of the three main sources of energy for the body. In fact, they are the body’s main source of energy and provide imperative fuel for the central nervous system and energy for working muscles.
When thinking about carbs, remember that they’re classified as either simple or complex. The difference between the two types is their chemical structure and how quickly the sugar they break down into is absorbed and digested. “Generally speaking, simple carbs are digested and absorbed more quickly and easily than complex carbs,” Peacock explains. “Simple carbs are found in candy, soda, and syrups. These foods are made with processed and refined sugars and do not have vitamins, minerals, or fiber. They are considered ‘empty calories’ and can lead to weight gain and uncontrolled blood sugars. Complex carbohydrates include beans, peas, lentils, nuts, potatoes, root vegetables, corn, whole-grain breads, grains, and cereals.”
Carbs affect blood sugar levels, and when blood sugar levels are too high, they’re harmful to both the woman and the growing fetus. To help manage blood sugar levels, it is important to monitor carbohydrates in terms of how many, what type, and how often you’re consuming them.
When too many carbs are eaten at once, the blood sugar levels in a woman with gestational diabetes will get too high. To keep blood sugar levels in check:

• Avoid eating too many carbohydrates at one time.
• Choose complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index .
• Avoid skipping meals.
• Combine carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats to help slow down digestion.
• Eat a protein-rich breakfast that includes fibrous carbohydrates.

“Although it’s easy to look at carbs as the villain here,” Peacock says, “they’re important for energy and foods with carbs have nutrients that are necessary for a healthy pregnancy, so it’s important to learn how to incorporate them smartly as opposed to avoiding them altogether.”