Six ways to reduce morning sickness
I’ve got morning sickness on the brain this morning, as I sit here at my desk.
What will it be like to be feeling pukey while supposedly trying to work? Will it be totally hard to hide it from my colleagues? How hard will it hit me?
So to calm my nerves, here is a bit of research for all of us future-preggos …
Vitamin B6: Some doctors say it’s the very best thing you could take for morning sickness — women have been taking it since the 1940s. They suggest taking 50 milligrams, twice a day, and say that the activated form — called P5P — works best. Take the first dose before you get out of bed, and the second dose around lunchtime.
Fish oil: This is often recommended by naturopaths. I haven’t found consistent dosages, so I think if you want to take it, you should check with your doctor. It seems to be tauted as having benefits to do with your baby’s brain, but not much to do with morning sickness …
Ginger: A study showed that 940 milligrams (½ teaspoon) of ginger worked as well for relieving motion sickness as Dramamine. Wow, sign me up. The most effective form is a supplement capsule, and you should take 250 milligrams, four times a day.
Combining plain carbs with protein: Yup, it’s all about the crackers. Except adding cheese, peanut butter or yogurt with those crackers can make you feel even better. One doctor said “The key here is to always have easily digestible food in your stomach,” and women in discussion groups agreed that choking down an egg or two really helped.
Pedialyte: If you’re throwing up a lot, some women drink this to keep from getting too dehydrated. Flat orange pop and Gatorade are also popular.
Chewing gum: The minty flavour helps some women get over their nausea.
If these don’t work, I still have the barf bags as back-up …
A new twist on baby-rockin’
I read about this cradle over at Bryn Alexandra, and it looks very cool.
Made by Leander, the ultra-modern cradle supposedly has benefits for little ones:
The calm and smooth movements of the Leander Cradle make your child feel safe while stimulating the senses, just like being in the mother’s womb. The child can make the cradle swing slightly, either independently or with the help of a comforting hand.
If our baby is anything like me, this would probably give them motion-sickness. Um, pass.
My Husband Rocks
Dear Darling Husband,
This week we have been planning a movie date. To everyone else who is reading this, that probably sounds weird. People don’t usually “plan” movie dates with their spouses — they just look at the showtimes and decide to go.
But with your crazy work schedule, we do need to plan to go to the movies. And because you have been so excited about the new Transformers flick, that’s where we’re going on Monday or Tuesday night. I can’t remember the last time we went to the movies together, and I can’t wait!
Going to the movies with you always reminds me of you asking me on our very first date, back in Grade 11. Though we had been flirting with each other shamelessly for a couple of weeks, we had yet to actually go out.
You stopped me on the stairs by my geography classroom, and asked if I wanted to see a movie on Saturday (June 3, 2000). I said some super-enthusiastic form of “Yesssssss!” and we made the plans.
I can still picture that stairwell, with people pushing past us as we stood there — heads together — talking about what movie we would see. Then we floated to our respective classrooms, giddy and excited about what was happening between us.
I hope I never forget how happy I felt that day.
Love, your wife
xoxo
This letter is part of “My Husband Rocks Fridays”
Can you say ‘Matisse’?
Just floated back in from another excursion at my oh-so-favourite used bookshop.
I’ve already bought numerous books for le bebe, but I should specify that I am very choosey in my selections. The store is crammed with books, but I know exactly which ones I want.
I only buy books that meet one (or more) of the following standards:
- Classic books: I want our children to read the tried-and-trues, including modern classics.
- French books: They’re going into French Immersion as soon as they’re old enough, so I want to start reading to them in French from birth.
- Books with gorgeous illustrations: I love art, so naturally I want to introduce our kids to the world of art.
- Books with beautiful prose: I am a fan of the rhyme-y books, the poetry books, the books written in old-time-y language.
So imagine my surprise when I came across a book that had gorgeous illustrations and a double-dose of culture: Touch the Art: Feed Matisse’s Fish.
It’s an awesome board book by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo. Babes ‘n’ kiddos can touch illustrations of famous paintings, and interact with each one. Since my art history knowledge is a bit fuzzy, the book lists the name of each painting and the artist.
“See, Baby? That’s a Matisse. Can you say ‘Matisse’? Mmmmm-ah-teeeeeeese!”
I also bought Brush Mona Lisa’s Hair, because, OMG — how cute. And now, of course, I need to get Make Van Gogh’s Bed and Pop Warhol’s Top because they are two of my favourite artists.
Think of the project possibilities! We could read the books, and then get out the pastels and create our own interpretations.
Hmm, is it possible that I am already one of those overachieving mothers?
Does this mean fewer crushed Cheerios in our backseat?
I WANT: Boon’s Snack Ball
Say it with me: adorable. This little plastic ball is perfect for storing dry Cheerios and dry-whatever-kids-eat-besides-Cheerios. Their fat little hands can slid the lid open, and they can nosh to their hearts’ content!
COST: $6.49 US
SHOP HERE
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