Nausea (or morning sickness) affects 70 to 80% of pregnant women, and if you’re struggling to find relief despite trying all the common remedies – ginger, pressure points, eating simple carbs, avoiding strong smells, frequently eating throughout the day, etc. – these tips for treating nausea with movement can be another tool in your tool belt.
Pregnancy is a time to tune into your body and really learn what works and what doesn’t. Your body is doing the miraculous work of assembling cells to make another human, so you are probably going to feel much different than before you were pregnant. Simple things like taking time to rest when you need to, drinking LOTS of water, and paying attention to what and when you eat and how it makes you feel can go a long way. The same goes for exercise – sometimes it can feel invigorating and other times it can leave you feeling exhausted. This process (nausea and all) is the beginning of being a mother so practicing patience and curiosity will benefit you and your family even before welcoming a new life into the world, so let’s do all that good work with less nausea!
Tip #1 Proper Breathing. This may not seem like much of an exercise, but incorporating diaphragmatic breathing into a walk or a leisurely bike ride can be a wonderful way to fight nausea and tone your core. If walking or biking is not feeling good, simply find a comfortable position and focus on breathing in and out of the nose (which triggers your parasympathetic nervous system and has a nausea-reducing effect). To diaphragmatically breathe, inhale and expand the ribs laterally, filling the belly and trying not to lift your shoulders. On the exhale, “wrap” the two sides of your six-pack muscles toward one another drawing your belly in toward your center. Use your hands to feel the breath enter and leave your body by placing them on the belly or low ribcage. This is a wonderful exercise for all stages of pregnancy and postpartum, and the drawing-in will not harm the baby, in fact, it is as good for the baby as it is for you. Added bonus, work to lift the pelvic floor on the exhale, and relax it on the inhale. Even “just” breathing diaphragmatically can strengthen your core muscles, an important muscle group for everyone, especially for mamas!
Tip #2 Pelvic Floor. The first trimester may leave you feeling like all you can manage is some walking and lying down. This is why pelvic floor exercises are great – you can do them in any position, including lying comfortably in your bed or elsewhere! Nausea and sickness can usually be kept at bay since it doesn’t require full body movement. The pelvic floor is an extremely important and often overlooked piece of the core structure and is especially important for expectant moms. A strong pelvic floor will keep you continent and help you heal faster after birth to name a few incredible benefits.
Tip #3 Staying Vertical. If you are nauseous, it is best to avoid positions where your head is below your heart, such as in downward dog and similar positions. Swooping downward motions and lying supine can also trigger or worsen nausea, especially after eating, as gastric fluids rise. Choose gentle forms of exercise, such as yoga, that keep you upright or in a seated position with minimal transitions between sitting and standing. Concentrate on breathing while moving to take your mind off of your nausea and provide fresh oxygen to your body and remove CO2 with your exhale. Ask your instructor to provide alternatives to these types of movements, or utilize YouTube for pregnancy-specific yoga routines.
Tip #4 Fresh Air. Getting outside for a walk or simply doing your diaphragmatic breathing with the sun shining on you (vitamin D never hurts!) will lessen nausea. In fact, there are so many factors of health that are bolstered by the natural outdoors, like circadian health, that getting outside regularly can make a bigger difference than you might expect. Remember that when pregnant, you breathe in 20-25% more air to provide your baby with O2 and rid the blood of CO2, so you may get out of breath faster than usual. This is not because you are out of shape! Honor your new pace and know that you may be able to pick it back up later in your pregnancy.
Tip #5 Modify your exercise routine. Take the opportunity to change and modify your workouts. This can be your excuse to switch up stale workouts or try something new! Used to running miles in the morning? Take a walk in the fresh air, exploring new neighborhoods or trails. Maybe do some gentle lunges and shoulder stretches along the way or afterward, focus on breathing deeply. Are weights your thing? Lower your weight selection if it feels right, and really focus on slow, well-performed repetitions, especially breathing in on the extension and out on flexion, which – a bit different from what’s usually taught in fitness – often reinforces the body’s innate preferences. Try different types of low-impact exercise such as yoga, dance, swimming, or Barre, many of which are available online to follow along with and many gyms offer a diverse set of classes. Make sure to go at a pace that feels good, don’t worry about doing exactly what the instructor asks and if the class is in person, request modifications for pregnancy.
Bonus Tip: If you are feeling wholly unmotivated, consider just getting to the gym without any expectations about doing anything when you get there. Maybe you just stretch for a bit, take a hot shower, or swim some laps, maybe you just turn around and drive home, having taken an opportunity for mindfulness along the way!
Remember, in the majority of cases, nausea will eventually end, and always does with the birth of your baby. This is just a short journey in the grand adventure of parenthood. Nausea is thought to be caused by your body naturally adjusting to the sudden change in hormones that are helping to grow your baby, so it is an integral, although challenging, part of pregnancy. Literally, anything that you do to feel well and be healthy during this time will bolster your resilience to nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP). The most important thing to remember in the throws of nausea is that even if you are unable to exercise, it is not forever, and you can return to a modified routine once you feel up to it
Kate Pettis is a pre and postnatal core corrective specialist and pregnancy safe coach living in Boise Idaho. Her main job as a stay-at-home mom to Harriet and her dog Scout is accentuated by her passion for personal training specializing in pre and postnatal fitness. Kate’s coaching services are available online as well as in person. For more information email kate@nestfitnesscore.com