Pregnancy can be the most wonderful time of your life, as you prepare to welcome a small child into your world. But considering the complaints and woes of many expectant mothers, pregnancy can also be something you wished you could fast forward through and get over as quickly as possibly.

Friends and family may wonder where that bright, maternal glow that’s supposed to be around you has disappeared to. If you’ve been suffering from morning sickness, feel free to let them know that your rosy cheeks and bright eyes are located down your toilet drain.

A common misconception about morning sickness is that it only happens in the morning, which is far from the truth. In fact, many women find that they feel nauseous during the day or even at night, and others complain that only particular smells set off a bout of illness.

Whatever the reason for its onset, morning sickness is a 24-hour complaint heard by many women, and while generally, nausea eases by week 16 of your pregnancy, some women have to suffer through morning sickness until baby arrives.

Wake up slowly. Taking your time to get out of bed helps make morning sickness more tolerable, and you can even keep crackers by your bedside to nibble on while you wake up. Also, make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, as tiredness is something that’s been shown to contribute to morning sickness.

Generally, eating small snacks help (hence the theory that crackers make morning sickness pass). Sometimes being hungry can cause people to feel nauseous and having something in your stomach may be soothing. Arm yourself with something healthy to munch on (try candied ginger) and carry your preferred mini-meal with you at all times of the day.

Throughout the day, try to avoid strong odors or ones that you’ve narrowed down to be culprits at triggering a round of nausea. The sense of smell in a pregnant woman seems to become heightened and odors play a large role in setting off morning sickness. When cooking, turn on fans and open windows as much as possible to clear the air.

Be careful with what you eat and how much you take in. Stuffing yourself does nothing to help and you’ll only end up with heartburn, another common complaint of pregnancy. Rather, eat small meals throughout the day (think ‘grazing’) and you’ll probably find your morning sickness eases.

When you do eat, avoid spicy food or meals that have a strong scent and try not to drink water with your meals. Save your sipping for other hours of the day. Dehydration is a risk of morning sickness, usually with women who’ve been experiencing severe vomiting, so stock up on bottles of water and sip at them throughout periods when you’re not eating or grazing, even if you’re not thirsty.

The internet has plenty of resources full of information on morning sickness, with community forums where pregnant women and mothers from all over share their tricks and tips to help relieve the symptoms of nausea.

Someone, somewhere, has gone through the same thing as you and sometimes, a sympathetic shoulder is enough to get you through another day. If you really find that, no matter what, your nausea is just too much or you’re throwing up more than is healthy, do consult with your doctor as there is prescription medication that may help.

Andi Michaels owns and writes regularly for http://pregnancy.health-and.info/ where you can find more information and advice on all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. Also go to http://health-and.info for health information on pregnancy and many other health topics.