It is possibly the one time in my entire life when I don’t envy a Princess.
It was almost comical to watch the ‘Breaking News’ banner scroll across the bottom of my TV screen as a special announcement was made: Princess Kate is pregnant with Royal Baby number 2.’ Exciting news, right? Well, there’s nothing that can dampen the excitement of seeing those ‘2 lines on a stick’ like cuddling a toilet bowl at 10 in the morning.
Princess Kate suffered terrible morning sickness with Baby Number 2 and this Official Statement from the Palace confirms she’s in the midst of it again:
“Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
“As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke of Cambridge on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace.”
I must admit that with the announcement of our first, much anticipated and long awaited pregnancy, I actually welcomed morning sickness like a familiar friend… ‘So THIS is what it feels like?’ I remember thinking, with a strange joyfulness, as I covered my mouth to keep breakfast in. I was so, incredibly grateful to finally be pregnant with Baby number 1, nothing…. NOTHING could dampen my spirits.
Fast forward a couple of years and I’m feeling a certain familiar nausea… ‘The last time I felt like this, I was pregnant,’ I groan and then freeze in place. Two lines on a stick confirmed it and turns out I was nearly 8 weeks along! There’s nothing quite like morning sickness; sort of a cross between travel sickness and a feeling that nothing…. NOTHING will make you feel better… EVER AGAIN!!!
It’s comforting to read in the Telegraph that although two thirds of women who experience morning sickness with their first pregnancy, will experience it with baby number two, it may actually be a sign that your baby is healthier and more intelligent. I also read somewhere that women who eat chocolate while pregnant give birth to happier children. I thoroughly and rigorously tested this theory and the results are inconclusive, although I strongly believe it made me feel happier.
So, Kate, here are my tips for tackling morning sickness…
1. Get as much sleep as you can. Rest is the best cure for most pregnancy related ailments.
2. Eat as soon as you wake up. I don’t know why but it helps.
3. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is not your friend.
4. Eat chocolate. Just trust me on this one.