How do I adapt to a pregnancy-induced heightened sense of smell?
For me, trying to hide the smell with another smell would have just made me feel more ill. I had hyperemesis for all but the last four weeks of my pregnancy — all day, every day. I found that the things that set me off changed over time. Even the smell of the soil in my yard would set me off! If I had to do it again, I would probably accept medication. However, I was really paranoid about Diclectin and wanted to safeguard my baby. If this is still bothering you in three weeks, talk to your doctor. In the meantime, try to avoid the smells. I know that’s difficult, but it’s the only thing that worked for me. Take comfort in knowing that women who have a lot of morning sickness tend to have a placenta that’s developing really well. That’s what I was told, anyway.
I found chewing ginger candy or super-mint gum helped with strong smell triggers – sort of “drowning out” the other smells. I also carried votive candles and small purse-sized bottles of scented oil – citrus smells worked best – and would sniff them as necessary; put chapstick on and dab a bit of the oil under my nostrils. I second/third using ginger, citrus, and frequent small meals to help nausea. I used Sea Bands for car trips, they’re little stretchy wristbands with plastic nubs for pressure points on your wrists, and that helped too. Good luck! I found the smell sensitivity did get better after the first term but it never completely went away. Cigarette smoke was a big trigger for me, and I had been a smoker myself before I got pregnant, so I found that surprising.
