Thankfully, I didn’t suffer too badly or for too long with morning sickness during the first few months of being pregnant. I did have, however, days of feeling weird, being off certain foods, having an odd taste in my mouth, and just generally feeling pretty ill when thinking about specific food items.

Even this level of morning sickness can make it hard to stomach a full meal, but not eating can make you feel even worse.

It’s a vicious circle that can only be broken, in my opinion, by eating small portions of food as and when you feel like it.

Here’s what worked for me:

• Ginger biscuits. I’m lucky because I love ginger biscuits in general, but for anyone suffering from morning sickness, they’re easy to stomach, have a bit of flavour, and ginger always calms the stomach. Similarly, some women drink ginger tea for the same reason. I don’t like ginger tea so I avoided this, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re suffering.

• Toast. I found that toast with a thin coating of spread was relatively inoffensive to my stomach in the morning. I went off porridge early on (and still haven’t rediscovered my love for it to be honest) but toast is easy to digest and fills you up all morning. It’s also a good alternative if you can’t manage anything for lunch – just whack a couple of slices of toast on.

• Rice in chicken stock. My Dad makes the best comfort food for when I’m feeling a bit grim. I’m sure there is more to it than rice in chicken stock (there’s butter and tarragon involved somewhere) but those are the main ingredients! It’s effectively a bowl of gloop that is filling and comforting and probably looks disgusting to other people but to me is heaven! Something like this is perfect for an evening meal if you fancy it.

• Crackers. Snacking on crackers (I like the cheese melts which you can buy from supermarkets) is a good way to prevent the feeling of sickness from an empty stomach. They go down easily and taste pretty good as well!

Other tips I read online but didn’t end up trying myself include:

• Oatcakes

• Bagels, either plain or with a thin layer of spread

• Peppermint tea

• Flavoured lollipops

• Whatever you crave! In those rare moments when you feel like eating, eat whatever you fancy, even if it doesn’t seem healthy or packed with nutrients. I used to crave moussaka, so our local Greek restaurant made a killing out of us for a few weeks!

Ultimately, it also helps to remind yourself that (except in rare cases), you won’t feel like this forever; the second trimester is another story entirely as your energy returns and you adapt to the pregnancy hormones.