Surviving Morning Sickness



Morning sickness is the nauseated feeling you experience in your first trimester. It usually starts out in the morning and wears off as you become active throughout your day. Not all morning sickness remedies will work for you, but these are just a few remedies and comforts that have helped other women get through their day.

A day in the life of morning sickness:

In the Morning:

Allow yourself plenty of time to get out of bed. If you usually get up at 6 a.m. set your alarm for 5 a.m. It is a good idea to keep a stash of crackers or dry cereal by your bed so you can put something in your stomach as soon as you wake up. Get out of bed slowly as you start your day.

During the Day:

Eat small meals throughout the day to avoid getting too full or too hungry. Progesterone slows the speed of food passing through your digestive tract. To further prevent your stomach from getting too full or too empty, you should drink fluids a 1/2 hour before or after a meal, but not with your meals. But DO drink fluids throughout the day to avoid dehydration.

Get plenty of rest when you can. This is especially important if you have to get up early in the morning. But DON’T take a nap right after a meal. This can cause nausea to be worse.

Eat whatever you feel like eating, whenever you feel you can. Trust your cravings, they won’t let you down.

Avoid being in warm places, which can increase your nausea.

In the Evening:

For dinner avoid spicy, greasy foods. Prepare things that are bland and do not have a strong odor. You may have to avoid cooking in the kitchen for the first trimester.

Most importantly, go to bed early! You need your rest to have the energy to get up early and do it all over again. If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, try to eat something from your bedside stash!

Suggested Meals to Eat:

  • Cold foods (sandwiches, raw vegetables, salad when properly prepared to prevent listeria)
  • Bland foods (chicken soup, broth, plain baked potato)
  • Anything that sounds good to you (go with your cravings UNLESS they are for non-edible items)
  • Keep meals small, but eat as frequently as you need to

Suggested Snacks to Eat:

  • Lemons (eat them, suck on them, sniff them)
  • Ginger (ginger ale soda, ginger tea, ginger jam on toast, ginger snaps)
  • Peppermint tea
  • Crackers
  • Gelatin Jell-O
  • Flavored popsicles
  • Pretzels

Treatments & Supplements:

Preggie Pops lollipops can help in reducing morning sickness.Preggie Pops: flavored lollipops in flavors known to reduce nausea. (Available flavors include: ginger, mint, lavender, sour raspberry, sour lemon, and sour tangerine)

  • A natural way to ease nausea
  • Drug free and doctor recommended
  • Great for labor
  • Alleviates dry mouth
  • Quick energy boost

Sea Bands: wristbands that use acupressure pulse points to fight nausea.

  • For all forms of nausea – including morning sickness
  • No drugs, no side effects
  • Used by doctors and hospitals
  • The only clinically tested wristband
  • One size fits all

Relief Band Device: device that can be worn continuously for relief of mild to moderate nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.

Vitamin B6: Taking Vitamin B6 (50 mg) daily has been shown to help with pregnancy induced nausea.

Talk with your health care provider about any supplements and treatments for morning sickness. If morning sickness is so severe that you are constantly throwing up and not keeping anything down, consult with your health care provider about the possibility of having hyperemesis gravidarum.

Last updated: 12/2006