Combatting morning sickness
Morning sickness | Pregnancy Birth and Baby
Morning sickness | Pregnancy Birth and Baby beginning of content6-minute read
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Morning sickness is a feeling of nausea or the experience of vomiting during pregnancy, most commonly during the first trimester. Despite its name, morning sickness can happen at any time of the day or night. While most pregnant women experience morning sickness at some point, for many women, it will pass by the second trimester.
Why do pregnant women get morning sickness?
Although the exact cause of morning sickness is unknown, it is associated with hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy.
An imbalance of dietary potassium and magnesium, low blood sugar and low levels of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) are all known causes of nausea. Following a diet that includes whole foods with a wide range of vitamins and minerals will help you stay healthy and well during your pregnancy.
Why does it affect some women more than others?
Some women are more likely to feel nauseous during pregnancy than others. While morning sickness is hard to predict, women who have experienced morning sickness in a previous pregnancy are more likely to have it again.
How long does morning sickness last?
You are more likely to feel morning sickness between 6 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, during your first trimester. While it is commonly known as ‘morning’ sickness, it may last throughout the day or night.
It is unusual to experience morning sickness for the first time after week 10 of pregnancy, so if this happens to you, consult your doctor to rule out other health conditions and to give you peace of mind.
How can I relieve morning sickness?
To relieve morning sickness, consider:
- eating smaller meals more often (include morning and afternoon snacks between main meals)
- eating a plain cracker shortly after waking up
- drinking water before and after a meal, rather than with food
- aiming to drink 8 glasses of water a day
- avoiding spicy or fatty foods
- eating protein-rich foods (such as nuts or cheese)
- avoiding skipping meals
Soda (or carbonated) water and ginger/peppermint tea are also known to help relieve nausea and settle an upset stomach.
Some women become more sensitive to strong food smells while pregnant. If certain smells bother you, consider asking for help preparing your food. You can also increase ventilation in your kitchen while cooking by opening windows to get rid of cooking smells. Cold foods produce less odour than hot foods, so you may find these more appetising.
Nausea may feel worse when you are over-tired, and taking rest or nap breaks frequently throughout the day may help. Other suggestions include:
- deep breathing or relaxation exercises
- anti-nausea wristbands (available at most chemists)
- acupuncture treatments (but only when administered by a qualified practitioner trained in maternal care)
Be sure to check with your doctor before you take any supplement, prescription or over-the-counter medicine, especially while pregnant.
Is morning sickness harmful for my baby?
Even though morning sickness can be unpleasant and distressing, there is no research to suggest that it causes harm to your baby.
Nausea may, however, influence your food choices. Both you and your baby need an ongoing source of a range of nutrients in the foods you eat. Speak with a health professional if you think that your morning sickness is getting in the way of healthy eating.
It is also important to prevent dehydration, so if you are vomiting and unable to keep fluids down, see your doctor immediately.
What do I do if my morning sickness is severe?
When morning sickness is severe, it is known as hyperemesis gravidarum. A pregnant woman who experiences severe vomiting for an extended period of time may need monitoring and treatment in hospital. An intravenous (IV) drip is inserted to replace essential salts and fluids and prevent dehydration. If you are vomiting whenever you eat or drink, consult a health care professional, since early treatment can protect you and your baby from health complications.
When should I see my doctor about morning sickness?
If nausea or vomiting is causing significant discomfort, or if you suspect that you have hyperemesis gravidarum, you should see your doctor.
Other signs you need to see a doctor include:
- very dark urine
- blood in vomit
- extreme fatigue
- dramatic weight loss
- dehydration due to inability to keep fluids down
CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Pregnancy problems Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
In some cases, a doctor may advise a home remedy. In other cases, they may refer you to another healthcare professional, such as a dietitian — to help you create a healthy and enjoyable meal plan — or to a specialist for further tests. Your doctor may prescribe you with medicine to ease your symptoms, such as an antiemetic (to prevent vomiting), or vitamin and mineral supplements.
If your symptoms persist after treatment, it is a good idea to return to your doctor for another consultation — there may be another approach you can try.
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call.
Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.
Sources:
The Royal Hospital for Women (Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy), Royal Women's Hospital Victoria (Common concerns in early pregnancy - itching and skin), HealthyWA (Morning Sickness), The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (Managing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy in a primary care setting), Department of Health (Clinical practice guidelines: Pregnancy care), Mater Mothers’ Hospital (Morning sickness and hyperemesis)Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: September 2021
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Related pages
- Severe vomiting during pregnancy (hyperemesis gravidarum)
- Having a healthy pregnancy
- Healthy diet during pregnancy
Need more information?
Morning sickness - MyDr.
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Your doctor can look at your foetus’s features to determine how old they are – find out how. You need to talk to your doctor if you experience very severe morning sickness as you may not be getting all the nutrients you and your baby need or early pregnancy spotting (spot bleeding) as you may be at risk of miscarriage.
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Vomiting and morning sickness - NHS
Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often known as morning sickness, is very common in early pregnancy.
It can affect you at any time of the day or night or you may feel sick all day long.
Morning sickness is unpleasant, and can significantly affect your day-to-day life. But it usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 of your pregnancy and does not put your baby at any increased risk.
There is a chance of developing a severe form of pregnancy sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can be serious, and there's a chance you may not get enough fluids in your body (dehydration) or not get enough nutrients from your diet (malnourishment). You may need specialist treatment, sometimes in hospital.
Sometimes urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also cause nausea and vomiting. A UTI usually affects the bladder, but can spread to the kidneys.
Non-urgent advice: Call your midwife, GP or 111 if:
you're vomiting and:
- have very dark-coloured urine or have not had a pee in more than 8 hours
- are unable to keep food or fluids down for 24 hours
- feel severely weak, dizzy or faint when standing up
- have tummy (abdominal) pain
- have a high temperature
- vomit blood
- have lost weight
Treatments for morning sickness
Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast treatment that will work for everyone’s morning sickness.
Every pregnancy will be different.
But there are some changes you can make to your diet and daily life to try to ease the symptoms.
If these do not work for you or you're having more severe symptoms, your doctor or midwife might recommend medicine.
Things you can try yourself
If your morning sickness is not too bad, your GP or midwife will initially recommend you try some lifestyle changes:
- get plenty of rest (tiredness can make nausea worse)
- avoid foods or smells that make you feel sick
- eat something like dry toast or a plain biscuit before you get out of bed
- eat small, frequent meals of plain foods that are high in carbohydrate and low in fat (such as bread, rice, crackers and pasta)
- eat cold foods rather than hot ones if the smell of hot meals makes you feel sick
- drink plenty of fluids, such as water (sipping them little and often may help prevent vomiting)
- eat foods or drinks containing ginger – there's some evidence ginger may help reduce nausea and vomiting (check with your pharmacist before taking ginger supplements during pregnancy)
- try acupressure – there's some evidence that putting pressure on your wrist, using a special band or bracelet on your forearm, may help relieve the symptoms
Find out more about vitamins and supplements in pregnancy
Anti-sickness medicine
If your nausea and vomiting is severe and does not improve after trying the above lifestyle changes, your GP may recommend a short-term course of an anti-sickness medicine, called an antiemetic, that's safe to use in pregnancy.
Often this will be a type of antihistamine, which are usually used to treat allergies but also work as medicines to stop sickness (antiemetic).
Antiemetics will usually be given as tablets for you to swallow.
But if you cannot keep these down, your doctor may suggest an injection or a type of medicine that's inserted into your bottom (suppository).
See your GP if you'd like to talk about getting anti-sickness medication.
Risk factors for morning sickness
It's thought hormonal changes in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are probably one of the causes of morning sickness.
But you may be more at risk of it if:
- you're having twins or more
- you had severe sickness and vomiting in a previous pregnancy
- you tend to get motion sickness (for example, car sick)
- you have a history of migraine headaches
- morning sickness runs in the family
- you used to feel sick when taking contraceptives containing oestrogen
- it's your first pregnancy
- you're obese (your BMI is 30 or more)
- you're experiencing stress
Visit the pregnancy sickness support site for tips for you and your partner on dealing with morning sickness.
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Video: how can I cope with morning sickness?
In this video, a midwife gives advice on how to deal with morning sickness during your pregnancy.
Media last reviewed: 25 January 2023
Media review due: 25 January 2026
Page last reviewed: 13 April 2021
Next review due: 13 April 2024
How to get rid of morning sickness during pregnancy?
Morning sickness often occurs during pregnancy. This is usually associated with an increase in estrogen levels, a decrease in blood glucose levels, and an increased sensitivity to odors. In most cases, morning sickness stops by the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to minimize this unpleasant symptom, the following rules can be observed:
1. Get more rest. Make sure you get quality sleep throughout the night. You can also get some sleep during the day and avoid doing strenuous activities after eating.
2. Do not rush to get out of bed abruptly after waking up.
3. Avoid certain foods. Avoid fatty and/or spicy foods and avoid caffeine.
4. Eat small meals. It is important that there is always a small amount of food in the stomach, this will reduce the risk of developing nausea or reduce the severity of symptoms, if any. You can eat some salty crackers or protein foods before you get out of bed in the morning. For breakfast, you can eat cold applesauce, a pear, a banana, or any citrus fruits to reduce your hunger. Potassium-rich fruits can help prevent morning sickness during pregnancy. At night, you can eat something high in protein, this will help normalize blood glucose levels.
5. Turn off the computer. Fast, almost imperceptible flickering of a computer monitor can cause toxicosis.
6. Be physically active.
7. Drink plenty of fluids. The more dehydrated the body is, the more nausea will be felt. If drinking water is hard, try adding apple cider vinegar and honey. Moreover, the colder the drink, the easier it will be to consume. Sucking on ice cubes made from water or fruit juice is also a good method for reducing nausea.
8. Eat ginger. Adding a piece of raw ginger to water or tea, or drinking a cold ginger drink can help soothe the stomach and eliminate nausea.
9. Engage in mental activity. It is important to try to distract yourself from the feeling of nausea, for this you can read a book, solve puzzles, watch TV or take a short walk outside.
10. Wear loose and comfortable clothing. Clothing that restricts movement or tight clothing can aggravate the symptoms of morning sickness.
11. Consider replacing prenatal vitamins with baby vitamins, they tend to be easier to digest.
12. Avoid irritating odors. Since pregnant women are often noted for increased sensitivity to odors, strong odors, such as perfume, can trigger the development of nausea. In turn, the smell of lemon or rosemary extract will help calm the stomach.
13. Avoid triggers - factors that provoke the development of an attack of nausea.
14. Eliminate reflux if present. Antacids can help with this. Consult your doctor before taking them.
15. Talk to your doctor about taking iron supplements or iron-containing vitamins. There is evidence that the use of iron supplements can provoke the development of nausea in pregnant women.
16. Do acupressure. Pressing on certain points on the body to control nausea can help reduce or eliminate this symptom.
According to www.medicalnewstoday.com
Fighting toxicosis - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"
Alexandrova Anna Evgenievna
Embryologist
Clinic "Mother and Child" South-West
rest more
Very often in the first trimester, the expectant mother feels weak, drowsy, she wants to lie down to rest, and sometimes she simply does not even have the strength to move. This, of course, is not toxicosis, but if such sensations arise, then they must be indulged so as not to inadvertently provoke another attack of nausea. Get plenty of rest and do not make any sudden movements, because even if you just fail to get up from a chair, you can provoke an attack of nausea.
Sleep with the windows open: the air in the bedroom should be fresh and cool. Go to bed on time, do not sit at midnight in front of the TV or at the computer, eliminate all irritating factors: an uncomfortable mattress, blanket, pillow, hard bedding - lack of sleep can respond with morning sickness.
Eat right
Eat in fractions, 5-6 times a day, or even more often, and always in small portions. When you wake up, don't get out of bed right away. One of the most effective methods against toxicosis is breakfast in bed. In the evening, put crackers, yogurt, or any product that you can tolerate well next to your bed. Eat it before you get up, and then lie down for a bit. Most likely, morning sickness will either not appear at all, or will be very weak.
Usually, in case of toxicosis, it is not recommended to eat fatty, smoked, salty, pickled, drink soda (the usual set of food hazards). But it is likely that some not very healthy product will now be well tolerated, and something from healthy food, on the contrary, will cause nausea. "Pregnant whims" - a cake with herring or pineapples at night - these are the requests of the body that it needs one or another component in food. For example, the desire to chew chalk is a sign of calcium deficiency. So eat what you like and what you want, within reason, of course. And if you don’t feel like something, even if this product is extremely useful and necessary, don’t eat it. If you feel sick from some dish, it means that the body signals you: I don’t need this now!
drink more often
Toxicosis may not be limited to nausea, some may also vomit. This means fluid is lost. Therefore, between meals, drink more often: a sip or two of mineral water or tea with lemon will help to cope with nausea and replenish lost fluids. But drink in small sips. Also, you should not drink food and you should give up soups for a while - a large amount of food drunk and eaten, on the contrary, only provokes nausea and vomiting.
breathe fresh air
Outdoor walks are good for everyone, but especially for toxicosis. Firstly, when walking, the blood of the expectant mother and baby is saturated with oxygen, which is very important for health, and secondly, walking calms the nervous system. Together, this helps to reduce the unpleasant symptoms of toxicosis. You need to walk at least two hours a day - but not just along the street, but in the place where the air is really fresh: in the forest, park, square, and best of all outside the city. Before you go out, think over the route: go away from gas-polluted highways, street cafes, food stalls and other "fragrant" places.
exclude fragrances
Taste and smell preferences change during the first trimester. Now even your favorite perfumes can cause nausea, headaches and allergic reactions. Therefore, put away all fragrant cosmetics that irritate you: perfumes, deodorants, creams, and so on. You will have to stop using your favorite perfume for both your husband and loved ones. Explain to others that this is not a whim, but a temporary measure, very soon everything will return to normal.
And do not worry that now you will be left without your usual beauty products. Both the cosmetic store and the pharmacy are full of different creams, tonics, shampoos without fragrance or with a minimal smell.
work with yourself
Psychologists believe that the cause of toxicosis is not only in hormonal changes, but also in the psychological state of a woman. The more a woman experiences, the more anxieties and fears she has, the more pronounced toxicosis can be. Ideally, it is better to limit yourself during pregnancy from any stress. Of course, it’s not always possible to eliminate nervous work or crowding in public transport, but watch less TV, don’t read negative news and various pregnant “horror stories” on the Internet, and don’t react to minor or even major everyday troubles everyone can do. Therefore, if you are worried about toxicosis, create your own comfortable world during pregnancy. If you can’t cope on your own, contact a specialist (psychologist). Toxicosis is really well treated with psychotherapy. The main thing is that the expectant mother should want to get rid of her own anxiety.
No matter how unpleasant toxicosis is, it does not last forever. It is necessary to suffer until the beginning or (less often) the middle of the II trimester. And very soon all the unpleasant symptoms of toxicosis will remain in the past!
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