What helps with morning sickness while pregnant

Morning Sickness Remedies | American Pregnancy Association

Morning sickness is the nauseous feeling commonly experienced during around the 6th week of pregnancy. It can occur at any time of the day, and for most women, it seems to stop after the 12th week of pregnancy. Morning sickness is not harmful to you or your baby, but if you experience excessive vomiting and cannot manage to keep your food down, you may have hyperemesis gravidarum and lack essential nutrients and electrolytes . Inform your doctor when these symptoms appear and discuss possible treatment options.

Why Am I Nauseous?

Blame the increasing hormones, but you’re not alone. More than 50% of pregnant women experience morning sickness. But take heart. Many doctors think morning sickness is a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well.

Prenatal Vitamins can make nausea worse, mostly because of the extra iron. Pair your prenatal vitamins with a light snack before you go to bed.

What helps with morning sickness? While not all morning sickness remedies may work for you, there are several options you can try to find some relief.

In the Morning:
Allow yourself plenty of time to get out of bed. If you usually get up at 6:00 a.m., set your alarm for 5:00 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, drink fluids a 1/2 hour before or after meals, but not with meals. Also, make sure to 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. However, DO NOT take a nap right after a meal because this can increase nausea.

Avoid foods or smells that make your nausea worse, and avoid being in warm places, which can increase your nausea.

In the Evening:
For dinner avoid spicy, greasy foods. Prepare foods that are bland and do not have a strong odor. You may have to avoid cooking 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 small from your bedside stash.

Suggested Meals

Cold foods (sandwiches, raw vegetables, salad when properly prepared to prevent listeria)
Bland foods (chicken soup, broth, plain baked potato)
Plain vegetables or fruits
Keep meals small, but eat as frequently as you need
Foods rich in vitamin B6

Suggested Snacks to Eat

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

Treatments & Supplements

PregEase: natural product is shown to relieve morning sickness and heartburn. Includes a comprehensive formula with vitamins, minerals and herbal ingredients demonstrated to help easy common pregnancy discomforts.

- Delicious, chewable, orange-flavored tablets provide safe and effective relief
- Doctor-designed, natural formula with no artificial dyes, colors or preservatives
- Includes Vitamins B6, B12, calcium carbonate, ginger, and many other ingredients to soothe nausea.

Preggie Pops: 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 and no side effects
  - Used by doctors and hospitals
  - The only clinically tested wristband
  - One size fits all

Nip the Nausea: Drops flavored with a combination of ginger and lemon, which collectively soothe upset stomachs and reduce nausea symptoms.

Relief Band Device: a 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 your health care provider about the possibility of having hyperemesis gravidarum.

Want to Know More?

Nightfood Nighttime Ice Cream
Role of Vitamin B in Pregnancy
Pregnancy Nutrition

Compiled using information from the following sources:
Williams Obstetrics Twenty-Second Ed. Cunningham, F. Gary, et al, Ch. 8
American Academy of Family Physicians, https://familydoctor.org

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: 27 February 2017
Media review due: 27 March 2020

Community content from HealthUnlocked

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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.

nine0002 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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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 while. Most likely, morning sickness will either not appear at all, or will be very weak. nine0003

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! nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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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