Morning Sickness : 10 Best Morning Sickness Remedies

Morning sickness affects more than half of all pregnant women.

And, as any pregnant woman can tell you, it’s not just morning sickness.

It can occur at any time – afternoon, middle of the night, or all the time.

The severity and frequency of morning sickness varies among women, and among pregnancies.

Morning Sickness

When I was pregnant with my first child, I fully expected to have morning sickness. After all, that’s how women in early pregnancy are depicted in books, and in movies.

Pregnant woman with her head over a toilet bowl, just the sight of food making her gag.

The worst thing that happened to me was an intense need to eat seed crackers every five minutes.

When I was pregnant with my second baby, it was the same thing: no actual nausea, but woe betide anyone if I didn’t eat a mandarin every few hours.

When I was pregnant for the third time, I waited for that intense need to consume a certain type of food to hit me. Except it didn’t.

And the day after I found out I was pregnant, I got sick.

Same thing the next day. And the next. I had morning sickness.

In my case, it was five long weeks of all-day nausea, punctuated with the occasional bout of actual vomiting.

I tried all the morning sickness remedies on offer. Some worked; some didn’t.

Morning sickness symptoms

Morning sickness symptoms generally include any of the following:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite.

Specific smells or food textures (even if previously enjoyed) may trigger strong pangs of morning sickness.

The severity may be mild and manageable, or it may feel like a constant hangover – just without the party the night before.

As a result, some women may experience psychological effects, for example, depression and anxiety.

How long does morning sickness last?

For most pregnant women, morning sickness will last until around week 16. However, some women find nausea and vomiting returns in the third trimester.

For an even smaller percent of women, morning sickness will continue for the whole pregnancy (hopefully, that’s not you!).

Morning sickness remedies

Morning sickness can really bring you down – and that’s even before we venture into the severe morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum.

Trying to get on with life when you’re constantly feeling seasick isn’t fun.

It’s even worse when, like most newly pregnant people, we tend to avoid announcing to the world exactly why we’re white-faced and hoovering up our body’s weight in crackers every day.

Tip: everyone actually does know; they’re just waiting for you to announce it.

Here are some of the best morning sickness remedies available, in the hope you can enjoy your first trimester that little bit more.

Morning Sickness Remedy #1: Food Matters

You probably don’t want to eat, but having some food is better than having none.

When, what and how much you eat can make a big difference to how sick you’ll feel.

When your blood sugar levels are too high or too low, this can cause nausea and even vomiting.

Normally, insulin effectively helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

During pregnancy, however, the placenta produces certain hormones that affect your body’s sensitivity to insulin.

These hormones, while essential to a healthy pregnancy, confuse your body’s metabolism and contribute to fluctuating blood sugar levels.

One tip, handed down through the ages, is for newly pregnant women to eat bland carbohydrates, such as toast or crackers, especially first thing in the morning.

But simple carbs are very quickly taken in by the body and can cause dramatic spikes in your blood sugar levels.

Foods that take longer to process, such as protein and complex carbs, help to keep blood sugar more stable, preventing nausea.

Protein is a nutritional building block – and very important  when you are pregnant. Yet women tend to avoid it in the belief protein foods are too heavy to eat when they are feeling nauseous.

There are many sources of protein, including animal products (meat, dairy and eggs), nuts and seeds, or combine grains and legumes (important if you’re vegetarian or vegan).

If the idea of eating a boiled egg in the morning makes you retch, don’t stress.

Eat what you can tolerate and then follow up with some protein afterwards.

Foods for morning sickness

Some suggestions of foods for morning sickness are:

• Apple with nut butter
• Fruit with yoghurt
• Seed crackers and cheese
• Scrambled egg with toast
• Protein smoothie

To keep your blood sugar levels stable, try experimenting with protein foods when you’re not feeling sick.

Some mamas-to-be swear by having a protein snack in the middle of the night, when they’re up visiting the bathroom (yet again).

For some healthy, protein-filled breakfast inspiration, check out our article containing 13 healthy breakfast ideas.

Morning Sickness Remedy #2: Acupuncture

The practice of acupuncture has been around for many years.

Traditional Chinese Medicine works on the principle pregnancy interrupts the natural flow of Qi (energy) in the body.

Acupuncture is used to restore the correct flow of Qi, by inserting very fine needles into the skin at certain points.

The western medical world actually agrees.

Studies have shown acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for pregnancy sickness.

Women who have found acupuncture helpful recommend having a session every week to maximise the benefits.

Choose a practitioner who specialises in pregnancy care.

Morning Sickness Remedy #3: Electrolytes

Pregnant women are very prone to dehydration and losing electrolytes – particularly if they have been vomiting or not drinking as much water as they should.

Adding electrolytes to your daily routine could make a huge difference.

Some women opt for pre-made drinks or they add an electrolyte powder to water.

Avoid supermarket stocked sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade – they’re full of sugar, which can cause insulin spikes and inflammation.

Doctor Andrew Orr recommends Endura, which you can get from natural health food stores or a naturopath.

Some women prefer to make their own home-made electrolyte solution and freeze it in cubes.

Sucking on ice cubes is a great way to stay hydrated, especially when swallowing food or fluids triggers a gag reflex.

Because hydration demands increase in the post-natal period, it’s a great idea to keep taking electrolytes.

Electrolytes can help you to avoid problems associated with lack of water, including constipation, fatigue and other unpleasant issues like anal fissures (ouch).

Morning Sickness Remedy #4: Chill Out And Rest

Early pregnancy is exhausting. It’s hard to understand why, when you’re not doing anything more active than usual.

But your body is going through some huge adjustments and you’re invisibly putting a lot of energy into growing another human being.

Sleep might be interrupted too, because of the increased need to urinate during the night.

Rest is vital, especially as tiredness can make pregnancy sickness even worse. Take that afternoon nap!

Stress is another factor that can increase your sensitivity to morning sickness.

Meditation, yoga or a soak in a Epsom salts bath can help you to unwind and chill out.

Keep stress during pregnancy at bay with these helpful tips.

Morning Sickness Remedy #5: Avoid Strong Smells

We often expect the sight of something to be a trigger for pregnancy sickness, but often it’s the smell!

If possible, clean out all areas where you’re likely to come across strong smells, such as your fridge, rubbish bins, and bathrooms.

Better still, organise someone else to do it.

Use a citrus based, non-toxic cleaner, and regularly clean areas, such as cook tops, that are likely to accumulate smells.

Some women say the smell of a cut lemon eases their nausea.

So you might like to have some on hand for those days when you need to open the fridge, and your partner’s not home to do it for you!

One cool trick is to place slices of lemon in a slow cooker and leave it on low, with the lid off.

It will keep your kitchen filled with a lemony scent.

Diffusing essential oils is another popular way of keeping pregnancy nausea at bay.

Check with an aromatherapist which essential oils are safe for use during pregnancy.

Avoiding perfumes (yours and others) can also help.

Morning Sickness Remedy #6: Everything Ginger

The humble ginger root has been used as a remedy for stomach upsets for centuries.

The root contains many chemicals – two in particular called gingerols and shogaols.

These chemicals relax the intestinal tract and help to reduce nausea.

There are many different ways you can take ginger – drinking it as a tea, nibbling ginger biscuits, or having some non alcoholic ginger ale.

Some women find fizzy drinks work especially well to combat nausea, and add ginger extract to mineral water.

Experiment to find what works best for you.

Morning Sickness Remedy #7: Vitamin B6

Another reason to eat well during early pregnancy is to make sure you’re getting adequate vitamin B6.

B6, also known as pyridoxine, is essential for your baby’s developing brain and nervous system.

Research has shown extra vitamin B6 can relieve nausea and vomiting in women.

Vitamin B6 helps the body to process protein, suggesting it might help those who aren’t getting enough protein in their daily diet.

B6 also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Some studies have shown women with severe morning sickness have low levels of vitamin B6 in their blood.

It’s important not to take too much vitamin B6, as it can cause problems such as nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, headache, tingling in the hands and feet, and sleepiness.

Pregnant women require only 1.9mg per day, which should be obtained easily in a varied diet that includes fish, nuts and meat.

If you are considering vitamin B6 supplementation you should be aware of the risks of excessive intake of vitamin B6.

It’s often found in multivitamins and prenatal supplements, as well as in many fortified foods.

Always seek your care provider’s advice before increasing your dosage beyond recommended levels.

Morning Sickness Remedy #8: Acupressure Points

In a similar way to acupuncture, treating points with acupressure can also relieve morning sickness.

Acupressure has a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A review of available research found a specific acupressure point can significantly relieve nausea and vomiting.

To alleviate morning sickness, you press the P6 acupuncture point, which is 10 centimetres from your inner wrist, between the two tendons.

An easier way to treat this acupressure point is with travel sickness bands.

People who experience motion sickness or sea sickness tend to use them.

The bands are made of elastic and have plastic studs to stimulate the acupuncture point.

Most women find they need to wear the band constantly, else their morning sickness returns when they remove it.

Sea Band are the best selling travel sickness bands on Amazon.

A customer review states: “Thank goodness for these Sea Bands. I leave them on almost all the time (I take them off to shower and sometimes forget to put them back on after) and my body never takes long to remind me when I’ve forgotten. It doesn’t take away ALL the nausea, but they certainly serve their purpose in a safe, natural way. Perfect for pregnancy.”

Morning Sickness Remedy #9 – Acceptance

There’s no doubt morning sickness is a physical condition (and an unpleasant one at that!).

But that’s not to say the mind doesn’t have a role to play as well.

Cultivating an attitude of acceptance that the nausea you’re experiencing is an integral part of this part of your pregnancy can help.

Of course, you may not be able to rid yourself of morning sickness altogether.

But keeping a positive outlook has been documented to help a woman’s experience of morning sickness.

When the waves of nausea hit, instead of resisting, try stilling your mind, breathe quietly and allow the waves to subside.

You might like to try using a meditation app, like Calm, to help you achieve a bit more peace.

This may not always work, but with practice, you might find that you are able to control the milder bouts this way.

Morning Sickness Remedy #10 – Listen To Specially Designed Music

There are now CDs and apps available that use sound to interrupt the messages of nausea between the brain and the and gut.

A popular version is called MorningWell, which has had some very good results.

MorningWell was successful in relieving morning sickness symptoms in 90% of the women that participated in a recent English study.

You simply need to listen to the program through a set of headphones, whenever you feel symptoms arising.

Have you experienced morning sickness? What tips and tricks worked for you? Share in the comments section below.

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