Overview

This article responds to a listener facing constant morning sickness and the conflicting emotions of wanting to be excited about pregnancy while struggling with uncomfortable symptoms. Morning sickness affects 60-80% of expecting mothers, and while the good news is that it typically subsides over time, there’s no one-size-fits-all cure. Finding relief can be a trial-and-error process. In this episode, we explore a variety of evidence-based remedies that may help alleviate nausea, including dietary changes, supplements, essential oils, and physical interventions.

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Transcript and Resources

Thank you so much for the podcast it’s been such a huge help! I’m nine weeks into my first pregnancy, and I’ve been feeling miserable because of constant nausea. It’s not just in the mornings, it lasts all day. I’ve tried everything I can think of to manage it, but nothing seems to help. I’m struggling to eat, stay hydrated, and even get out of bed some days. I know I should feel grateful for this pregnancy, but it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and guilty when I’m so miserable all the time. Is it normal to feel this way, and are there any remedies or tips that might actually work to help me manage the nausea so I can get back to enjoying this experience more?

-Jen

Morning Sickness

I am so sorry you are dealing with morning sickness. It can be difficult to function when you are constantly nauseous. While it may not make you feel better, you should know you are not alone. Morning sickness affects 60-80% of expecting mothers.

Morning sickness is most often nausea that happens during pregnancy but can be accompanied by vomiting. Despite the name, this does not just happen in the morning; it can happen anytime or all day.

Morning sickness is most common in the first trimester and can start as early as one to two weeks after conception. This usually goes away after 12 weeks or when you begin the second trimester.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe morning sickness requiring hospitalization or treatment with IV fluids. This affects .3-2% of all pregnancies. The most common statistic I see in research is around 1%. Some medications can be prescribed for hyperemesis gravidarum. I would definitely talk to your doctor or midwife, especially if you are struggling to eat and stay hydrated. You want to ensure you are not losing weight and staying hydrated. I would not put this off until your next prenatal appointment. I would contact them now and request a visit to discuss your symptoms as soon as possible.

Morning Sickness and Your Quality of Life

There is often an unspoken expectation that you should feel nothing but gratitude for being pregnant, especially considering how many women face infertility and would give anything to be in your position. While it’s important to acknowledge the privilege of carrying a baby, that doesn’t negate the very real physical and emotional challenges that come with pregnancy. Feeling miserable, whether from nausea or any of the many other discomforts that can come with being pregnant, doesn’t make you any less grateful or diminish the value of your experience.

It’s completely valid to acknowledge the struggles that come with pregnancy. There may be times that you do not enjoy being pregnant, and that is not only okay, it is normal. Research shows that beyond feeling sick, morning sickness can significantly impact family life and the ability to perform usual daily activities, social functioning, stress level, and intent to have other children.

I also want to address the fact that most of the content we see online from expecting mothers is the polished version of what pregnancy looks like. It is the cute pregnancy outfits, the weekly countdown to meeting their baby, and cute pictures of their nursery coming together. Most expecting moms are not posting photos of them in the bathroom throwing up or writing about how terrible they feel. Yes, pregnancy is a magical time, and we should all be grateful to be in this position. Pregnancy can also be really hard, and it is okay to acknowledge that.

Interventions to Relieve Morning Sickness

The good news is that morning sickness will eventually go away. The bad news is that no magic cure works for everyone. There are a lot of things you can try. Hopefully, with trial and error, you can find remedies to improve your symptoms. Let’s run through some suggestions. Perhaps there is something on this list that you have not tried but that you may find helpful. You may consider keeping a journal to track your symptoms and figure out if certain things are triggering nausea or to track whether specific interventions are useful.

Dietary Changes

• Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. An empty stomach can make nausea worse.
• You may want to eat something first thing in the morning. Your blood sugar levels tend to drop during the night, and waking up with low blood sugar levels may contribute to nausea.
• Including protein in every meal or snack can be a helpful strategy to manage morning sickness. In addition to stabilizing blood sugar levels, protein is digested more slowly than carbohydrates, which may reduce the likelihood of feeling weak, lightheaded, or hungry, all of which can contribute to nausea.
• Try foods that are easy to digest, like crackers, toast, rice, bananas, and applesauce.
• Cold or room-temperature foods may be easier to tolerate than hot foods since strong odors can trigger nausea.

Stay Hydrated

Some expecting mothers who experience morning sickness may find it challenging to drink enough water or have trouble keeping fluids down. Staying hydrated is even more crucial if you are vomiting since vomiting causes water loss.

• You can try sparkling water; the bubbles may help settle your stomach.
• If drinking fluids is difficult, try sucking on ice chips, frozen fruit popsicles, or slowly sipping cold liquids.

Supplements and Specific Foods

• If your prenatal vitamin is worsening your nausea, try taking it with a meal or a snack or taking it at night.
• There is evidence that vitamin B6 may reduce nausea in pregnant women. Please consult your doctor or midwife before taking any supplement.
• Ginger may help with nausea. You can consume ginger in tea, ginger ale, ginger candies, or as a supplement. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that ginger significantly improved the symptoms of nausea when compared to placebo.
• Lemons may help your symptoms. You can try smelling them or squeezing a wedge of lemon into a glass of water.

Essential Oils

While certain smells can worsen nausea, some may make you feel better.

• The essential oils most commonly recommended for morning sickness are lavender, ginger, peppermint, spearmint, and citrus oils like lemon, grapefruit, lime, and orange.
• One study examined the effects of smelling lemon essential oil as soon as a participant felt nauseous. The researchers observed a more significant decrease in morning sickness with the inhalation of lemon oil than with the placebo on the second and fourth days of the study.
• Another study combined lemon and peppermint essential oils. Nausea and vomiting intensity were significantly decreased in the treatment group versus the placebo on days two, three, and four.

If you try essential oils, you may see more significant effects from prolonged use on subsequent days. A complete episode examines the safety of essential oils during pregnancy and the evidence of their effectiveness in treating pregnancy symptoms and improving your birth experience.

Change Your Position, Get Fresh Air, and Get Moving

• Avoid lying down after eating, which can slow down digestion. Sitting up can help to avoid acid reflux, which can contribute to nausea.
• Stuffiness indoors may make nausea worse. Get fresh air, open a window, or go outside.
• Gentle movement, such as going for a short walk, can help settle your stomach.

Acupressure and Acupuncture

• Acupressure wristbands that apply pressure to the P6 point on your wrist may help reduce nausea. One study found a statistically significant effect of acupressure at the P6 point in reducing the degree of nausea and vomiting in women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
• There is some evidence that acupuncture can improve symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. The only downside to trying this is the time and cost of seeing a professional acupuncturist.

Jen, I know you mentioned trying everything to improve your morning sickness. Hopefully, something we discussed in this article offers a new idea for you to try or perhaps a different variation of something you’ve already done. Finding what works for your nausea can be a trial-and-error process, and it’s important to remember that many pregnancy symptoms will eventually subside. Sometimes, it’s just about getting through it one day at a time. I hope this article helps, and I truly wish you the best in finding relief from your morning sickness so you can return to enjoying your pregnancy.

Thank you to the amazing companies that have supported this episode.

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