Dealing with nausea might be one of the hardest things to navigate during pregnancy. Unfortunately I have suffered from pretty intense sickness with all three of my boys. With Peter Joseph I was sick until about 20 weeks, with Benji until around 15 weeks, and with baby #3…the entire time so far (and I’m 31 weeks)!
It has always perplexed me how different every woman’s experience can be. Some don’t experience any morning sickness at all. Some only experience mild nausea up until 13(ish) weeks. And then some are diagnosed with a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy which can lead to dehydration/hospitalization).
I have luckily never been diagnosed with hyperemesis! I’ve always managed to keep myself hydrated and keep enough nutrition down. That said, DAMN. Morning sickness can be such a b*tch.
I wanted to share all of the tips/tricks for managing nausea in one place for anyone who might need it right now! I FEEL YOUR PAIN if anything/everything makes you want to gag your face off. It’s a pretty awful feeling. Who decided it would be cool to take drinking wine away from us, but still curse us with a constant hangover?!
Below are several things that are worth a try! If you try these remedies and nothing seems to work, it’s worth having a conversation with your doctor about taking some prescription medication to take the edge off. I have tried a couple of the medications available– both Zofran and Promethazine. I’ll describe my experience with those toward the end of this post!
“Over the counter” remedies:
- Ginger in any form. Ginger ale, ginger candies, fresh ginger in smoothies, ginger tea, etc.
- Vitmain B6 throughout the day, and a combination of vitamin B6 and Unisom before bed. Some women SWEAR by this combination. I never had a ton of luck with it, and the Unisom always seemed to make me even more tired than I already was. Worth a try though! (Always talk to you doctor before taking any over the counter medications while pregnant!)
- Pink Stork’s morning sickness candies or teas.
- Peppermint. Use peppermint essential oils in your diffuser or just smell it when you’re feeling super barfy, chew peppermint gum, eat peppermint candies, wear peppermint chapstick, etc.
- Lemon/citrus. Put a slice of lemon in your water or tea, or try essential oils. Sometimes the smell of citrus can be refreshing when everything else smells terrible.
- Water. Try to keep drinking water, no matter what. Feeling dehydrated will only make you feel worse! Try Pedialyte or Gatorade mixed with your water if you need some flavor to get it down.
- Snack constantly. Feeling hungry makes morning sickness 10x worse. Keep crackers or pretzels on your bedside table and eat throughout the night when you wake. Eat first thing in the morning. Pack snacks everywhere you go. Do not let yourself get overly hungry… I promise you will majorly regret it.
- Try one of the acupuncture wrist bands, like this one from SeaBand Mama or this one from NoMo Bands.
- Acupuncture. Another one I have never tried, but some ladies I’ve talked to have found great relief from it!
- Try a walk or some form of exercise, but only if you’re feeling up for it. Don’t put pressure on yourself to “work out” if your body is telling you to rest. A little fresh air can really help take the edge off though!
- TUMS. Acid reflux is common during pregnancy, and it presents itself differently from one mama to another. It can be heartburn, burping, or even just feel like an upset stomach.
- Preggie Pops on Amazon. Another thing some people swear help them so much!
- Take your prenatal vitamin BEFORE BED! Do not take it during the day. Also, make sure you use a vitamin that will be gentle on your stomach. I loved these OLLY prenatal gummies when I was REALLY sick and couldn’t swallow a pill. Then I switched to Ritual vitamins, which are extremely gentle on your stomach and smell like citrus!
Food ideas to try when you’re having major nausea/food aversions:
- Avoid spicy/acidic foods, and stick to things that are nice and bland (aka carbs). I always have SUCH a hard time with onions, garlic, and anything cooked in a lot of spice.
- If coffee isn’t going down easily, try iced coffee instead! For me, I think it was mostly the smell of coffee that bothered me. I could usually do iced coffee just fine and it really helped me get a little energy in the mornings.
- Breakfast foods. Think toast, english muffins, peanut butter, cereal, smoothies, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, etc. All of these are mild/bland enough that you should be able to choke them down 😉
- Bland is key. Crackers (anything that you can stomach, but most recommend Saltines), pretzels, regular potato chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (totally okay to steal your kids’ Uncrustables), plain baked potatoes, chicken soup, bone broth, etc. I pretty much lived off of McDonald’s Egg McMuffins for a few weeks.
- Try super cold foods, like popsicles, ice cream, or sorbet.
- Fresh fruit. It’s nice and cold and refreshing, and doesn’t usually smell too strong. It will also help keep you hydrated if you’re struggling with that!
At the end of the day, don’t stress yourself out about eating super clean and healthy. Take your prenatal vitamin, and eat what you can keep down! It’s so important to just get calories into your body, regardless of where they come from (IMO!)
As far as prescription medication goes, I tried Zofran with Peter Joseph and Promethazine with baby #3. Zofran is a miracle worker for a lot of pregnant mamas! It definitely helped take the edge off for me, but it also presented some icky side effects. It made me extremely constipated (TMI, I know but seriously, it was terrible and I’m kind of scarred from it). Just be aware of that if you decide to try it– definitely make sure you’re regularly taking Miralax or Colace (whichever your doctor recommends).
The Promethazine and I seemed to butt heads a bit. I honestly feel like it didn’t do much for me in terms of my nausea. I also have a theory that it contributed to the very intense depression I experienced this time around from about 7-15 weeks. When I stopped taking it, I did seem to find a little relief from the intensity of my depression (though it certainly did not go away). My doctor eventually ended up prescribing me a low does of an anti-depressant, which helped tremendously with my mental health!
The other option for prescription meds is Diclegis. This is the one I’ve never tried! I do remember my doctor saying it isn’t usually fully covered by insurance, so it can be a little pricey out-of-pocket. This one has helped for a lot of women I’ve talked to– I just can’t speak to it firsthand!
I hope some of these remedies help any of you pregnant mamas find relief! It can be so difficult to carry on with everyday life when you feel so sick, but remember there is an end in sight eventually, and the finish line will be 100% worth it 🙂
As always, leave any questions below!
