Morning sickness can be hard to handle, but I have 15 great tips for fighting it so you can feel a little more normal and take care of yourself and your growing family.
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
When I was pregnant with my first child, I experienced morning sickness. Thankfully, it was fairly easy to manage and by the end of the first trimester, it was gone. My sister, on the other hand, had a more severe case of morning sickness with her first child. This led her to do a lot of research on how to manage her morning sickness. She has shared her 15 tips for fighting morning sickness with me and now I’m passing them on to you.
As with any medical condition, please remember to consult your doctor if you have questions or concerns. The information provided in this post is meant to give you resources, but should not be considered medical advice from a professional. With that being said, let’s continue.
*NOTE* I have not personally tried all of these but the ones that I have, I will put an asterisk (*) next to it.
Ginger Root supplements*
- Helps with: nausea and immune system support
- Description: Ginger is something you may have heard helps settle your stomach. But ginger candies, ginger sodas or ginger treats can be unappetizing to people. If this is the case for you (or you just don’t want to have to eat/drink something), consider taking a ginger root pill supplement. It does take a couple of weeks to really hit your system, so if you are trying to get pregnant, start taking one right away.
B-100 Complex, or B6*
- Helps with: nausea and energy
- Description: B6 is best known to help with nausea when coupled with Unisom. It is also helpful to take to curb the tiredness you have, especially during your first trimester.
Unisom (active ingredient: Doxylamine)*
- Helps with: nausea and sleep
- Description: This is what many doctors will recommend you take (combined with B6) to help with nausea. Careful! Unisom is a sleeping pill, so you might feel tired. Because of this, it’s recommended to take it as late in the day as you can, or at a time when you don’t need to go anywhere. If you take this at night, it can also helps you sleep better through the night, which is a struggle most pregnant women have during the first and last trimesters especially.
Preggie Pops*
- Helps with: nausea
- Description: Sometimes, just sucking on something can help with nausea. It takes your mind off how your stomach is feeling. While these “candies” are mostly sugar and flavor, they do have some ingredients that help with nausea. Preggie Pops are great for taking the edge off, but probably won’t help with more severe morning sickness.
Peppermint*
- Helps with: nausea
- Description: If you know much about essential oils, it comes as no surprise that peppermint helps settle your stomach. Be careful with peppermint oil, as too much isn’t safe for you or the baby, but if you like peppermint gum, or peppermint candies or candy canes, then try those! That cooling feeling can help your stomach settle.
Potatoes*
- Helps with: nausea and hunger
- Description: For many pregnant women experiencing nausea, it can be hard to find food that both sounds good and sits well on your stomach. Surprisingly, potatoes have B6 in them, which helps with the nausea aspect and helps you feel more full (at least for a little bit). I’ve even heard that many pregnant women in their first trimester crave potatoes. So if you’re craving mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or even french fries, go ahead and give them a try to help with the nausea (and hunger)!
Cravings*
- Helps with: nausea and hunger
- Description: As mentioned with potatoes, your body knows what you need, and what your baby needs. If you are craving a certain kind of food, then try to eat it! A lot of times, it’s your body telling you what will help you and what it needs. I’ve personally found that this is true! Sometimes I will realize that my meal is heavy in certain minerals/vitamins because that’s what my body needs and craves at the time.
Stay hydrated*
- Helps with: nausea and dehydration
- Coconut water
- Electrolyte drinks
- Description: You can make a simple homemade electrolyte drink that, if you can stomach, is super helpful and is better for you than the sugary Gatorades and Powerades you might normally think of to get electrolytes. This drink is especially good right in the morning after not drinking all night. (Dehydration is actually one of the main culprits of morning sickness which is why so many women feel it more in the morning.) Here’s how to make it: fill a glass with purified water, squeeze in some lemon juice, and add some good salt (Himalayan salt or Redmond’s Real Salt are great). You can also add some honey in to improve the flavor. As mentioned, this is great in the morning because it gives your stomach just a little bit to digest so that you don’t feel so hungry and sick if you can’t eat right away.
- Lemon water
- Description: Lemons are hydrating, but once digested can also balance pH levels, making your body more alkaline.
- Alkaline water
- Description: This balances pH levels, and it hydrates your cells better as well. A well known alkaline water is Fiji water.
Redmond Clay
- Helps with: nausea and giving your body trace minerals
- Description: This one is less well known, but clay is very good for your body, and also helps during pregnancy. Redmond Clay is a great option. If you add it to water and mix it up, then drink the water on the top with the clay settled on the bottom of the glass, you can get the trace minerals your body needs and doesn’t always get from your regular diet. Other benefits of clay: It is also an amazing iron supplement, as well as a prebiotic. Additionally, it is alkaline, helping balance your pH levels.
Health food store consultants:
- Helps with: tips for managing morning sickness
- Description: All health food stores are equally as good, however, there are some really great ones around with some awesome employees that really know their stuff. If you are thinking about trying to get pregnant or are pregnant and struggling with managing your morning sickness, then try calling or going to a health food store and asking for the advice of expert employees on morning sickness and supplements.
Protein*
- Helps with: nausea and hunger
- Description: Protein stays in your system for longer, so it helps with keeping that aching hunger feeling away when pregnant. You know, the need to eat, but nothing sounding good. The more protein you can eat in snacks or meals, the better. Here are some foods that are high in protein:
- Eggs
- Almonds, Peanuts and Pumpkin Seeds
- Chicken
- Oats
- Cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Broccoli
Healthy diet*
- CAN help with: nausea
- Description: Not all of us are able to do this when pregnant, and even if we try, it doesn’t always stay down. However, if you are able to, this really does help with kicking some of that nausea. Fruits and vegetables provide so many of the nutrients our body (and developing baby) needs.
Popsicles*
- Helps with: nausea and hydration
- Description: This one might seem funny at first, but the cold helps settle your stomach, as well as giving you something to suck on and distract you from the nausea. (Ice water also helps if you don’t have popsicles or don’t want to eat one.)
Exercise*
- Helps with: nausea and overall health
- Description: Again, this is not something that we are always able to do, but when you’re feeling well enough, try to get up and move around a little. A little walk, or playing with your kids, or go to the gym if you can handle that. Getting your blood circulating often helps you feel better overall.
Sleep*
- Helps with: nausea, tiredness, and overall health
- Description: The more sleep you get, the better you will feel. The first trimester especially can be hard: mentally, emotionally and physically. Try to get to bed early and take naps when possible.
I hope these tips help you or someone you know! Be sure to share this post and pin it for future reference.
Another great pregnancy post to check out is 5 tips for when you’re pregnant and sick.
What has helped you with morning sickness (or just nausea in general)?
Comments are closed.