Pregnancy is a beautiful experience, but it can be uncomfortable too. One of the many discomforts of pregnancy is morning sickness, a term that refers to the all-too-common queasiness that can occur in your first trimester of pregnancy. Despite its name, morning sickness can strike any time of the day — not just in the morning.
Researchers say morning sickness appears to be the body’s response to pregnancy hormones like GDF15, which is produced by the fetus and has been linked to vomiting in pregnancy. Some pregnant individuals are more sensitive to hormonal changes than others, and not everyone who is pregnant will develop morning sickness. However, the majority of pregnant people will.
If you’re experiencing morning sickness, these at-home remedies, over-the-counter medications and supplements can help relieve the uncomfortable symptoms.
[READ Pregnancy Checklist]
Morning Sickness Symptoms
Morning sickness symptoms, which commonly include nausea and vomiting, impact between 70% and 80% of pregnant women. Symptoms tend to start around weeks four to six of pregnancy and resolve between weeks nine to 14, but the exact duration can differ from person to person.
Morning sickness symptoms can include:
— Nausea, most often in the morning
— Vomiting
— Fatigue
— Aversion to certain smells and foods
— Change in taste preferences
While these symptoms can be uncomfortable and impact your quality of life, they typically do not require immediate medical attention and can be treated with at-home remedies. Still, if symptoms worsen or do not stop, morning sickness symptoms can become a medical emergency.
Morning sickness can become dangerous if you experience severe vomiting and an inability to hold down food, as this can lead to a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, or HG. HG is characterized by severe persistent vomiting in pregnancy and can cause health complications.
Severe symptoms of HG from morning sickness include:
— Weight loss
— Dangerous ketone levels in the urine or blood
Ketones, or a type of acid that the body uses as fuel when it is running low on glucose and begins to metabolize fat instead, can indicate trouble. Although a trace amount of urinary ketones is likely nothing to worry about, too many ketones can disrupt the body’s pH levels, creating an overly acidic and toxic environment, which can be dangerous.
To be on the safe side, Dr. G. Thomas Ruiz, a board-certified OB-GYN and lead OB-GYN at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, “says to call your medical provider if you are unable to hold food down for 24 hours, or if your morning symptoms feel severe or unmanageable.”
Pregnant people with diabetes should be wary of morning sickness’ connection to diabetic ketoacidosis, in which high ketone levels indicate a medical emergency.
[SEE: Best Nausea Medications]
At-Home Remedies for Morning Sickness
For people with moderate symptoms of morning sickness, at-home remedies may help quell discomfort. These temporary solutions can come in the form of nausea-safe snacks and over-the-counter medications.
Some foods and eating tips that may help with morning sickness include:
1. Start your day with simple carbohydrates
To ward off morning sickness, Ruiz suggests starting your days with a simple carbohydrate snack like “dry toast first thing in the morning.”
A snack like this will be both easy to digest and help absorb some of the pesky stomach acid that can trigger nausea, he explains. It can also help alleviate any early-in-the-day symptoms that can surface before you’ve had a substantial meal, making it harder to eat.
Examples of simple carbohydrates to eat in the morning include:
— Crackers, like saltines
— Dry cereal
— Plain bagels
— White rice
— Toast
Dr. Maria Sophocles, a board-certified OB-GYN at Women’s Healthcare of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, says these foods are easier on the stomach and can relieve the “queasy, watery stomach feeling” that can surface with morning sickness.
[SEE: Best Foods to Eat for an Upset Stomach.]
2. Eat small, frequent meals
Sophocles recommends eating small meals frequently — about every two to three hours — to avoid feeling overstuffed or hungry, both of which can cause stomach symptoms.
3. Avoid hot and spicy foods or highly acidic foods
While everyone is different, spicy or highly acidic foods are more likely to aggravate gastrointestinal symptoms than the aforementioned plain, simple carbohydrates. Sophocles encourages taking a break from these foods if you feel vulnerable to morning sickness.
Some examples of acidic foods that may worsen morning sickness symptoms for some people include:
— Some sauces, like tomato sauce or soy sauce
— Coffee
— Sugary sweets
— Sugary beverages
— Citrus fruits
— Citrus fruit juices
— Processed and canned foods, due to added preservatives
— Dairy products
4. Opt for cold, bland foods
Instead of consuming a big, hot and spicy meal, Sophocles suggests opting for something cold and odorless. This can be gentler on your stomach and may be less likely to trigger a smell aversion, which some people develop during pregnancy.
5. Grab some ginger
In addition to simple carbs, ginger may ease symptoms of morning sickness for some people. The spice can be soothing, and studies have found it can help alleviate nausea. Some researchers suggest that ginger works against nausea
by improving the speed at which food exits the stomach. You can consume ginger in various forms, including tea, ginger ale or candy.
6. Don’t forget about protein
While simplicity is key, it is important not to forgo important food groups — like healthy proteins — when you have morning sickness. Studies have found that eating more protein while pregnant can help lessen some of the gastric dysrhythmias that cause nausea and vomiting.
Sophocles says stocking up on high-protein snacks like cheese, nuts and yogurt can be helpful.
7. Hydration is key
Morning sickness can lead to dehydration. So, staying hydrated is critically important. Some tips for staying hydrated include:
— Sipping on water throughout the day
— Drinking electrolyte drinks or adding electrolyte powders to your water
— Sipping on broth
— Sipping on ginger tea
Morning Sickness Supplements and Medications
Unfortunately, a morning-sickness-friendly diet isn’t always friendly enough to alleviate your symptoms. Where needed, supplements and over-the-counter medications
can help.
Supplements
Some medications and supplements that may help with nausea related to morning sickness include:
— Vitamin B6, which is often recommended in doses of 10 to 25 milligrams taken three times a day
— The medication doxylamine, sold under the brand name Unisom, is an antihistamine often recommended in conjunction with vitamin B6 to fight nausea in pregnancy
— Ginger supplements, which come in capsules or powder form
— Prenatal vitamins, which contain nutrients that counterbalance inadequate food intake
Just be sure to consult with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter supplements or medications, herbals or vitamins during pregnancy.
Medical therapies
In cases of severe nausea and vomiting, Sophocles says your doctor may also prescribe medications like:
— Ondansetron
— Metoclopramide
— Promethazine
In cases of severe dehydration and weight loss — such as can be caused by HG — your doctor may also consider administering IV fluids and nutrition.
[MORE: Best Nutrients and Foods to Eat When Pregnant]
Why Morning Sickness Can Be a Positive Sign
Experiencing morning sickness can feel taxing, uncomfortable and discouraging — and it can be hard to focus on the positives when you feel like you’re always about to throw up. However, morning sickness may come with some silver linings.
Ruiz explains that — with some outliers like a molar pregnancy, which will produce severe symptoms — morning sickness is often a sign that you are experiencing a healthy pregnancy.
“Once you’ve documented a viable pregnancy, you will find that most women with morning sickness are having a healthy pregnancy,” Ruiz says. “Only healthy pregnancies are going to create hormones of pregnancy, with the exception of the molar pregnancy.”
Additionally, some studies suggest that pregnant people who experience morning sickness may be less likely to experience a miscarriage than those who do not experience morning sickness. Still, many people have perfectly healthy pregnancies without nausea.
Sophocles explains that this may be due to a high concentration of pregnancy hormones that are both making someone sick and supporting a healthy pregnancy.
Further, while “morning sickness can cause dehydration and nutritional deficiencies if severe, most cases do not have long-term negative impacts on the mother’s health,” she adds.
Even so, she stresses not to discount the immediate health impacts of morning sickness, either. In addition to physical symptoms, morning sickness may lead to mental health impacts like stress and anxiety, which “can impact a mother’s mental health during the pregnancy,” Sophocles says. She encourages doctors and family members to provide emotional support to help people manage the emotional challenges of persistent morning sickness.
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Best Morning Sickness Remedies During Pregnancy originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/11/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
