Before I became pregnant with my first child, I could count on one hand the number of times I had thrown up. Now, I am quite familiar with the nausea and vomiting that seem to plague my pregnancies.
While I do not think there is one answer for every person out there, I do think there are things that work for some and things that at least ease the morning sickness for others.
This post is a compilation of things I have tried, things I have heard of from others, and also general coping tactics for those weeks when the couch holds you hostage. I’m going to include my own personal notes, but please know this morning sickness thing is super personal and what works for one might not work for another and vice-versa. (Note: any ideas and suggestions you have will be added to the list…well, as long as they aren’t too off the wall 😉 )
My only disclaimer is that I’m not a doctor, I’m just a mom who has lived through this thing called morning sickness 9 times over in the last 16 years.
Expert? No. Field tester? Most definitely!
And frankly, for some of us this thing called morning sickness is a trial that must be endured. I’m not in the camp of people who believe every ailment our human bodies go through is fixable. Sometimes morning sickness is that “thorn in the flesh” Paul speaks of in the Bible, and that is where faith meets fire. From there, it is up to us to be willing to make a sacrifice of love toward this new little person being knit within.
(Another Disclaimer: Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a serious condition in pregnancy. If your vomiting is continual, you are losing a significant amount of weight, and cannot keep anything down for 24 hours or more, please see your doctor.)
Over-the-Counter “Traditional” Remedies:
Seabands
Emetrol
Um…neither of these worked…at all.
Unisom & B6 combo – Unisom at night, B6 in the morning, many people swear by this. It did help me some.
Prescription Medicines (always use with well-informed caution):
Zofran – (NOTE: Zofran has recently been shown to have serious fetal side-effects. ) I have a friend who considered this her “miracle drug.” While it allowed me to actually sit up, it by no means stopped the vomiting. You can read about my experience with it last pregnancy HERE. By the way, it does cause constipation.
Reglan – Causes severe drowsiness and did not work for me.
Prochlorperazine – Some say it is safe, others say no. I took one pill of Compazine and had a panic attack. And no, the vomiting did not stop.
Decletin – Common in Canada, but a lot of controversy surrounding its safety.
B Shot – I thought it worked for a bit. Then, it didn’t.
Natural Remedies:
Essential oils – I really, really like Plant Therapy essential oils! I also highly recommend you get a diffuser necklace or bracelet. My favorite company (because they are high quality and beautiful) is Diffusing Mama’s.
Ginger – I drank ginger tea with a couple of my babies. It helps while you drink it. Afterward, not so much…but it does give you something to throw up. Sorry, just being honest. My favorite was from Earth Mama. You can also buy Ginger Gum.
1 TBSP of hydrated Bentonite clay in the morning (with a cup of water or juice) – the idea of this grosses me out, but I had a reader say it worked.
Baby Bliss – I really wanted this to work. It didn’t.
Higher Protein Diet
Lemon Ice – Fill a blender jar/pitcher with ice, peel and seed a lemon, add a little water or sprite and then blend to snow cone consistency. Eat small spoonfuls. (from Betty at Peace Creek on the Prairie)
Magnesium – You can read how this was working for me at 9 weeks and how I was using it – magnesium oil, Epsom Salts, supplements. This did help, but it did not take the vomiting away completely and it was very easy to get “behind” on keeping my magnesium stores full.
Juice Fast – again, this is something I just don’t think I could stomach, but I do know someone who benefitted from this greatly.
Acupuncture/Massage – While I have never used acupuncture, I can attest to how much better I felt when my oldest daughter would give me a back and neck massage. She would often do this at night to put me to sleep – which frankly, was often the best morning sickness reprieve.
Giving into your Cravings – for me, what I craved was often the only thing I would keep down.
Ocean Minerals – I don’t really know anything about this, but a reader suggested them as a big help to her.
Preggie Pops (or other hard candy) – I am NOT a hard candy fan, but it does help me during pregnancy…especially when I have to be in a car. One reader mentioned mint flavors helping, and I agree.
Avoid sugar & caffeine – honestly, neither one of these appeal to me when I’m feeling sick.
Beans – um…I hate beans…pregnant or not, but one commenter says they cured her morning sickness when she ate them every couple of hours.
Kombucha Tea – This is a fermented tea that we drink fairly regularly, but when I’m sick, I don’t do a good job taking care of my scoby. Might have to rethink this next time.
Alkalizing your body – This I had not heard of, but you can find more information in this post from Sacred Mommyhood.
Lemon/Lime – I did eat quite a few lime juice freezer pops.
Homeopathic Remedies:
Pegasus Homeopathics v.m.t 30C
Sepia
Other:
Soda (some say particularly Coca-Cola) – This helped me for about a week and then it just made me sicker. It’s like my body gets used to a remedy and decides it doesn’t work anymore! One reader mentioned Virgil’s Root Beer as a huge help to her.
Blog articles, websites, and books on morning sickness and handling every day life:
The Protein/Morning Sickness Connection from Raising Arrows
Morning Sickness and My To-Do List from Raising Arrows
Homeschooling and the Morning Sickness Factor from Raising Arrows
Suffering in Pregnancy (an anonymous guest post on Raising Arrows)
Morning Sickness Survival Tips & Tricks – 3 part series from Raising Clovers
My Morning Sickness Story from Artful Homemaking
Coping with Morning Sickness from Sacred Mommyhood
MyMorningSickness.com – If I remember right, years ago, the information on this site was free; however, it looks to me like it is now in ebook form, but there is still a lot of free content on the site.
Trust & Obey (used to be Whining Puker) – her left hand sidebar has all the information from her posts on hyperemesis gravidarum (my spell checker doesn’t even want to accept those as words, but trust me, they are)
Preparing for Future Pregnancies as a HG Mama – Great post about what you can do before and during pregnancy to help with hyperemesis.
Morning Sickness Survival from A Mama’s Story
How to Spiritually Survive Morning Sickness from The Modest Mom Blog
How to Physically Survive Morning Sickness from The Modest Mom Blog
Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize – I have not read this.
Pink Stork – Site with products dedicated to relieving morning sickness.
Myth That Large Family Moms Have Easy Pregnancies – Planet Mommyhood Vlog
Morning Sickness Remedies ebook from MotherRisingBirth.com
I also have a chapter on morning sickness in my ebook Large Family Homeschooling because let’s face it, if you have a lot of kiddos and you homeschool, chances are, you’ve homeschooled with morning sickness. 😉
Feel free to talk amongst yourselves about any of these “remedies” and anything else you may have found that helps. Or, if nothing else, feel free to commiserate with one another. 😉 Some day, you won’t feel so awful anymore, but I know in the midst of it all, it feels as if that day will never come. ((HUGS))
Bev says
I didn’t see this on your list but the only thing that helped my weeks of bad morning sickness all day long was Seabands. I had read that Michelle Duggar uses them for morning sickness and I got a pair and they worked wonders for me! I put them on before even rising out of bed in the morning for almost 20 minutes until they kicked in and then I was fine. Whenever I would remove them, it wasn’t long before a wave of nausea would hit me hard. I still have them and plan on using them with each future pregnancy or if I ever go out on a boat, since they are also for sea sickness!
Another thing that helped me, which also helps when I’m carsick is sour patch kids!
Alexandra says
Perfect timing. I am currently 8 weeks pregnant and feeling terrible, thankfully no vomiting. I am going to the doctor next week and am thinking of asking for zofran. I never took it with my other three pregnancies, but now I feel like I don’t have time to feel bad. I do agree that eating what you crave seems to help, only problem is I’m eating terrible. Hoping I can redeem the nutrition once I feel better. Thank you for this!
Lacey S says
I’m 10 weeks and feeling so frustrated with my morning sickness! First of all, it needs a new name…… like “All day sickness”! If someone actually has it in just the morning, they are a mythical being I have yet to meet. 🙂
I do try and just suffer cheerfully through it, knowing it is a a small price to pay to be receiving such a blessing. And I also consider myself lucky to not actually be vomiting as some of your poor ladies suffer through. I do wish that my cravings would be for salad, chicken and vegetables though, yet here I find myself dreaming of a McDonald’s cheeseburger! I had forgotten about some of the remedies you mentioned. I think I will give them a try. I remember finding slight relief from the sea bands in my last pregnancy.
Amy says
I have a friend whose first sign she’s pregnant is a craving for a Big Mac! 😉
Jen says
I just wrote a post about my “wonder cocktail”. Unisom (originally used for nausea, not sleep aid) and B6. Took until baby #4 for the one of the nurses at my OB’s office to mention this…
Amy says
TOTALLY forgot about this! Thanks!
Melinda says
Peppermint essential oil made a significant difference for me with my second pregnancy. I used Young Living’s oil.
Thanks for sharing this list! It gives me some ideas to try the next time I’m pregnant. 🙂
Amy says
My understanding is pregnant women are not supposed to use peppermint oil. I would use it for aromatherapy purposes, but not for skin contact. This post suggest using a carrier oil, but also using it sparingly: http://modernalternativepregnancy.com/2013/02/16/what-essential-oils-should-i-avoid-in-pregnancy-and-weekend-links/#.U-uoslbIPnY
Kallie says
Just saw someone else posted about this. It’s not recommended to use peppermint in your third trimester because it can make the baby turn! So if you have a breach baby, apply a drop of peppermint and baby will turn. Do not apply on chest…will dry up milk supply.
Rebecca says
I have had 4 children and only had morning sickness with the last one. It was horrible, I couldn’t even go to the kitchen, the thought of food made me throw up. I believe what caused me to have morning sickness was not eating enough or eating on time. I started waking up in the morning and drinking a cup of camomile tea before breakfast. (Camomile helped me a lot) Then I would eat breakfast and have a apple an hour or two later, a granola bar an hour or two later, lunch an hour or two later etc… I kept things bland and drank ALOT of camomile/peppermint tea especially before eating. Then I found out about a book called ‘Supernatural childbirth’ it gives prayer points from scripture not just for a supernatural birth but also to deal with other things that come with pregnancy like morning sickness. Saying the prayers really helped, especially in times when I was feeling really terrible. I felt the peace of God and I wouldn’t throw up. Eventually only a few weeks later no more morning sickness and I kept reading the book as I went through other things all the way through to the supernatural childbirth. 🙂 I hope this helps someone. 🙂
Melinda Johnson says
GInger gum! Found in the anti nauseua travel section. I am also taking dicletin (doxylamine succ/pyridoxi) (available in Canada, not sure in the US), and it helps, but makes me very sleepy. I’m now at 12 weeks, this is my 4th pregnancy and the worst sickness I’ve had. No throwing up, but it’s been very hard because I’m on a gluten free diet. Hard candy has worked as well. Bubbly pop sometimes. B-6 was recommended as well. Thankfully I’ve been craving protein and veggies/fruit, so I haven’t gained weight just yet (I’m overweight to begin with). I’ve been following your pregnancy and reminding myself frequently that if you can rely on your kids to do the extra work, and not feel guilty, so can I. I have a 12, 9, and 6 year olds. Very capable, too. That’s my two cents, and I love following your pregnancy and blog!! Thanks!!
Diana says
Thank you for linking to me! I am honored! 🙂
Another resource for your readers is Pink Stork Solutions, a small company started recently that is solely devoted to supplements for use with morning sickness (both for treatment and for pre-conception prevention):
http://pinkstorksolutions.com/
Thanks!
Diana
Randee says
I have mixed feelings about the safety of Zofran. I know many who have used it and have healthy children. I’ve also read articles saying it possibly can cause birth defects. I have a son with multiple birth defects and Zofran is the ONLY medication I took and it was only once while in the ER when they gave it in my IV in the first trimester. There might be no correlation. Medication is just scary while pregnant.
Amy says
Yes, I agree. I decided to add a disclaimer with the prescription section. I have tried to take as little medications as possible with my pregnancies. I will say, my child who had a birth defect was not one I took Zofran with. I have to trust that it had nothing to do with what I did or didn’t do – I could drive myself crazy otherwise. ((HUGS))
Randee says
Thank you! I think it is my nature to ask what I did because I’m so afraid I’ll repeat it. Especially since I’m currently expecting again. I need to keep worries in check because stress isn’t good for baby either!
Jill says
Hi there, I read this post with interest but would appreciate some clarification. Are you talking about morning sickness or about hyperemesis gravidarum? Usually, if you are prescribed medications, you have HG which is decidedly NOT morning sickness. HG is a disease of pregnancy suffered by 1 – 2% of pregnant women and is characterized by severe, unrelenting nausea and vomiting, weight loss of 10% or more, dehydration, and malnutrition. I think you need to be very clear because 1. they are treated differently and 2. HG can be very debilitating and dangerous for mother and baby. Not differentiating between the two can cause misunderstanding about the need for HG treatment and further, research into the cause and cure.
Amy says
I’ve suffered from both. Prescription meds are prescribed for morning sickness involving vomiting whether it is HG or not – at least that has been my experience. I agree, HG is a very different issue. I will add a disclaimer for that as well.
Tanya says
I have heard that if you eat lots of protein it’s supposed to ward off morning sickness. I never really get morning sickness with my pregnancy’s, just 1 week of feeling a little queasy. I always do eat lots of protein (with every meal and snack), so maybe it is true 🙂
Joy says
Thanks so much for sharing, Amy! This is a subject near and dear to me, since I’ve had terrible “morning sickness” with all five of my pregnancies. With the first two it was hyperemesis. I had to take drugs with all five pregnancies, even though I rarely even take pain medication for headaches, and I was so worried about taking drugs while pregnant. But it was either take the drugs or die, seriously.
I shared my whole story here (just in case it may encourage another mother going through it): http://www.artfulhomemaking.com/2011/07/my-morning-sickness-story.html
It’s so hard to go through, but oh, so worth it when you’re finally holding that precious little one in your arms! Hugs to all you mamas going through the misery of “morning” sickness–your baby is worth it all!
Candace says
I hope you don’t mind my leaving a link here. I too have suffered from HG and morning sickness….10 babies worth. I wrote this during morning sickness with my last baby. There are some additional suggestions that aren’t on your list.
http://www.sacredmommyhood.com/2012/04/coping-with-morning-sickness.html
I also read an article linking morning sickness the H. Pylori bacteria. Not sure how true that is, but the remedies for it were colloidal silver and fermented foods. With my most recent pregnancy, I drank Kombucha. I thought it was really helping until I discovered our baby had no heartbeat. 🙁 So that was the real reason I was feeling “too” good. But for readers who want to research that avenue a bit more, it’s another option. I am pregnant again (Praise God!) and am praying for morning sickness this time. lol If all is well, I will try the Kombucha again (in small amounts). I’ve already started eating beans and keeping my body as alkaline as possible. Thanks for the additional tips! I do find it humorous that in all our medical advances, we can’t quite figure out morning sickness. We are truly intricately and mysteriously made, aren’t we?
Amy says
((HUGS)) and Congratulations to you!
Kallie says
I use essential oils instead of meds. I put one drop of peppermint essential oil in Palm of one hand, rub hands together, cup hands over mouth and nose, and inhale. Instant relief! I use young living brand…just make sure oil you use says can be applied topically.
Tabatha Martinez says
I’ve had severe morning sickness with all of mine (I’m pregnant with number 4). It usually eases off in the second trimester then picks up again in the third. Zofran has worked best for me, but not the chewables. It keeps me from throwing up, but I still feel nauseous. I briefly tried reglan but it made me completely useless due to not being able to keep my eyes open or think clearly. I incur some drowsiness with zofran as well but much less. Ginger essential oil works well, but it short lived. Staying in bed awake for a little while before actually physically getting up, eases things. Nothing completely eliminates for me though. I’ll have to try some of the untried… 🙂
Gingermamma says
Beans actually work really well for morning sicknes! This is my 3rd pregnancy and so thankful i discovered an article by natural health coach Karen Hurd detailing how eating beans help morning sickness. I ate them about every 2 houts while awake, about 1/4 cup and pinto, black or kidney beans seem to work the best! I couldnt believe something so simple could work. I could really function well and take care of my other two little ones. Nothing else has worked for me, just like your experience.
Angela says
I took red raspberry leaf capsules before my last pregnancy (our fourth little blessing in the past four years was born three days ago ) to help regulate my cycles and continued taking them throughout for the many ‘birth benefits’ I had heard about. Every pregnancy is different so I can not say for sure this is what helped, but each pregnancy heralded worse and longer lasting sickness than the last till this last one where I was much less ill for a shorter time. The red raspberry was the only thing I had done differently, and as I have now found all the ‘birth benefits’ of the herb to be true at least for me, I have no reason to doubt and plenty to share.
Amy says
I took red raspberry faithfully at the end of my pregnancy last time, and definitely saw much more productive contractions!
Natalie says
In addition to ginger and lemon/sour flavored things, minty flavors helped keep the edge off for me sometimes. Having enough protein for breakfast, and snacking every 2-3 hrs helped as well. I drank Carnation Instant Breakfast when I first woke up in the morning as a pre-breakfast. BUT my morning sickness was very mild, however these things still helped.
Kristen says
I’m just glad to see that there are other people who have as severe morning sickness as I get. With all 3 pregnancies, I had it the entire 1st trimester (starting about the time I got a “positive”, around 4 weeks), most of the 2nd trimester, and the end of the 3rd trimester. The ONLY thing that works for me is Zofran…the one that dissolves in your mouth, otherwise I throw it up too. Even then, I will still throw up a good bit, but it at least takes away the neverending nausea that makes you want to crawl in a hole for the next 3 months. Yes, it does cause constipation, but I’ll fight that with fiber and magnesium and take a little normalcy.
Amy says
With my daughter I had “morning” sickness, if you can call 24 hours a day morning, from 6 weeks pregnant to 6 weeks POSTpartum!
I tried MANY of the remedies that you suggested and, like you, found that they all worked for a few days and then my body decided to go back to being sick.
I lost 70 pounds WHILE pregnant with our daughter. I pray for all women who are growing little ones. Keep trying to find what works for you and be very honest with your health care provider, they cannot help you unless they know what is happening.
Noel says
Gin-Gins are ginger hard candy that really helped me in the past:
http://www.vitacost.com/ginger-people-gin-gins-ginger-spice-drops?csrc=GPF-PA-Foods%20%26%20Beverages-734027905085&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=734027905085&gclid=CjwKEAjwpcGfBRDni__JqrTIqx4SJAB9BpSO_ApUE5XPziOpCwD0j8pSBFDJ8FXjAnPY3qaW-7rTnRoCg63w_wcB
Rachael says
Thank you for this post! I am definitely going to pin it. I was wondering if you were equally sick with all your pregnancies or did you have one pregnancy where you were not vomiting? We are expecting our third child (6 weeks right now) and the nausea has been mild and I’m wondering if I could get off easier this time….hoping.. I was so sick and vomiting constantly with my first two children during the first trimester. I tried a few of the remedies you mentioned like emetrol, seabands,and ginger candy and nothing seemed to help. The only brief reprieves at some points came from popsicles and eating the food I was craving (usually high carbs like french fries, lol) We had a very early miscarriage between our two kids and it was the only pregnancy that I did not get sick. So I know a little nausea is a good thing but I sure hope it wont be as bad this time! I’m definitely going to try some of these other remedies if I need it!
Amy says
Unlike many people, my morning sickness has gotten better and better with each pregnancy! This time, I only threw up 10x, which is AMAZING for me. I still feel really yucky, but it has gotten much better. My #2 was my HG pregnancy. #3 was close, but I managed to get through. I also suffered for 20 weeks back then, but now I am feeling better by 13-14 weeks. It has been a bit scary because, like you, my only pregnancies without morning sickness have been miscarriages.
Diana says
Just a note that Diclectin (Canadian) is the same thing as the Unisom/Vitamin B combo. It was just re-approved in the U.S. for prescription use again under the name Diclegis (before it was discontinued, it was called Bendectin here in the states). The only difference between Diclectin/Diclegis and making your own with Unisom/Vitamin B is that the prescription version is time-released. Otherwise, it’s the same thing.
Thank you for this awesome list you’ve put together!
Amy says
Interesting!
Candace says
Aww…thank you for linking my article! Very cool! 🙂
Bonnnie says
Thank you for this! I am right in the middle of “morning” sickness with my 4th pregnancy right now at 8 weeks. It is debilitating at times. My 2nd pregnancy I don’t think I got out of bed for like 2 months and couldn’t eat anything.
I am encouraged to read that other women have this (sorry that anyone has to go through it though) because I thought it was just me who gets so sick I cant get off the couch!
I have found that having crackers and a banana next to my bed has really helped. I wake up in the middle of the night “starving” which leads to nausea and I just eat a couple crackers and can fall back to sleep. Then in the morning before I get out of bed, I eat crackers and maybe half of the banana and lay there for a little while more. Then go eat a good filling breakfast 🙂 This has been working nicely to at least get me out of bed in the morning. And I give in to cravings as much as possible, I think your body is letting you know what you can actually enjoy eating and keep down!
I have 3 children, 7, 5, and 3 and it is hard taking care of others when you feel so terrible. My oldest has been very helpful. I homeschool them and that has been almost non existent lately 🙁 My 7 year old can work independently a little bit, but Im not really pushing much right now. Thankfully my pattern with all 3 of my past pregnancies has been to be over the sickness part near the end of my 3rd month so im almost there..hopefully!
Diana says
Hi, Amy! I was coming back to review your morning sickness guide, and noticed a link that I hadn’t seen before to this e-book:
Morning Sickness Remedies ebook from MotherRisingBirth.com
I wondered if you’d read it – if so, Is it any good? I was intrigued, but I’ve seen a lot of bogus morning sickness e-guides go around, so I thought I’d ask if you’d read it.
Have a great morning!
Amy says
Oh, Diana, my brain is so fried right now, I can’t even remember if I’ve read it!
Chandra says
Amazon just used a refund on bentonite clay after the fda issued a warning that lead levels were too high.
Doug Peterson says
Has anyone tried the P_MAV? It’s a method to avoid vomiting. There’s a guide on Amazon that goes through the process step by step. No drugs or food restrictions.
Lisa Gray says
Hello, I know I’m a little late to this thread. I am in the throes of morning sickness. I have been taking magnesium. But, was curious about the bentonite clay. I looked it up and seen on another site to use only a half a teaspoon whereas you have listed one tablespoon. Did you actually use bentonite clay?
Amy says
Hi Lisa! No, I did not try that one. I use bentonite, but not internally.