Pregnancy can be an exciting time, though morning sickness is all too common around the six-week mark. Research estimates around 70 to 80% of people experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, with varying symptoms that can occur regardless of the time of day. While uncomfortable, you can manage your symptoms with the correct remedies, such as taking medication, getting enough rest, avoiding triggers, and staying hydrated.
If you’re tired of feeling nauseated, read on to learn 10 tips for how to help with morning sickness during pregnancy.
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10 Tips to Help Reduce Nausea During Pregnancy
What helps with morning sickness? Use these pregnancy nausea tips to help you feel better.
1. Get Lots of Rest
Throughout your pregnancy, getting as much rest as possible is essential, especially if you must get up early in the morning. Listening to your body and slowing down when you feel tired can prevent stress and fatigue, which can make your morning sickness worse.
While it’s not always possible to give yourself a break or take a sick day, try to do so whenever you can. Some employers require a doctor’s note for a sick day, so be sure to call your health care provider before taking a day off so they can provide the proper documentation.
It might also help to schedule time off around the sixth week of pregnancy, when morning sickness typically peaks. Doing so can give you enough time to recover physically and mentally. Your body is working powerfully to grow your baby — you deserve the rest.
2. Track When Your Symptoms Occur
Paying attention to the times your morning sickness occurs can help you discover the things that might be triggering it. Then, you can avoid those triggers to prevent nausea.
For example, if you find yourself feeling ill at the same time every night, it might be the smell of your neighbor’s cooking. Are you queasy in the middle of the day? It could be a co-worker’s afternoon popcorn snack. Once you’ve identified your morning sickness triggers, you can take steps to counteract them when possible.
3. Sniff Something Fresh
For a more comfortable pregnancy, avoid smells that trigger your morning sickness while finding the scents that ease nausea. Specifically, scents like peppermint, lavender and cardamom oil might help curb morning sickness.
While there is no research-backed evidence of an acute sense of smell during pregnancy, many anecdotal reports confirm it. Try sniffing fresh scents when you cannot avoid triggers or open a window. Carry a sprig of lavender or a bottle of peppermint oil with you wherever you go, and take a whiff as needed to alleviate nausea.
4. Ask for Support
Never be afraid to reach out for help alleviating your morning sickness. For instance, your partner might not realize that their scented soap makes you queasy. Or perhaps your co-worker doesn’t realize how their favorite afternoon snack might trigger your gag reflex. Speak up and let the people around you know about any minor changes that might make you feel better.
You might prefer cuddling up on the couch with your partner at night or doing an activity with a friend to distract yourself from nausea. Whatever it is, social support can play a crucial role in your pregnancy, even helping with the depression and anxiety that can sometimes occur.
5. Stay Hydrated
One of the best pregnancy nausea tips is to stay hydrated. While getting enough liquids can feel like a monumental effort when you feel sick to your stomach, they are essential because the more dehydrated you are, the more nauseated you’ll become. You can try different methods to help your body accept fluids, such as popsicles, cold liquids or hot beverages.
When you’re too ill to keep water down, morning sickness intravenous therapy can help. A registered nurse will inject a needle into your arm and introduce a formula into your bloodstream to help you stay hydrated and combat pregnancy nausea. Ingredients can include vitamin B complex, anti-nausea medication and electrolytes to help your body absorb the liquid faster and provide longer-lasting relief.
6. Eat Frequent Small Meals
Many people find that eating small meals throughout the day can help with morning sickness. When your stomach is empty, the acids can trouble your stomach lining, compounding nausea. However, when you’re too full, it can tax your digestive system, also leading to sickness. To strike a balance, drink water before or after meals.
Avoid spicy and greasy foods, and try bland foods without strong odors. You might store dry cereal or saltines by your bedside so you can put something in your stomach as soon as you wake up. Pretzels, nuts and dried fruit are also helpful options when feeling sick.
7. Try Ginger
Ginger has a long-established reputation as a stomach reliever, and many people swear by it for helping with morning sickness. A 2019 study found that a daily dosage of 1,500 milligrams of ginger can provide nausea relief. To try it out, add a slice of ginger to hot water or drink flat ginger ale containing natural ginger.
If these options don’t sound appetizing, you might sip ginger tea, suck on a ginger lozenge or snack on crystallized ginger candy. Find whatever works for you, and try to keep ginger on hand when nausea starts.
8. Distract Yourself
Pregnancy nausea isn’t easy to ignore, but finding something to take your mind off it can help. For instance, you might do a puzzle, listen to music, read a book or go for a short walk. Some people also claim light exercise relieves morning sickness, so feel free to try it out if it feels good. Of course, listen to your body — if you start to feel queasy, you should stop and try another method.
9. Consider Medication
You might need medication if you’re experiencing severe morning sickness and having trouble keeping food or liquid down. Many health care providers prescribe a combination of vitamin B6 and the sleep aid Unisom to help alleviate morning sickness symptoms. If that doesn’t work, you might need more potent medication like an antiemetic or an acid reflux blocker. Of course, always consult a health professional before trying any of these medications.
10. Try Vitamin B Complex
Many pregnant people have found benefits of B vitamins when experiencing nausea during pregnancy. In particular, vitamin B6 can be effective in alleviating morning sickness while promoting healthy brain development. Again, talk with your health provider about any supplements or treatments for morning sickness before taking them.
Get Morning Sickness Relief With Mobile IV Medics
Pregnancy can be a time of anticipation and happiness, though uncomfortable side effects like morning sickness can make it challenging. Mobile IV Medics can help provide a solution to keep you and your baby feeling comfortable and healthy.
Contact us today to learn about how our IV packages can help during your pregnancy. When you’re ready, book an appointment, and an RN can be on their way to your home within the hour.
