Morning Sickness Remedies

According to morning sickness statistics, the dreaded "morning sickness" affects about 75 percent of pregnant women.  I definitely fell into that statistic, TWICE!

I went through morning sickness with both of my daughters, and I even dealt with hyperemesis gravidarum, which is really intense morning sickness. With my first daughter, my doctor prescribed zofran, but when that didn’t help, I decided to stick to a super strict routine because I really wanted to avoid medication and go for a more natural approach.

Here’s what worked for me during both pregnancies to tackle that morning sickness:

First off, when I woke up each morning, I would stay in bed and have my husband bring me a piece of toast with butter. After munching on that, I’d lie in bed for about half an hour. Once I finally got up and started moving around, I still found myself needing to visit the bathroom, but after a few heaves, I’d manage to keep things down and push through! I also discovered that sipping on some Sprite helped—just a little bit—and the carbonation seemed to settle my stomach.

Sadly, my morning sickness lasted the entire pregnancy, and it felt more like all-day sickness, haha! I gravitated towards super bland foods because just about every other smell could set me off. Honestly, the smell of hamburger meat was the worst! Even now, I can’t stand the smell because it brings back memories of how awful I felt during those pregnancies. It’s funny how certain things can stick with you like that!

I also consumed some candies called Preggie Pop Drops, which are hard, sour candies.  I popped those things left and right, but they were natural and my doctor deemed them completely safe!

I tried ginger snaps, but those didn't really do much for me in terms of morning sickness remedies, HA!  But I do love a good cookie!

Now, it’s hard to believe it’s been over 16 years since I was last pregnant, and while I might not remember every little detail from that time, my experience as a newborn photographer and my connections with amazing doulas, pro-natural birth centers, and fantastic doctors (shoutout to my current one—I really love her,) I have gathered some great insights. So, I’d like to share a few tips that might help with morning sickness.

• Try eating small, frequent meals, and the more bland you can tolerate, the better. 
• Stay Hydrated! Dehydration can make nausea worse, so it’s important to drink plenty of fluids. Sip water, herbal teas, or electrolyte-rich drinks throughout the day. Some women find that drinking fluids between meals rather than with meals helps prevent nausea.
• While ginger snaps did not work for me, anything ginger or peppermint has really good ratings at curbing nausea.  Here is a link for an Essential Oil peppermint roll on that multiple of my clients swear by!
• Consider acupressure.  You know the bracelet you can buy for sea-sickness?  Well, here is a link for some super stylish bracelets that may help your morning sickness. 

Obviously the best thing to do when you are fighting morning sickness is to contact an expert, like your doula or midwife or OBGYN, but I will leave you with this.... Maybe it was because I was very anxious to find a morning sickness remedy or maybe my doctor was just getting tired of everything we tried not working.  My biggest concern was always, "Is my baby ok?" and he would tell me, "Yes, Kristi, your baby is fine.  In fact, morning sickness is a very good indicator that your baby is growing and developing properly."

And that was all I needed to know.

I am not a medical professional in any way, but I can promise you this.  I know it can be hard to endure the nausea associated with being pregnant, but regardless of how hard it is, when you hold that precious baby in your arms for the first time, it will all be worth it!

What did YOU do to combat morning sickness?  Leave a comment and share your remedies with others!