I’m going to bet that if you have any version of “first trimester morning sickness”, you try any and everything to make yourself feel better. There are tons of secrets to morning sickness relief out there and my philosophy was — it’s doesn’t hurt to try it!
I did some research of my own and I had family and friends suggest some products that I probably never would have tried. While I wouldn’t say any of these secrets to morning sickness relief totally chopped my morning sickness to the ground, they did help, even if it was placebo.
If you’re experiencing morning (or all day) sickness, I am here for you! It’s a tough time, but it is temporary and you will get through it. While you’re wading through the water, these secrets to morning sickness relief are worth a try.
I tried out this acupressure bracelet for nausea relief
I heard about Sea-Bands before pregnancy because I also have motion sickness when I’m on road trips and not driving. I was already curious about trying them out and I have a couple of friends who love them. If you haven’t heard of them, Sea-Bands are a really simple bracelet that puts pressure on an area of your wrist that is suppose to reduce nausea — aka super simple “acupressure”.
I first wore them when my first trimester sickness was just settling in and we were on a road trip traveling from Missouri back to Michigan. It really did take the edge off. I also wore them while working from home and many times to the office because why not? They are fairly discrete and I usually barely notice them throughout the day, especially if I’m wearing long sleeves that cover them up.
These particular Sea-Bands are the OGs and are only $12 on Amazon normally, but on sale for $7 right now. And they come with a simple plastic carrying case and a few neutral colors to choose from — totally worth a try!
Eat small and frequent meals
Of all the secrets to morning sickness relief this is the advice that helped the most for me, but was the hardest to do. If you are able to eat and keep things down, make it your goal to eat something small every hour or two so that you never end up hungry. Hunger only amps up the nausea.
I felt so miserable that the thought of food and eating made me feel like I was going to throw up so I ended up barely eating. When I did talk myself into it and find something I could stomach, nothing really tasted good, at least not for more than a few bites. If that sounds like you, try making it as easy as possible to eat whenever something sounds good. The moments are short and you need to act quickly. I ended up keeping a salty bland carb (Wheat Thins) and a sweet bland carb (dry cereal, usually Cracklin’ Oat Bran) in a baggie in my diaper/work bag at all times. If I suddenly felt like I could eat something I would grab a few of the salty or sweet, whatever sounded better. It’s not a meal but it’s something was something in my stomach and did help.
Hard candies to get you through the tweener times between meals
I was told over and over to suck on lemon and ginger hard candies in between meals. My mom actually suggested to go find Lemon Drops, which is what she use to suggest to her patients when she was a nurse. So I got a movie-theater box of Lemon Drops from Target and carried them around with me. I also tried ginger hard candies.
I’m positive there are natural hard candy options and options with waaaay less sugar that I could have tried, but this just felt right — and they had them at the store I was at 😉 Both were great for temporary relief — or at least a distraction! But ultimately I didn’t keep up with it daily.
Some teas that I drank to help hydrate and reduce nausea
I had so such a hard time drinking fluids and water seemed to be the worst. My midwife told me to drink whatever I could, sugar-filled, cold, hot, whatever! I did drink pop and tried some lemonade, but these teas were great hot and cold to mix it up.
My friend who had morning sickness Amazon Primed me this amazing peach ginger morning sickness tea by Pink Stork, which by the way is a Michigan-based, mother-owned company. I would put two tea bags in a large mason jar, fill it with water, let it sit overnight, and then fill up my water bottle in the morning and sip on it throughout the day. It’s a great flavor and I loved having it as an option throughout the day instead of water. When you get this tea, open it up and take a sniff. It. smells. amazing!
I’m also a huge fan of the ginger tumeric tea from Trader Joe’s. I haven’t tried this one cold, but it’s a great pre-bed hot sipper whether you’re pregnant or not.
Sleep as much as you can!
The easiest way to avoid feeling sick? Sleep it off! My normal cleaning, food prep, blog-writing evening routine went out the window during first trimester sickness. After I tucked Hayes into bed around 6:30/7:00pm I got ready for bed.
There is no shame in prioritizing your health over the cleanliness of your house — no shame! I was usually in bed and asleep by 8:00pm and would sleep until 7:30am. The evenings turned out to be the hardest time for me so sleep was the best medicine — it allowed me to avoid more puking and rest my body and mind.
Try out this vitamin + sleep medicine combination
I am always one to try the natural solution before I try any “real medicine”. I figure, it’s worth a shot. After I didn’t find more than temporary relief from the drug-free secrets to morning sickness relief, I went in search of something else.
I need to say that I am not a doctor and while this was suggested to me by healthcare professionals, they were not your healthcare professionals. Please check with your healthcare professional before trying it.
One of the first things I was told to try when I called into the Women’s Center for some support was to take Unisom (a sleep aid) and B6 vitamin before bed each night. Apparently that combination replicates another pregnancy-safe drug that is often prescribed to mamas with morning (or all-day) sickness. I did this religiously for weeks. I’m not entirely sure if it helped, but I missed it one night and the next day was awful, so I’m going to say it worked at least a little bit.
Ask your doctor or midwife what else they would recommend
By the time I met with my midwife, I was in a rough spot. I was dehydrated, I had dropped over ten pounds in a few short weeks, and I was tired. Handing my nurse my cup of pee at that first appointment was embarrassing because of how dark it was and I knew I needed help.
Luckily, my midwife was extremely kind and just sat down to talk with me. I left feeling less crazy than when I arrived, I’m so thankful for her. We talked through everything that had been happening and I was surprised to hear her have zero worries about the baby and all the worries about me. I was so nervous that not taking prenatals, barely eating and drinking, etc. was hurting the baby even though I was doing everything I could to keep up with it. She assured me that the baby’s needs were so little at that time and that the number one priority was to take care of myself. I was blessed to hear the baby’s heartbeat at that appointment, which was also extremely comforting.
In my case, she did prescribe some stronger medicine to take each night and they sent me to get IV fluids with nausea meds a couple times a week. Over the following 5 weeks as the fluids and meds started to help and I emerged from the first trimester, I started to feel better. It was a slow turn around the corner, but it did happen. I know many women who are sick the whole time, and wow, my heart goes out to you.
A little something for your mental sanity
I bet if I were to ask ten women about their pregnancy experience, I’d get ten different answers. Every woman is different, and as this pregnancy confirmed for me, every pregnancy is different. I hope that one or more of these secrets to morning sickness relief helps you feel even the slightest bit better. But there’s a chance that it won’t, that you will be sick for weeks, barely eating dinner, going to bed to avoid puking, and feeling like it might never end.
It took me a while to realize that I could feel like absolute crap and be grateful and excited to be pregnant at the same time. You can too. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s ok that you’re feeling terrible. It’s ok to admit you need help. It’s ok to sleep for 12 hours a night and not clean your house for weeks. It’s ok to be upset that you feel like crap. It’s ok to put nearly all responsibility on your partner. It’s ok to cry.
I also want to tell you that you’re strong and you can do hard things. This is temporary and without a doubt worth it. But I think that comes secondary to giving yourself permission to feel like crap. I’m here for you mama. Message me if you need a friend that knows exactly what you’re going through.