14 Mom-Tested Tips To Combat Morning Sickness

Morning sickness sucks.

And the term “morning sickness” is a bit misleading, because it’s that horrible nausea that can strike at any time of the day, not just in the morning.

If you’re one of the unlucky 60% of women who suffer morning sickness (source) it can really make things downright miserable.

If this is you, we’ve compiled a list of things you can do to make it a bit easier to handle.

Pregnancy can be an amazing time. But morning sickness? Not so much. It can be downright awful to deal with. The term “morning sickness” can be a bit misleading, because some moms experience it all day or in the evenings, not just in the morning.

Unfortunately, there’s almost no way to avoid it, but there are a few things you can do to make it more tolerable or help prevent it.

1. Have a carbonated drink.

It’s the perfect excuse to have a bubbly drink: it might just help with your nausea.

Be sure to have a non-caffeinated drink like Sprite, Ginger Ale, or 7-Up. A personal favorite of mine is sparkling water with a little lemon or lime squeezed in. No calories and tastes great.

And don’t drink too fast, because it’ll fill you up quickly and make you gassy. No good.

2. Stay hydrated.

It might seem like a monumental effort to drink 8 glasses of water a day, especially when you have to pee just as many times per day when you’re pregnant.

But it just so happens that being dehydrated can actually make nausea worse. And since you’re throwing up, you’re loosing a lot of fluids which is in turn making you even more dehydrated.

3. Try lemon water.

Lemons can be a great remedy for morning sickness. Just squeeze a lemon into water, mix, and drink! You might be surprised at how well it works! Like mentioned above, try it with sparkling water to get some of that fizzy satisfaction you might be craving.

4. Go get some fresh air outside.

If you’re stuffed up in the house all day, getting some fresh air can do wonders.

Take a short walk outside, or even just sit on the front porch for a while. Even just opening a window or turning on the air conditioning can help.

5. Be careful with your electronic devices.

You might think that distracting yourself with your phone or the TV helps, but in reality the bright light and undetectable strobe effect might be making you even more nauseous.

The eye strain can also be making it worse. To combat this, try looking away from the screen about every 20 minutes for about 20 seconds. You can also make fonts bigger on the computer, or adjust the brightness of the screen.

Ginger Tea

6. Have some ginger (tea!)

If you feel the queasiness kicking on, suck on a ginger candy or have some ginger tea: it’s a well-known natural nausea remedy that can work wonders.

It’s a common misconception that ginger ale has ginger. Don’t be fooled, because it doesn’t.

A great ginger candy is Tummydrops which you can check out here!

7. Try an anti-nausea pressure band.

While there’s actually no proven scientific reason why these would work, many women absolutely swear by them.

These bands are worn tightly around the wrist, and target a pressure point that relieves nausea.

They don’t work for everyone, but they’re cheap enough that they’re well worth trying as a medication-free morning sickness remedy. We recommend Sea Bands, which is the brand a lot of moms like. You can check them out here!

8. Distract yourself.

Distracting yourself with an activity like a game, sudoku puzzle, a book or TV show can be a relief if you’re feeling nauseous. You can even try going for a short walk.

But if doing this seems to make you feel even more queasy, it’s probably a good sign to stop because it might just be making it worse.

pregnant woman sleeping in bed

9. Make sure you get enough sleep, and nap during the day.

Sometimes nausea occurs simply because you need to get some rest. Shoot for getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night (which incidentally, is a good amount of sleep for you even when you’re not pregnant.)

If you’re feeling queasy during the day, even a short 15 minute power nap can make a world of difference when you feel the sickness creeping in.

10. Eat smaller meals throughout the day.

Instead of eating big meals, try eating smaller meals and snacks frequently throughout the day.

Morning sickness is often the worst when your stomach is empty, so if you always have something in it, it can help. High-protein & high-carb snacks are the best option: almonds, pretzels, bread, crackers, etc.

High-fat & greasy foods can make nausea even worse, so choose your meals carefully.

11. Eat a snack as soon as you wake up.

Going along with #7, having some bedside snacks to munch on as soon as you wake up in the morning can be an excellent idea. Eating a few almonds or crackers (slowly!) in the morning can go a long way toward fighting nausea.

12. Identify which smells aggravate it—and avoid them.

For pregnant moms, some smells can instantly set off their nausea.

If you can identify which smells do it for you, try to avoid them. A good tactic is to try to cook and sleep in a well-ventilated area.

13. Lie down.

If you’re feeling horribly nauseous, sometimes just lying down can make a big difference.

Get in bed, close your eyes and take some deep breaths.

I really love the 4-7-8 breathing method taught by Dr. Andrew Weil. You can read more about it here, and I’d highly recommend it!

14. As a last resort, consider taking medication.

There are a number of prescription— and non-prescription— drugs on the market that can make a big dent in your nausea. However, you should always check with your doctor before taking any of these, because some of them aren’t safe for pregnancy.

If you’re dealing with some nasty morning sickness and nothing else quite seems to help, don’t be ashamed to turn to medication, because there’s no need to suffer.

Do you have any great morning sickness remedies that you’d like to share? Leave a comment below!

6 comments
  1. Thank you for sharing these ideas. My wife is pregnant with our second child and her pregnancies have been very difficult. I hadn’t heard of using ginger to help try to fight the nausea. I will make sure to get some for her to try.

    1. Alex, I’m very sure it will make a difference. They both sure did a world of wonders for my nausea, and for a lot of people I recommended it to.

  2. Thank you for the tips on treating nausea during pregnancy! I’ve been getting nauseous throughout the day, not just the morning, so I’ll have to try some of these remedies out. A pressure band is an interesting idea. Do you have any information on how these work?

  3. Redrasberry leaves. Boil the water separate then add the leaves and steep for twenty mins. This is from “Back To Eden” by Jethro Kloss. Not the great-grandson, but the original Jethro Kloss. Excellent book for any and all types of “green medicine”.

  4. I WAS PRETTY NAUSEOUS AND RANDOMLY VOMITING DURING MY FIRST TRIMESTER. I TRIED REGLAN, VITAMIN B6 AND UNISOM BUT NOTHING HELPED ALLEVIATING MY SICKNESS. HOWEVER, SINCE I STARTED DRINKING “NO TO MORNING SICKNESS TEA” MY SYMPTOMS VANISHED AND I CAN EAT AND DRINK WITHOUT GETTING NAUSEOUS OR PUKING.

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