Morning Sickness Combat Tips from a Mother of 7

Morning sickness is miserable. It’s like having a stomach virus that lasts for months. Some women even have it all nine months! And heads up: if you are suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, this post is not for you, because it is nothing like typical morning sickness. I recommend this blog for support and resources.

It’s frustrating to read pregnancy books that devote a couple of paragraphs to it, or generally limit their advice to eating Saltine crackers, sipping on ginger ale and sucking peppermints. A mother who’s suffering daily from this malady will try pretty much anything for relief. That would be me. After 8 pregnancies, I think I’ve tried every remedy out there. Some of them might even make you chuckle. Read on….

I bought audio tapes that you listen to with headphones; apparently, the specially pitched sound waves were supposed to work some magic on my inner ear and make the nausea go away. Did I feel foolish listening to anti-vomiting melodies? You betcha. Did that stop me? Not hardly. Like the woman who grabs her doc by the collar during transition and growls “give me drugs now!” the constant sickness had moved me past the point of caring about appearances. But I distinctly remember running to the bathroom in the midst of one of those sound therapy sessions. Yes, it was a total flop. A complete waste of money.

I tried accupressure bands on my wrists. Sea Bands, they call them. Another flop (but thank goodness for Ebay). They just didn’t work for me, nor did manually stimulating key points on my own. Sigh……..I really wished the Chinese could have helped me with this one.

I tried peppermint tea and ginger tea. They settled my stomach oh so slightly. Not enough to make much of a difference. And thanks to pregnancy food aversions, I was literally (and physically) sick of anything with ginger or peppermint flavors within a week’s time. To this day, I still shy away from minty things.

I tried those pregnancy lollipops in an assortment of fruity flavors. It was a no go. My children liked them, though!

I tried over-the-counter Dramamine, the motion sickness medication. After a few days I remember wondering if I’d even taken the pills. There was literally no noticeable result. It was that bad.

I tried eating crackers before getting out of bed. It helps for the moment, but you can’t keep eating crackers all day long (sickness isn’t just in the morning).

I tried prescription meds like Phenergen and Zofran. There was a short window of time when the Phenergen would kick in and my nausea would actually subside. I had died and gone to Heaven! Actually, no. I had passed out on the couch because that stuff made me super dopey and sleepy. No way I could take it with small children running around the house. So it had to go. Zofran is quite expensive but it did help a little. So I use it only for the very worst part. And with any prescription medication you have to do the cost/benefit analysis for your particular situation.

I even tried taking B vitamins before becoming pregnant the second time. Had high hopes for this one because I’d researched it. Got the positive test and a week or two later, I was back in the bathroom again, just like my first pregnancy. That was a pretty pitiful morning as I cried on my husband’s shoulder and said “I prayed that this would be the thing that worked, but I can see now there’s no getting out of it!” (Blast that Eve and the curse she set upon us!)

And this is just a partial list of the things I’ve tried….

So how have I learned to manage morning sickness?

I use a four-pronged approach.

#1 Sugar

If you know anything about hypoglycemia, then you know how bad it can feel to have low blood sugar. I’m what you might call “borderline,” so the sick, shaky, lightheaded feeling is quite familiar to me. Pregnancy makes it even worse. Naysayers begone, because I’ve found that good old sugar is a quick and easy way to put those hypoglycemic feelings in check and restore good feelings. High fructose corn syrup works even faster! That’s why you will always find Coca Cola (caffeine-free) in my fridge during early pregnancy. Any soft drink will do. I let it go flat and when those waves of hunger/nausea come over me, I sip on cold Coca Cola. The relief is almost instant. It settles my stomach and I don’t feel so shaky. I continue to sip while finding something REAL to eat. It’s important to follow up the sugar with something substantial. Complex grains and proteins are best. And notice I said sip, not gulp. All it takes is a little; I’m not advocating a lot of sugary drink intake during pregnancy. In fact, I don’t even drink soft drinks outside of early pregnancy. If you can’t find any type of soft drink that is palatable, sweet cold lemonade is a good substitute. Any drink you can find with some real sugar in it (other suggestions: sweet tea, Gatorade or limade).

Many pregnant women do not find themselves craving sweets early in pregnancy. I don’t either. This tip is not about satisfying a craving. It’s simply about getting a small amount of glucose or fructose into your body to quickly even out your blood sugar and help you feel just well enough to find something else to eat.

Personally, when I’m suddenly confronted with a “sick yet starving” moment, it’s easier to take a few sips of a cold lemon-lime soda than it is to put ANY type of food in my mouth. When you are at the point where you can’t even THINK about food…..try a drink first. But never stop at just drinking or the hunger and/or nausea will return with a vengeance and the cycle starts again.

#2 Salt

I was relieved to discover that a pregnant woman’s need for salt may increase, so it’s normal to crave the stuff. What looks like a revolting amount of salt to my husband tastes great to me, and that’s got to be my pregnant body telling me something. Salty grits, salty baked potatoes, salty tortilla chips, salty french fries, salty pickles, etc. All those things made me feel a little better, and they also happen to be some of the most-mentioned foods that women report as helping to combat nausea.

 #3 B6 + Unisom

This is a DIY remedy suggested by many midwives and doctors which mimics a beneficial medication which is no longer on the market (Bendectin). It has helped ease my morning sickness somewhat AND shortened the duration (before taking the combo I would be sick for about 5 months – now it’s more like 3). The remedy works best if you take B6 in a “complex” formulation, with other B vitamins and folic acid included.

The remedy is easy to duplicate at home; Dr. Walt shares the standard regimen on his blog (half of a Unisom/doxylamine tablet plus 25 mg. of B-6), but of course you’d want to double-check all this with your own physician or midwife.

Can it make you drowsy? Potentially, since it has half of a Unisom in it. Because of this, I start off taking it only at night. Then after a few days, I will take the mid-day dose when my toddlers are going to be sleeping. Within 7 days, the sleepiness effect seems to wear off almost completely, at least for me, and I can take 3 times a day if needed.

Even with the Unisom remedy, it’s very important to keep treating one of the underlying cause sof your nausea and that is likely low blood sugar. So you’ve STILL GOT TO EAT.

#4 Lying Down

What a funny thing to include, right? Perhaps not. There may actually be a scientific reason for the fact that many sick mothers find relief on the couch or bed. In her book Managing Morning Sickness (aff), Marilyn Shannon writes that low pressure can cause dizziness, nausea and light-headedness, which all happen to be common morning sickness symptoms. My nausea will often lessen just a bit when I lie down; sometimes I even eat or snack reclining on the couch. There’s definitely something to it.

So….using the tips above, this is kind of how an average day goes when I’m in morning sickness survival mode those first three or four months:

• Wake up, sit up slowly and snack on some Quaker Oatmeal Squares. I like these because they are more nutritious and tastier than a plaid old cracker.
• Take my B6/Unisom
• Walk slowly to the kitchen and get out my can of Coke. Take a few sips while I fix myself something that my stomach will tolerate. Maybe some grits with a lot of salt and butter. Maybe some cold peaches or citrus fruit. Something with protein? Even better.
• Eat my breakfast.
• Prepare breakfast for other children and then lie down while they eat it!
• The minute I feel a twinge of hunger again (which is mind-bogglingly soon) get up slowly and have another drink/snack. If possible, since I’m feeling pretty steady, go ahead and have a REAL lunch with some protein or fats.
• Take my B6/Unisom after lunch. Put little ones down for a nap and lie down myself.
• Throughout the day, repeat the “have a little sugar boost while I find something substantial to eat” routine as needed. For me, this is MANY times a day, as my appetite in the first trimester is voracious. (Cruel isn’t it, because that’s also when nausea is at its peak?)
• Take my B6/Unisom before bedtime.
• Go to bed with a little bit of something in my stomach. If that sick hunger wakes me up in the night, reach over and nibble on some more cereal. If I’m just plain sick of eating, or just too tired to find something, a drink of milk will do. That settles my stomach enough so I can return to sleep.

This is not a perfect plan but it gets the job done for me. Nothing rarely works 100% (and if it does then you probably had very mild morning sickness to begin with). 

Morning sickness is tough to beat, and I mean tough. It’s a powerful force. And it requires constant management, so there’s rarely a “one and you’re done” fix.

One last thing I want to address.

Why, even after finding remedies that work or help, do I still feel sick some days?

Because there’s more going on there than just low blood sugar, low blood pressure and hormones. All of these pregnancy complaints can make you feel ill or nauseous:

• Bloating – the fullness in your digestive track just makes you feel yukky.
• Food aversions aggravate sick feelings.
• Producing excess saliva and that inexplicable metallic taste in your mouth (don’t even start me on these fresh tortures).
• The agonizingly slow digestive tract that helps get nutrients to your baby also leads to stomach discomfort.

Let’s hear it for relief!

That’s my bag of tricks……what’s yours?