Morning Sickness

You can feel at ease to know that morning sickness usually decreases or stops by the 14th week of pregnancy!

Morning sickness
Morning sickness is very common. Most pregnant women have at least some morning sickness, and about a third have vomiting. Morning sickness usually begins during the first month of pregnancy and continues until the 14th to 16th week.

Some women have morning sickness and vomiting through their entire pregnancy. Morning sickness does not hurt the baby in any way. The degree of morning sickness during one pregnancy does not predict how you will feel in future pregnancies.

Does morning sickness tell you if it's a boy or a girl?
Does morning sickness vary in severity depending on the sex of the baby? Some studies linked the presence of moring sickness with having a baby girl. However the results were not conclusive. Each woman and each pregnancy is unique in terms of moring sickness irrespective of the sex of the baby. Morning sickness relief

1. Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) has proven to be effective in reducing nausea. Doses of 10-25 mg orally every eight hours on an intermittent basis of 2-3 days at a time are recommended as a first-line therapy.
2. Try dried ginger root, ginger tea from fresh ginger root, and Zingiber officinale extract. Study showed that ginger effectively reduces both nausea and vomiting in pregnant women. The recommended dose is 250 mg four times a day.
3. A few soda crackers or dry toast when you first wake up, even before you get out of bed in the morning.
4. A small snack at bedtime and when getting up to go to the bathroom at night.
5. Acupressure wrist bands (sea bands) or acupuncture may help. You can find these bands in drug, health food, and travel stores. If considering acupuncture, talk to your doctor and seek an acupuncturist trained to work with pregnant women.
6. Avoid caffeine foods or drinks.
7. Avoid foods high in fat and salt, but low in nutrition.
8. Avoid fried, rich foods such as gravies, rich desserts, nuts, olives, sweet rolls, pastries.
9. Avoid gas-forming foods such as brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, cucumbers, and sauerkraut.
10. Avoid getting extremely hungry.
11. Avoid highly seasoned and spicy foods.
12. Avoid large meals. Instead, snack as often as every 1-2 hours during the day and drink plenty of fluids.
13. Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.
14. Avoid taking medications for morning sickness. If you do, consult a doctor first.
15. Bake, boil or broil foods rather than fry foods.
16. Drink liquids between meals rather than with meals.
17. Eat dry cereal or crackers before getting out of bed.
18. Eat ice chips, popsicles, fruits and cooked vegetables between meals.
19. Eat small meals, more often, on a regular basis.
20. Eating foods high in protein and complex carbohydrates, such as peanut butter on apple slices or celery; cheese; crackers; milk; cottage cheese; and yogurt.
21. Have lots of fresh air in rooms where you sleep and where you prepare your meals to reduce odors.
22. Lemons: drinking lemonade, smelling lemons, or just a small taste of lemon
23. Peppermint (scotch mints),peppermint essential oil, or sipping the tea (look for Pregnancy Tea) can help curb nausea. It's also known to help with sagging energy levels.
24. Sip water and juices slowly.
25. Take your prenatal vitamins at night. Increase vitamin B6 in your diet by eating whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Talk to your doctor about possibly taking vitamin B6 supplements.
26. Two fingers pressed firmly but gently on the your belly button, just for a minute, may stop the nausea.
27. Using an all natural toothpaste
28. When you feel morning sicknessted, bland foods like gelatin, broth, ginger ale, and saltine crackers can soothe your stomach.

Call your doctor if:

• Morning sickness does not improve, despite trying home remedies.
• You vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. (Call IMMEDIATELY.)
• You lose more than 2 pounds.
• You vomit more than 3 times per day or you cannot keep food or liquid down.
• morning sickness and vomiting continue beyond your 4th month of pregnancy. This happens to some women and is usually normal, but have it checked out.

What can your doctor do?
Your doctor will perform a physical examination, including a pelvic exam, and look for any signs of dehydration. Your doctor may ask questions like the following:

• Are you only nauseous or do you also vomit?
• Does the morning sickness and vomiting occur every day?
• Does it last throughout the day?
• Can you keep down any food or fluid?
• Have you been traveling?
• Has your schedule been disrupted?
• Are you emotionally stressed?
• What foods have you been eating?
• Do you smoke?
• What have you done to try to feel better?
• Do you know for sure that you are pregnant?
• If not, is it possibly that you are pregnant? For example, do you menstruate and are you sexually active? Have you missed any birth control pills or not used your birth control method?
• What other symptoms do you have -- headaches, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, dry mouth, excessive thirst, unintentional weight loss?

Other websites

• American Pregnancy Association: Morning Sickness
  Overview of the condition with helpful things to do and things to avoid to manage nausea symptoms.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy
  Clinical practice guidelines for the management of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) or morning sickness. Prepared by the Obstetrics Committee of the SOGC. Requires Acrobat PDF Reader
• Discovery: Morning Sickness
  Article that addresses causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and related risks.
• eMedicine Health - Vomiting during Pregnancy
  Consumer health resource center providing information on the causes and treatment of vomiting during pregnancy.
• HER Foundation
  Offers education and support for mothers suffering from hyperemesis gravidarium.
• Hyperemesis Education and Research Organization
  Information about the non-profit organization which is dedicated to providing a multi-disciplinary forum for exchange of information related to Hyperemesis Gravidarum, HG.
• Hyperemesis Gravidarum
  Information about this rare disorder characterized by severe and persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
• Motherisk: Resources for Nausea
  Offers facts and resources on morning sickness through a publication on nausea research; offers a toll-free helpline for North America.
• Parents: Nausea and Vomiting
  Presents insights from a new study showing how ginger helps relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.
• ParentsNest - Morning Sickness
  Articles and advice, as well as a listing of signs, symptoms and remedies to ease this diagnosis.
• SOS Morning Sickness
  Provides several articles on facts, descriptions and various remedies for relieving morning sickness during pregnancy.

Comments: Morning Sickness

Comments 1 to 24 of about 70.
1 2 3 Next

maimai - 14 days ago.
Tried grapes the other day, just brought them straight back up. Tried lemon water today and seems to be working so far....fingers crossed...

ragtopgirl - 14 days ago.
keep red grapes by your bed. The sugars helped sooth me. i'd pop a couple grapes and it went away!

maimai - 15 days ago.
I hate ms! I hope it passes too. has anyone found anything to be effective in helping theirs? Have tried a few things but nothing is working so far!

soontobemumof4 - 22 days ago.
hi everyone w m/s :) i belong in here tooo. my m/s is killing me i cant take it anymore.....u know tdy i tryed fresh lemon w sugar & it helps a lit of bit to stop nauseas & vomiting....

Momtothe3rdPower - 26 days ago.
I belong in this room, I am 8 weeks pg and this time around is the worst I have had by FAR! I have found I can eat grapes and apples without too much problem, but most stuff is YUCKY

LisaMarie83 - 27 days ago.
Lol Thought you were (american) coz i thought they dont do that over here they estimate from the 1st day of you last period then they send you a scan date when they think you 3mths from them dates. Then we have only one more when you 20 weeks then thats it, although i had lots last time coz i had plecenta previa. At the moment im having a real thing for oranges...well its the only thing appealing to me at the moment so im eating them for fun now coz who knows when il go off food again. lol. x

Arcola21 - 27 days ago.
ok i dont want to sound like im having a worse time with MS than anyone else...but i dont think you can call puking 3-4 times a day 'Chronic Morning Sickness' This is my 3rd pregnancy and with all 3 i have puked from every 10 minutes to every 30 minutes!! im serious you could set a clock by my MS! That is what i consider 'Chronic' Thanks to the Zofran i now only puke 3-4 times a day!!!

Arcola21 - 27 days ago.
I was just reading over the 'morning sickness relief' and i have to disagree about the caffeine! For me i have found that a Pickle and a Coke for breakfast help with the MS! Mine never really goes away but for a little whil i feel OK!

Arcola21 - 27 days ago.
OMG i had no idea they had a place just for us!!! I had such HORRIBLE morning sickness with my other 2 kids and i actually think this one is worse!! I am 14 weeks today and have lost 15 lbs!! I literally puked 5 times in 1 hour!! it really SUX!! Lisa Marie- yes we are American..lol. Here they do an 8 week scan to determine a due date if you arent sure. I had one at 8 weeks becuase i didnt know i was pregnant utnil i started puking. I had the IUD but it came out.

LisaMarie83 - 27 days ago.
Hey, Im new to this forum i am 6 weeks and 3 days im feeling rather sick not just in the mornings but pretty much all day last night i was sick in the night!! I was pretty sick with my 1st and lost loads of weight, but at least i got a good nights sleep tho hoping that was just a one off lol Im feeling like ive not much get up and go coz im feeling so sorry for myself but im luckier this time round because last time i worked 43 hrs a week sometimes 11 hrs days and now i only work 15 hrs coz i have a 4 yr old. i had sickness lasted into 20 weeks i really dont want that this time smells are making me retch the worst like today just the smell of the gravy on the plates in the kitchen from last nights tea was enough to send my stomach into a spin i had tears rolling down my face, haha what must my little boy think!! haha. hope your all ok. Lisa x I dont have a app wit the midwife till 8 half weeks and my scan wont be till 12-13 weeks...how come some of you are having scan at 6-7-8 weeks?? are you american??

lourds - 28 days ago.
Hay(sigh)! my sister is pregnant and is very sick(vomiting, can't keep food, fluid down). She stayed in the hospital for 3 days and still feels/looks the same.. Has anyone had this case before? How did you survive? I'm looking for some kind of inspiration. Thanks...

1sttimemummyLi - 29 days ago.
My m/s started in week 4 died down from wwek 6-7 and week 8 came back :( I'm now in week 11 and still have it. I just want it to end, it depresses me so much. I'm trying all the recommended stuff but it doesnt seem to be working. (keeping my fingers crossed)

Tired32 - 46 days ago.
I had the best first trimester in my life. i drank a half cup of ginger tea in the morning every day and never got sick. i went to the health food store and got the tea in little packages and kept them in my purse. one morning the fam went to breakfast i started to feel sick before the food came. i asked for a cup of water got the tea out my pocket book and bam all better in the matter of seconds. this stuff is magic. the brand i have is a chinese brand.

skoehn - 46 days ago.
Yep.... 15 weeks and feeling morning sickness. It has eased some, but today, it's back 10 fold. How am I going to survive this?? I hope I'm not sick for the rest of the pregnancy.....

manda-may - 52 days ago.
I found apples and other fresh fruit helped me through my nausea. Crackers just didn't do it for me. I think looking at a whole variety of food and seeing what your body actually feels like eating is your best bet. I know people say ginger biscuits or ginger beer are good too... but apples, tomatoes and plums seemed to help for me, but everyone is different... and I am a bit of a sweet tooth anyway lol!

deanne2005 - 53 days ago.
Hi wondering if anyone has got any home remedies for MS. I am now 6 weeks and have had it 4 days and i cant eat and drink but i cannot smell the food or even change my one year olds diaper.... HELP!!!!

love-a-belly - 59 days ago.
hey everyone :o) i was wondering how early you all started getting morning sickness or symptoms in general. if i am pregnant i would only be 3 weeks 1 day and have have had slight cramps and been nausious for a few days now! i'm pretty sure it didn't happen this early with my first. any help would be much appreciated :o)

taniamommyX2 - 68 days ago.
I've been taking Zofran for the past few days and it worked great the first day and now it seems like it's wearin off. I'm going to call my doc tomorrow and ask if they can perscribe me the disovlable tablets since I heard they work much better. Oh and for those who dont have insurance, you can get Zofran at COSTCO for around $15 for 20 pills! You dont need to have a COSTCO membership to use thier pharmacy either and since Zofran is really expensive without insurnace, I suggest going there!

naturalbeing - 93 days ago.
OMG...I feel everyones pain on the morning sickness. With my first 2 children i had no morning sickness. But my 3rd pregnancy and this pregnancy I had an dhave chronic morning sickness 4-6 times a day nothing helped not fruit, not crackers....hate to say this and dont be mad but for me the only thing that helped at first was 'mary jane' i didnt need alot of it just a few puffs it counter acted the nausea and that darn bubble or lump right in the middle of your rib or chest that would not go away OMG but this pregnancy it was the same until my doc gave me nausea precription which helped a good bit. I cant think of the name oh wait....promethizine thats it. Anyway i hope my story and mary jane dont upset any1....im not doing it now because i no longer have the morning sickness...thank goodness i mean it was terrible the worst. but all is well my 8mo old girl is perfectly healthy and this pregnancy is healthy too. Thanks for hearing me. Peace & Blessings

Bri - 130 days ago.
courtgulledge - I'm so sorry you are going through this. My last pregnancy I was queasy but nothing terrible. This time I lost a little over 10lbs before starting to gain again. I was also put on Zofran and it worked. I wasn't completely well but I could at least keep food down. I didn't go as far as needing an IV but when I got my blood drawn for some tests I was a mess. I hadn't had any food for over a day and they couldn't get the full 4 vials full. I went numb, started to sweat, and burst into tears. I couldn't stop the water works although I was completely fine. It was almost laughable if it wasn't for me being so darn hot. HAHA! The Zofran was a life savior, that was the day I started it and it got me through the rest of morning sickness. I'm almost 16weeks now and have no problem. Baby is healthy as I'm sure yours is too. Our bodies are incrediable. They feed our babies before ourselves. I can say I get a little sick if I don't eat anything now but as long as I eat healthy meals and get the nutrition I'm fine. Good Luck! Be thankful your on the meds. Oh, do contact your insurance about it. I found out the hard way. Zofran is REALLY EXPENSIVE!! My insurance only covered 12days a month and the rest was out of pocket. It's about $300 for 2 weeks. Some insurance pays for it completely and others don't. I'm lucky that my sickness went away pretty quickly and I didn't need it for long but others aren't as lucky and need it for months on end. Good Luck!

courtgulledge - 130 days ago.
I had to go to the ER last night at 12 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. I couldn't even keep water down and was severly dehydrated. They put me on an IV drip and gave me some Zofran. I still feel sick but it's definitely more liveable. Anyone been through this before...I am scared for the wellbeing of my child!

TR-Baby2 - 131 days ago.
Oh, and nibble foods throughout the day to keep blood sugar levels at a good level. Munching on almonds and/or a mixture of nuts always helped me - especially since just the mere thought of anything else seemed to turn my stomoche... Good Luck, and remember: This too, shall pass! :)

TR-Baby2 - 131 days ago.
I finally found the secret to 'curing' morning sickness ... Unfortunately, I didn't discover it until my SIXTH pregnancy! Geesh! Anyway, it was kicking in with the preg., so I started researching yet again, to see what to try this time around. Unisom has been mentioned a lot, but I was already SO tired that I didn't want to risk being more sleepy as I have a toddler to tend to & chase after. Anyway, the secret is: A whole-foods B-Complex vitamin!! I found mine at a health food store3, brand name MegaFood - DailyFoods. What you DON'T want is something like a B-100, where all the B-vitamins are at the same %. You want a BALANCED B-Complex, where the B-vitamins are in a 'balance' of each other, so like B-12 will be125mcg and B-6 will be around 11mg ... in proper balance with each other. Try it, I guarantee you will feel the results!! I took 1 per day, but the bottle says you can actually take more if needed ... Check it out & pass the info along!

ctwany29 - 131 days ago.
For Morningsickness take Unisom the regular form. It worked wonders for me.

mrsdenney - 135 days ago.
good luck to all you ladies with MS. i didnt find out i was preggo (due to weird periods) until i was about 12 weeks pregnant. and only then was because i was throwing up. my hubby said maybe we should get a test and low and behold it was positive. what i found best was crackers next to your bed. when you wake up before you sit up reach over grab the crackers and eat a few. then slowly while chewing crackers sit up. its a slow progression. also mints (like from sonic) help a lot. another thing was i would drink lemonade...not sure why but that helped. be sure to stay away from gross smells and seafood. (that always made me worse) you can also take tums with calcuim. sometimes nausea is caused by extra acid. good luck!

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