If you’re in the first trimester of your pregnancy, there’s a pretty good chance you’re experiencing some morning sickness. About 80-90% of women have these types of symptoms, some of which can be severe and last beyond the morning hours.
I count myself lucky, because while I had nausea relatively consistently, it never escalated into vomiting and was generally contained to 5-20 minute episodes. It also didn’t really start until I was 6 weeks pregnant and stopped when I was about 14 weeks along. All in all, it definitely impacted my life but could have been way worse and I’m grateful for that!
That being said, when I was feeling nauseous, I tried out a ton of different remedies and solutions to manage the symptoms. Here are some of the best ways I found for how to ease morning sickness. I hope these help give you some relief!
How to Ease Morning Sickness: 7 Simple Ways
#1. Drink flat ginger ale.
This one is pretty common, as ginger is known for its ability to help calm nausea. If possible, open a can or bottle of ginger ale and let it go flat so that you’re not also contending with the bubbles which can sometimes make you feel worse.
I bought a 6-pack of mini cans, and that was perfect for me since I didn’t need to drink that much. It was also easier to make a mini can go flat than a larger bottle.
#2. Try other ginger products.
If ginger ale isn’t cutting it for you, try other ginger solutions like ginger Gravol or pregnancy ginger lollipops. My doctor actually recommended regular Gravol, but I didn’t want to take the medicated version which would knock me out for hours. Instead, I took ginger Gravol which is a natural product that doesn’t cause drowsiness. It worked well for me! I got the caplets that I could swallow since I also had food aversions and didn’t want to be thrown off by the taste.
Many women swear by “pregnancy pops” of some sort – lollipops that contain ingredients to combat morning sickness. I haven’t tried those myself, but they’re worth investigating if you’re looking for a natural solution that’s candy-like!
#3. Keep a snack on your bedside table.
For many, morning sickness hits first thing in the morning. I was often woken up by feelings of nausea.
The best solution I found was to eat something small (right away!) that was easy to digest. This calmed my stomach and made me feel better almost instantly.
Keep a snack by your bed (some of my ideas are next!) so that you can just reach over and grab something without having to go to the kitchen and make something.
#4. Opt for simple, easy-to-digest foods.
When it came to battling morning sickness, my go-to was arrowroot cookies which are plain and easy to eat and digest. They’re delicious but not too sweet, and I went through a few boxes over the course of the first trimester!
Other easy to digest food ideas I found are digestive cookies, saltines, plain toast or toast with peanut butter, and Teddy Grahams. But I’d recommend trying whatever is most appealing to you. Your body knows what it can handle!
#5. Listen to something versus reading or watching video.
This is a big one! Too often, I’d be watching a TV or a video on my phone and get nauseous from feeling motion sickness from the movement on screen. Even the camera panning back and forth between two characters could make me nauseous!
The same went for reading. Sometimes reading gave me that same feeling of motion sickness.
Instead, close your eyes (or keep them focused on one spot) and listen to a podcast or music. This can distract you from nausea but won’t add any visual stimulus that could leave you feeling worse.
#6. Try intuitive eating.
Have you heard about the concept of intuitive eating? I first learned about it through a few influencers I follow on Instagram, including Rini from Own it Babe. It’s all about making food choices without guilt, honouring your hunger, respecting fullness, and enjoying the pleasure of eating.
A lot of it comes to trusting your body and that it will tell you what it needs.
Intuitive Eating and Pregnancy
Relating it back to pregnancy, my advice would be to honour what your body is asking for, or at least what it can stomach. If this means eating plain pasta for days at a time because that’s all you can keep down, that’s okay. As a doctor told me, now is not the time to diet or restrict. And while it’s a good idea to be mindful of your nutrition, if you’re just trying to eat something you can stomach, don’t worry as much about what it is. (As a side note, I’d suggest getting familiar with what foods you should avoid during pregnancy, to make sure you’re on track! This article from Healthline is a good starting point, and you can also speak to your doctor about any questions you have.)
For me, eating intuitively meant I ate a lot of mac and cheese and plain bread during weeks 6-8. Once I felt better, I was able to add a broader variety of foods back into my diet, but always checked in with myself. Roasted veggies were great, but something about the texture of steamed vegetables was off-putting. I took cues from my body and that made a world of difference in how I felt.
Lastly, if something doesn’t appeal to you, don’t force yourself to eat it. For me, that was coffee. I used to drink a cup a day (still under the maximum caffeine amount suggested for pregnant women) but once week 6 hit, I wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, I’ve only started drinking coffee again at almost 19 weeks pregnant, and don’t drink it every day.
Yes, some days it would have been nice to have the pick me up of coffee. But I’d rather eat and drink things I can stomach! The rare times I wanted a hot drink, I would turn to chai tea which is delicious and still gave me a bit of a caffeine boost.
#7. Don’t eat and drink at the same time.
This was a tip my mom shared that can definitely help. If you’re feeling particularly nauseous, stick to either eating or drinking – try not to do both at once. I’m not sure whether it’s the combination of solids and liquids that can disrupt how you feel, but it’s a good practice to try when you aren’t feeling well.
There you have it – 7 simple solutions to combat morning sickness.
Have any of these tips worked for you? How have you eased your nausea? Sound off in the comments – I’d love to hear it!
