Welcome to your first trimester–and if you’re like me, you have morning sickness… which is not just in the morning, but rather ALL DAY LONG. Yay! Pregnancy is so magical…
After four pregnancies, you would think I would finally crack the code on how to overcome morning sickness other than just make it to your second trimester or give birth… and while I have no developed a cure, I have tried a LOT of remedies in hope to alleviate this all day nausea. Each of my pregnancies has been very different, and different remedies have worked for each one… so my advice is to try everything until you find some relief or hopefully find some relief just by being patient.
What causes morning sickness??
Morning sickness can be caused by other things, such as imbalance in our vestibular system or nutrient imbalance.
Typically though during pregnancy, its exact cause is unknown but some recent studies have found a possible cause.
It used to be believed that morning sickness was a sign of either a mental health disorder, or that the pregnancy was unwanted and they were trying to undernourish themselves in hopes the pregnancy would not survive.
Some believe this is an intentional design to help protect the growing baby from harmful toxins in our foods or other things we consume during the critical period of development for baby. The first trimester is when many important organs as well as the brain and brain stem are being formed, where introduction of a toxin could cause harm to baby’s development.
Recent studies have been published linking morning sickness and severe nausea vomiting called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, to a stress-hormone called GDF15. It was found that those who had higher levels of GDF15 prior to pregnancy were less likely to have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. The theory is that by having the increased levels of the hormone, GDF15, prior to pregnancy, this desensitizes those people to the effects of GDF15 leading to lower levels of nausea and vomiting.
GDF15 is a stress-hormone that plays a part in our diet, when it is in high levels it decreases food intake. It is found in higher levels in those who smoke, older adults, after intense exercise, and diseased states. It is found in certain organs as well as in the placenta.
One thing we can do to increase our GDF15 levels prior to pregnancy is endurance exercise to hopefully desensitize ourselves to its effects prior to pregnancy!! (Although that didn’t work for Gina)
This is newer research and scientists are not yet sure how they will use to to combat morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum.
What remedies have worked for me... and what other options that may be available for you too!
1) Eat Protein
Probably the most helpful thing for me in managing the all-day nausea is to eat enough protein throughout the day. I found when I was hungry, my nausea was much worse, and in this current pregnancy, I have actually thrown up because I was too hungry. This may be related to my blood sugar levels being all over the place!
I found that starting my day with a higher protein breakfast was really helpful in managing my nausea in the early part of the day. I would either eat some eggs (hard-boiled was my preference in the first trimester, and they’re full of choline which is a really important nutrient for your baby’s brain development) or I would add Needed Collagen to my oatmeal or coffee to increase my morning protein intake. (Use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your first order at Needed).
And then I would prepare snacks for my morning so I had easy-to-access protein choices. Some of my favorites were cottage cheese with fruit, Paleo Valley protein sticks, Built Puff Protein Bars, and Mush overnight oats with Needed’s collagen added in.
Some find that they get some relief if they eat something before they get out of bed in the morning and moving for the day. This allows it to settle in their stomach so they aren’t getting up hungry leading to nausea.
2) Unisom and B6
In this current pregnancy, I have found the combo of Unisom and vitamin B6 to be a game changer. I tried it in previous pregnancies, and it didn’t do much for me, so I was skeptical this time. But the all-day nausea was too much for me, so I gave it a shot after talking with my midwife about it. B6 and B12 deficiencies can contribute toward morning sickness! So Taking a supplement with B6 can be beneficial.
At night, about an hour or so before I plan to go to sleep, I take 25mg of Unisom and vitamin B6. I have found a ton of relief from my all-day nausea doing this, but usually, by the evening I am feeling more nauseous again so I think I may add a second dose around when I would take a nap to see if that helps with my evening nausea.
But, this didn’t work for me for the previous pregnancies! So I was surprised to have so much relief from it this pregnancy. I’ve been taking Thorne Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate – Bioactive Vitamin B6, which is the active form of vitamin B6 and is more easily absorbed by our bodies!
In addition to B6, I get monthly B12 shots from my primary care provider in their office to help with my B12 levels. They have increased my dosage in pregnancy to help with morning sickness and support my thyroid health, so it can be something to ask your provider about if you have morning sickness and your B12 levels are lower.
Fromt Roxanne: The above combo of unisom and B6 is the over the counter version of another medication called Diclegis. Which is a prescription version of doxylamine (Unisom)/pyridoxine (B6), which is essentially the same drug components as Unisom and B6. Some insurances may cover this drug and others it may be more expensive, so it may be worth discussing this as an option with your doctor or midwife!
3) Lemon Water
During my second pregnancy, I didn’t have as much nausea but I had this metallic taste in my mouth ALL DAY LONG. It was awful. The only thing I found to help with this metallic taste was lemon water. I would literally squeeze an entire lemon into a bottle of water, and the citrus would help counter the metallic taste in my mouth. So, if you have a metallic taste, lemon or citrus water may be helpful for you!
4) Magnesium Supplements
Another thing that I have found to be helpful with my nausea is hydration–particularly with hydration salts that have magnesium in them, such as LMNT and Needed Hydration. I find LMNT to be a stronger, salty flavor and is my preference. Needed’s Hydration has a more subtle flavor if you are finding stronger flavor profiles to be questionable for you right now.
If you find that there isn’t a hydration salt that works for you, you can also try topical magnesium salves or balms, or even an epsom bath salt!
Magnesium deficiencies can be a culprit in morning sickness, so adding in magnesium can help to alleviate it! Additionally, magnesium helps regulate cortisol levels in your blood–which if you have too much cortisol can lead to nausea (aka morning sickness) and fatigue! So, including a magnesium source in your diet can be beneficial to managing morning sickness.
5) Seabands
And this actually surprised me, but acupressure bracelets (Seabands) helped me a TON before I tried to unisom and B6 vitamin! We were sent the bracelets from Bodily (thank you!!) and you wear them on each wrist. Each bracelet has a plastic prong that applies pressure against the inside of your wrist, ideally about 3-4 fingers below the crease of your wrist and centered between the two tendons that run from your wrist down your forearm.
I wore them throughout the day, and found they provided a lot of relief, which I was really surprised by! Once I started taking Unisom and B6, I stopped wearing the bracelets, but they were a great relief tool worth trying!
So, there isn’t a 100% effective method to stop or prevent morning sickness, unfortunately. But, I have figured out SOME things that have helped with my morning sickness. Each pregnancy was a bit different in what helped me the most, so experimenting in your first trimester to find a solution for you can be helpful!
I’ve heard of some having success with herbal tinctures, but I haven’t had any luck with the ones I have purchased, so I didn’t want to share them here. But know that this list is not inclusive of all of your options! You may have more options with your provider, who can prescribe you medication to help with nausea if these remedies are not helpful, or if your nausea is really affecting your ability to eat and live your life!
I hope some of these tips help you, and know it won’t last forever… even though it feels like it will!