Morning Sickness Remedies: The Best Ways to Manage Nausea

Many expecting mamas experiencing morning sickness symptoms want a quick and easy solution to get rid of their nausea, and we get it — who wouldn’t want to ease their upset stomach and start feeling better as soon as possible?

Unfortunately, we’re here to tell you that, for most mamas, there may not be a real way to completely get rid of morning sickness symptoms. Morning sickness is just a normal part of pregnancy for almost all pregnant moms-to-be — seriously, the National Institute of Health says 70 to 80% of women experience nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP).

Of course, you can always test different remedies and do little things to help yourself feel better (which we’ll dive into below), but we’d be setting the wrong expectation by telling you there is definitely some magical solution out there that you can buy, or do, to fully get rid of morning sickness.

Many of us at Bump Boxes are moms who went through morning sickness ourselves, so trust us: time may be the only thing that takes it away, but the good news is you won’t stay pregnant forever!

To help moms-to-be grappling with morning sickness, we’ve put together this post covering:

• What morning sickness is and why it occurs
• When expecting moms are most likely to experience morning sickness
• A few key categories of tips for managing morning sickness that has helped some moms and could be beneficial to you

You can also jump right to our suggestions here. Or, you can skip over to learn more about our Bump Boxes and how they equip you for all pregnancy challenges, including morning sickness.

Do All Women Experience Morning Sickness During Pregnancy?

Like most things with pregnancy, morning sickness varies from mom-to-mom. As we said above, the NIH reports almost 70 to 80 percent of moms experience some kind of morning sickness; but, there is a small percentage of women who go through pregnancy nausea-free.

Let’s take Karyn from our customer service team for example. Karyn has three kids, but only experienced severe nausea in her first two pregnancies; plus, her morning sickness symptoms from pregnancy-to-pregnancy weren’t the same. So even with her familiarity of morning sickness during her second and third pregnancies, she could only do so much to prepare for what was ahead.

Despite the name, morning sickness can strike at any time of day; it occurs, usually, during early pregnancy. That said, we still regularly talk to mamas dealing with morning sickness in their second and third trimesters.

Doctors still don’t fully understand why morning sickness occurs, but the thought is, women feel nauseous from the influx of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG. (Kind of similar to how hormonal changes during periods make some women feel sick.) This could explain why there is not one definitive “cure” for morning sickness, and only strategies to reduce symptoms.  So let’s discuss those next.

Our Personal Recommendations for Managing Nausea and Morning Sickness Symptoms

In these sections, we run through our best suggestions for managing morning sickness and discuss our real-life experiences, in both our own pregnancies and when talking to the tens of thousands of expecting mamas who have reached out to Bump Boxes over the years, regarding what actually works… and what doesn’t.

Remember, it may be that nothing takes away your morning sickness and that’s okay. Don’t feel discouraged, pregnancy is highly personal and it’s alright if nothing works to curb your morning sickness, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you or your pregnancy.

#1: Give Yourself a Break and Don’t Expect Too Much

Most articles on morning sickness relief cut straight to products for nausea and overlook the simplest thing you can do to feel better — relax and get plenty of rest! Pregnancy is hard, you’re growing another person inside of you, so it’s completely normal to not feel normal; cut yourself a break.

Karyn from our customer service team can attest to this, “Nothing made me feel better. Nothing. Only time; and it was five months of all-day sickness. People want a fix, but there isn’t really a fix to it — you’re pregnant and your body is going through a lot of changes.”

And Don’t Over-Stress About Family Time

If you already have kiddos at home, it’s understandable that you want to spend time with them, but don’t feel guilty about not always feeling up to playtime. Feeling stressed out about making time for family or crossing things off your to-do list will only exacerbate nausea. And remember, nobody expects you to feel like your usual self. Give yourself time and grace, your body is about to do miraculous things.

#2: Remember to Take Care of Yourself (How We Can Help)

Pampering yourself is another easy way to relax and de-stress as you cope with nausea and morning sickness. We can’t stress enough how important it is for moms to take personal time for themselves during pregnancy; this is kind of the entire reason why we started Bump Boxes and created the Glow Organics brand in the first place!

Our monthly subscription Bump Boxes are completely customized for each mama based on her due date, and we pack them with the best products so mom’s ready for whatever pregnancy throws at her. Since we started, thousands of moms have subscribed to our boxes and trusted us to provide them with all of the right things to get through pregnancy.

Not to mention, most women need multiple products to combat nausea, and our Bump Box subscription (or even First Trimester Box) is perfect because it stocks mom with all of our favorite morning sickness products. And we even include various products from our Glow Organics collection, like our Bath Soak and Body Scrub, in our subscription boxes to give mom a pregnancy-safe, at-home spa experience.

#3: Listen to Your Body When Timing Prenatals

Taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy is super important since our bodies need a ton of vitamins and minerals to grow a baby, and it’s hard to get all of those necessary nutrients through diet. However, prenatals make a lot of women feel even more queasy, especially when taken on an empty stomach. If you’re constantly getting sick after taking your prenatal vitamin, switch up when you take it.

There is no perfect time of the day to take a prenatal, what works for one woman may not work for you. Some moms, like our Social Media Marketing Coordinator Mariah, felt better taking her prenatal after breakfast while one of her friends preferred her prenatal post-dinner. To find what’s right for you, pay attention to when your nausea occurs most frequently, and make small changes.

#4: Don’t Stress About Bland Saltines, Just Eat What Feels Right

Almost every morning sickness post tells moms to eat bland food to curb nausea (hello dry saltines and flavorless applesauce), and avoid greasy, heavy, and spicy foods.

But here’s our take…

While it’s good to eat healthily and avoid fast food, in general, don’t let these other posts scare you — eating a burger while you’re pregnant isn’t the end of the world, and it won’t necessarily make your nausea worse. Mariah from our marketing department barely had an appetite during pregnancy, but she treated herself when she did have cravings, and she loved her greasy McDonald’s food. It didn’t affect her nausea at all.

We suggest pregnant women eat what feels right for them because, usually, it’s better to eat something than nothing at all. Like Mariah, most women struggle with having an appetite during pregnancy; if you have a small appetite but a big craving for a Big Mac, get yourself that burger and eat what you can.

#5: Try Ginger and Sour Candies — There’s a Reason Everyone Recommends Them

Everybody recommends ginger for nausea, and a lot of people like ginger products because they feel soothing and “calm the stomach;” and it’s no placebo, ginger really can help the gut because it eases inflammation and helps your body digest what you put in it.

Many moms find relief from ginger tea and ginger candies, and Mariah recommends ginger oil under the nose since just the smell of ginger was helpful for her. (Though we don’t sell ginger oil anymore, it can be found on Amazon and other places where you can buy essential oils.)

Be warned, if you over-do it on the ginger when you’re nauseous, your body may start associating ginger with queasiness, eventually deeming ginger useless. If you see success with ginger candies, you might want to try sour candies, as well, so you can have some variety.

Sour candies can ease nausea since they usually contain a decent amount of citric acid and B vitamins, and many women rave about the effectiveness of Sour Patch Kids in fighting morning sickness. However, our favorite sour candy for pregnancy is Preggie Pop Drops because they’re all-natural, contain a fraction of the sugar, and super delicious — seriously, our whole office eats them just because they’re so hard to resist.  It’s also why we put them in our first trimester boxes.

#6: Drink Fizzy Beverages

Carbonated, fizzy beverages are also great for soothing upset bellies! Ginger ale is usually the most obvious go-to when you’re feeling sick, but drinking a lot of sugary soda during pregnancy isn’t good for health. And, as we mentioned earlier, most moms get gingered-out.

That’s why we include our Fizzelixir in our Bump Boxes. Pregnant mamas love this healthy alternative to soda because it is tastier than sparkling water and contains nausea-fighting ingredients, like vitamin B6 and magnesium. Cat from our Customer Experience Mom Squad swears by Fizzelixir to keep her nausea at bay!

#7: Experiment with Acupressure

If you’ve struggled with motion sickness or nausea before pregnancy, you may have tried acupressure. It’s a somewhat common remedy for nausea and you don’t need to go to an acupuncturist to try it. Acupressure wristbands (commonly called “sea bands”) are a popular product for pregnant women and frequent travelers to provide all-day nausea relief.

Acupressure is an alternative medicine centered around placing pressure on specific points of the body. It’s believed that placing pressure on the inside of your wrist (a.k.a. the Neiguan acupressure point) releases muscle tension and naturally stops nausea. While we can’t confirm or deny that acupressure really works, we have heard it is helpful for some women.

Mariah on our team found some success with acupressure, but she suggests taking wrist size into account before buying any acupressure remedies. Many acupressure bands are one-size-fits-all, so if you have a smaller wrist, you may want to look for an adjustable acupressure band to ensure it applies sufficient pressure to the Neiguan pressure point.

We sell the No Mo Nausea acupressure band because it contains peppermint essential oil to combine the benefits of acupressure and aromatherapy. Peppermint oil, like ginger, has been known to curb nausea. Just double-check it fits for your wrist size before purchasing.

#8: If It’s Severe Enough, Talk With Your Healthcare Provider About Prescription Options

Some women struggle with severe nausea up until they give birth, and if natural remedies and OTC pain relievers aren’t enough to help, your doctor may prescribe a stronger anti-nausea to curb your digestive troubles. Typically, you need to have severe morning sickness for a couple of months before prescription medications are even an option.

Keep in mind, those medications come with their own slew of side effects. They may provide relief for some, but others try them and choose to go without. For example, Karyn was prescribed these during her pregnancy and stopped using them since they didn’t do much to help. In these cases, time usually is the most effective cure.

A Bump Boxes Subscription Is the Best Way to Pamper Yourself During Pregnancy

We know moms have so much to think about and prepare for during pregnancy, so we curate our monthly Bump Boxes to make your life easier and help you feel totally pampered. Whether you’re dealing with morning sickness or back pains from a growing belly, our subscription boxes equip you with the right, pregnancy-safe products to tackle new discomforts as they arise.

As a bonus, we supply all of our moms with an arsenal of morning sickness remedies —  including Preggie Pops, Fizzelixir, and the No Mo Nausea Band — so you can experiment with different options and see what is most effective. Not to mention, our First Trimester Box is perfect to try a variety of pregnancy products and get introduced to our brand.

When shopping for our Bump Boxes, you can choose between three different subscription options (6-month, 9-month, and 12-month), so you can get started in the best program for your current stage of pregnancy.