morning sickness relief

Morning Sickness Combat Tips from a Mother of 7

March 20, 2014 by Anne Marie 13 Comments

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?

How to Manage Morning Sickness

May 22, 2012 by Anne Marie 12 Comments

I chose the title of my post carefully because after six pregnancies I still haven’t found out to get rid of morning sickness completely (I know….boo! hiss!). Some women do find complete relief in one way or another, but for most of us it’s a matter of learning how to cope until the tincture of time works its magic. All I can offer here are tips on managing morning sickness.

If there’s a “morning sickness remedy” out there, you can bet this mother has tried it. I have strapped on Sea Bands, subjected my wrists to accupressure, sucked dozens of Preggie Pops, brewed far too many cups of ginger and peppermint tea and even tried over-the-counter medicines like Dramamine and Emetrol syrup. With one of my pregnancies I even resorted to “audio therapy” (please don’t laugh) to get rid of the nausea! Unfortunately, none of these remedies made any difference for me.

Here’s my list of “remedies” that actually did provide some relief:

B6 and Unisom Combo: This is a “Class A” remedy that many doctors and midwives suggest to expectant mothers in lieu of expensive prescription medication. Here’s the regimen my midwife assigns me. Go to the pharmacy and buy several packages of generic Unisom (doxylamine) tablets and a big bottle of B-Complex which contains about 25 mg of B6 in each tablet (you can split pills if all you can find is the 100 mg tablets). Use a pill cutter to split the doxylamine tablets in two. Each night before bed take 1/2 of a Unisom and 1 of the B-Complex tablets. It will make you sleepy, and you’ll most likely feel very sleepy the next day. Take this same combo again in the morning. At mid-day, take only the B-complex. That night…..the combination. So each day, you’re taking 3 doses of B-complex and 2 of the Unisom.

Note: your pharmacy may be able to compound this B6/doxylamine formula with orders from a doctor or midwife.

After a couple of days the “sleepy effect” of the Unisom wears off. Continue this daily regimen as long as your morning sickness continues. Even better, start taking JUST the B-complex as soon as you get a positive pregnancy test. Let it start going to work early. I have used the B6/Unisom remedy for my last 2 pregnancies and it provided a good deal of relief PLUS it helped my morning sickness to go away earlier. Previously, I would be sick for 16 to 20 weeks. Now it’s gone by 12 weeks. LIFESAVER.

Blood Sugar Maintenance: One of the most helpful books I’ve ever read during pregnancy is Marilyn Shannon’s Managing Morning Sickness. It’s a skinny little paperback that you can finish in about 20 minutes.

The main premise behind Shannon’s book is that pregnancy affects the way sugar is processed in a woman’s body and can lead to hypoglycemia-type symptoms. This explains why a lot of pregnant women suffer not just from nausea, but also headaches, weakness, dizziness, fainting and irritability. Low blood sugar exacerbates morning sickness and increases your misery. Therefore, Shannon’s solution is a diet that is anti-hypoglycemic. That means making each meal or snack a combination of protein and complex carbs (since proteins alone do not raise blood sugar fast enough).

Marilyn Shannon’s advice has helped me tremendously. Making sure that I eat proteins and carbs together has lessened my morning sickness and had the added bonus of keeping headaches and fatigue to a minimum.

But wait, you might say. It’s all well and good to recommend eating proteins and carbs, but I don’t feel like eating anything so what am I supposed to do??

I understand completely! My very first pregnancy was my absolute worst. Unable to stomach the thought of eating anything, I would often lie on the couch fainting from hunger yet terribly sick at the same time. Inevitably this led to gagging and dry heaves. Pure misery!!

There’s a better way. Granted, this is a departure from Marilyn’s book because she doesn’t recommend soda at all, but I can tell you that the first thing I head to the store for when I get a positive test is soda pop – more specifically, caffeine-free Coca Cola. I open a can and let it go flat in the fridge. When that sick-starving (hypoglycemic) feeling starts to rise up….I pull out the cold Coke and start taking small sips. It’s something I can “tolerate” putting in my mouth and it immediately starts to raise my blood sugar and the nausea lessens. And then…….carpe diem! Now that the nausea is somewhat lessened, it’s easier for me to eat. Time to grab my protein-carb snack and start working on getting that down. Once that’s done, my nausea is almost completely gone – for the time being…..until the next cycle starts!

Granted, Coca Cola might not be your thing. Heck, we don’t even keep soft drinks in the house. But for pregnancy I make an exception. It’s the “gateway” which allows me to eat the foods that will help me feel better. And you can choose your own poison – Sprite, Orange Crush, ginger ale, lemonade….anything will do. It just needs to be a sweet drink with real sugar in it that you can tolerate sipping. The key is to put the soda aside and start eating the minute your blood sugar rises and you start to feel a little better.

And if you get tired of that particular flavor of soda after a while, ditch it and choose a different one!

Blood Pressure Maintenance: This was another invaluable insight I gained from Marilyn Shannon’s book. Have you ever noticed when pregnant that you can feel quite nauseated when upright, but after lying down the sick feeling eases up a little? Low blood pressure may actually be the culprit. The list of low blood pressure symptoms reads just like a textbook on morning sickness – dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, poor concentration, depression and fainting.

So what are the dietary keys to regulating blood pressure? SALT and WATER – two things that just so happen to be extremely important for pregnant mothers to consume.

The salt in our diet helps power blood to the brain by raising blood pressure. This might explain why so many expectant mothers crave salty foods and find relief after eating them. So don’t avoid salt while pregnant or feel guilty when indulging in a salty snack. Just try to maximize the benefits by pairing it with protein, as discussed above. And drink all the fluids you can because this will help increase your blood volume.

Bedside Maintenance: Don’t skimp on sleep if at all possible. The more sleepy you are, the worse your nausea will be. I’m usually up at 6 am each morning, but when I’m pregnant that’s not an option. I learned very quickly that rising very early set me on course for a day of nausea and vomiting. During pregnancy I will allow myself at least an extra hour of sleep. And when I do wake up, my best friend is right there at the bedside with me – Quaker Oatmeal Squares. I love those things! And they are not too hard to eat even when I’m pregnant because the morning sickness doesn’t hit me instantaneously. It sort of builds slowly as I rouse myself. So before I sit up, I start munching on dry cereal. And then I feel good enough to take my B6/Unisom combo with some water. And then slowly……slowly…..I head to the kitchen to prepare my protein/carb breakfast.

And yes, sometimes I’m even sipping a little cold Coke while preparing my breakfast…

Avoid the Grocery: This was not an option for me with my first pregnancies because my husband was in the military and we were far from family, but now I can make a small list and ask someone else do the food shopping. I have some really terrible memories of dragging myself through the grocery store, trying desperately to find something that looked appealing while on the verge of gagging because of the sights and smells of food everywhere. I now avoid the grocery store whenever I can during the first trimester. It’s just not worth it.

What about Medication? Even after trying all the remedies above, you still might be suffering a great deal from nausea and/or vomiting. Some women are just extremely sensitive to the hormones of pregnancies. And a few others don’t get the usual relief after the first trimester is over but keep suffering until the baby is born. There are a few medications that doctors prescribe for severe morning sickness.

Phenergan is a Class C antihistamine that doctors will often try first for morning sickness, before moving onto something stronger or more expensive. My experience with phenergen was that it helped “a little” but made me SO sleepy and dopey that I could barely function.
Tigan is another antihistamine that is less commonly prescribed. It is not as powerful as Phenergan and not as well-researched.
Zofran is an anti-emetic which places in Class B, making it a potentially safer choice than the other two drugs. Current research has justified its use as a safe choice for mothers suffering from severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Many woman have found complete relief with this medication and consider it a miracle pill. But just as many others (including myself) have found it helps just a little. It may also be expensive and some insurance plans do not cover it. Mine does, so I will usually just fill the prescription once and use it during the first really bad weeks. I have taken Zofran for the past 3 pregnancies with no noticeable side effects for me or baby.

Most women who are suffering are desperate to try almost any suggestion for morning sickness relief, so if you have a tip to share, please comment below! And obviously, any decisions about medication should be discussed and approved by your prenatal care provider.

I also welcome any questions you might have. And in case you were wondering why on earth I’m writing about morning sickness today……….it’s because I’m expecting again!!

I’m six weeks along and morning sickness has kicked in, but using my tried-and-true methods above, I’m “mostly” staying on top of it. I don’t feel great, but I’m not running to the bathroom, either.

For those of you who are expecting, I hope my tips help you find a little bit of morning sickness relief. But above all, have a happy and healthy pregnancy!