Sickness - 9 Tips to Help You Cope With Nausea in Pregnancy

Morning sickness is one of the more common pregnancy symptoms with around 80% of women suffering some type of nausea in pregnancy and different solutions are often suggested with varying success.

We've got some helpful advice on some common morning sickness remedies, plus see what some of the members of our forums had to say:

1. Travel sickness bands help when applied to acupressure points. Many pregnant women find that these bands can take the edge off of nausea in pregnancy.
   "I've massaged them when my nausea was really bad and it did take the edge off" Emma285


2. Your morning sickness might be putting you off food altogether, but it's important to keep your blood sugar levels up for strength and to provide both you and your baby with the nutrition you need, so grazing on something is important. Eating something plain is less likely to aggravate nausea whether you are pregnant or not, so try dry toast, cream crackers and biscuits.


3. Ginger is a popular relief from morning sickness, many people swear by nibbling on ginger biscuits. Alternatives you can try are ginger tea, ginger cake and ginger chews (found in health food shops). If you're a real fan of the flavour some women find chewing on fresh ginger helps the feeling to pass.


4. Morning sickness is sometimes thought to be related to hunger and some pregnant women find that their nausea is exaggerated when they haven't eaten. Eating little and often through the day and always having something with you that you can snack on if hunger strikes, may alleviate some of the sickness in pregnancy.


5. Related to the above point, many women find that their nausea when pregnant is worse in the mornings (although despite the name it can come at any time of the day!).
   "Put a banana in the bathroom before you go to bed and when you get up in the night to go to the loo, eat it" Nevaehbeauty


6. Keeping your fluid intake up is important with morning sickness, whether you are being sick or just feeling nauseas. Some good options are hot honey and lemon, peppermint tea, milk or water or some find that sparkling water can be especially helpful in settling nausea. Ice lollies and jelly are also good options as the liquid is released slowly.


7. Sometimes just the process of having something tasty can alleviate the feeling of nausea. Try sucking on mints, sweets or toffees or chewing gum through the day may be worth a try if your sickness is more constant.
   "Blackcurrent & Liqourice sweets. Don't know if it was just a distraction sucking them or if it was more than that." Ajames


8. There are some aromatherapy options which are said to help with morning sickness. If you do want to try any though, be sure to check they are suitable for use in pregnancy and check with your midwife.


9. If you are suffering heavily from pregnancy sickness and unable to eat or keep anything down, see your doctor. There are some medications that they may be able to prescribe for morning sickness but it will depend on the individual circumstances.

Different people find success in varying ways, so if you are suffering, keep experimenting with solutions until you find something to combat your sickness. If all else fails, try to at least eat something and keep your fluid intake up to prevent dehydration.

Don't forget, as well, that morning sickness doesn't last forever. Many women's nausea eases off after their first trimester of pregnancy. Your midwife and doctor will be monitoring you closely and are there to answer your questions and help you through your pregnancy, so if you have any concerns, always seek medical advice.