Because we are all individuals, not every remedy will work for every person. However if you keep looking you will find what works for you. Here are a collection of remedies for morning sickness that have been used successfully by others. You may have to try a few in order to get some relief. Be sure to discuss your morning sickness and potential relief with your doctor.
General Remedies:
Avoid warm places as heat can increase the nausea feelings. Take naps during the day (but not right after eating). Tiredness plays a big part in morning sickness.
Get enough sleep at night.
Get out of bed slowly in the morning.
Try eating plain crackers or dry cereal before you get out of bed in the morning.
Smells:
Open windows or turn on exhaust fans when cooking and after meals.
Cooking in the microwave usually produces less odors. Carry a handkerchief with a few drops of pure essential oil of lavender on it. Tuck it up your sleeve and then pull it out whenever you need a whif. Lavender has been used by those undergoing chemo to successfully overcome the discomfort of nausea.
Food and Drink:
Avoid greasy or spicy foods as they often cause nausea or heartburn. Eat what you want when you want it. Your cravings will not lead you the wrong way. Have frequent protein snacks. (Low fat meats and seafood, nuts, eggs and beans are high protein.) Eat smaller meals every two hours or so. Eating something salty before a meal can help you "make it through" a meal. Do not drink fluids with your meals. Non-caffeinated teas like peppermint and ginger can help calm nausea. Drink small amounts of fluids regularly though out the day to avoid dehydration. Do not skip meals if you can help it. Avoid spicy and fried food - both eating and smelling it can increase your nausea. Cold food may have less nausea inducing smells associated with them.
Supplements:
Try taking your prenatal vitamins later in the day.
Talk to your doctor about:
Vitamin B6 - 50 mg. daily. Vitamin B6 has been shown to help with pregnancy induced nausea.
Ginger capsules, 250 mg. three times daily. Ginger has long been associated with alleviating
nausea. (Remember drinking ginger ale when you felt sick when you were little?)
Ask your doctor if you can stop taking your prenatal vitamins temporarily to see if the nausea
diminishes. You may still need to take a Folic Acid supplement to help protect your baby.
Talk to your doctor about not taking iron supplements unless you are anemic. Iron supplements
can be hard for your stomach to deal with.
A dash of salt on the tongue first thing in the morning is an old Chinese remedy, much like our remedy of nibbling on a saltine.
Morning Sickness Causes
Unfortunately, no one is exactly sure what causes morning sickness but it would seem that the cause is a combination of issues related to the chemical changes your body is going through. Those changes include rapidly increasing estrogen and progesterone levels, an enhanced sense of smell and excess stomach acids. It has also been suggested that stress and fatigue, that commonly accompany pregnancy, also play a role.
One theories is that morning sickness is caused by the dominant hormone during pregnancy, progesterone. Progesterone has a "softening" effect on the muscles in the body. It is thought to help prevent preterm labor by effecting the uterine muscles. It also effects other muscles, such as the stomach and intestines. The progesterone relaxes the workings of the whole digestive track which makes the elimination of bodily wastes slower which can lead to a slow emptying of the stomach which leads to excess stomach acids.
Another theory, and more widely accepted, is that morning sickness is caused by the buildup of hCG (human chorionic gonadotopin) in your system. hCG is produced after implantation takes place and continues to increase until about the 12th week of your pregnancy, at which point the levels of hCG starts to decrease. If you are lucky, this is when your morning sickness symptoms will start to decrease as well.
Morning sickness isn't all bad, though it might be hard convincing someone who is suffering from it. Recent studies have suggested that mothers who have morning sickness have fewer miscarriages! So there is a bright spot in the midst of your morning or, in some cases, all day misery.