Recently, I had a girlfriend text me and ask for help. During my pregnancy, I had an AWFUL morning (all day) sickness up until 14 weeks. At the worst point, I topped out at getting sick 9-10 times a day. I share that to say, I tried nearly everything to get rid of morning sickness. Here are my best recommendations and morning sickness remedies.

Morning Sickness Remedies

1. Nevasic

Nevasic is a British phone app that works using some sort of clinically proven auditory science. You plug earphones into your ears and listen to it as many times as you like. It runs 28 minutes long and sounds a bit like an alien jazz band, but I do think it helped a bit. It costs $17 in the app store or google play and has settings for motion sickness and other sicknesses as well.

2. Medication

First, I tried the DIY version of Diclegis by taking B6 and Unisom simultaneously. It worked to make me even drowsier than I already was, so I’m not sure that it worked. I still got sick.

Then, I tried the actual prescription medication, Diclegis. No difference.

My final stop on the medicine journey was Zofran. I had a friend give me her leftover meds as my nausea was starting to let up a bit. I took it once. It worked, but I am leery of medication when growing a human. I’m also leery of anything that can potentially cause constipation.

Apparently, there’s also a risk of Zofran causing cleft lip or palate, so many doctors are no longer prescribing it. (2020 update: doctors now prescribe Zofran and the cleft palate risk is negligible, but speak with your doctor and use your own judgment. I took it for a few days in my third pregnancy.)

3. Eat What You Can

My husband was horrified at my eating habits in early pregnancy. My doctor said to eat whatever I could stomach, which wasn’t much. I would search for “WFD” posts on pregnancy boards. WFD stands for “What’s For Dinner?” and served as a great way for me to look at food ideas and see what didn’t gross me out.

I could usually find one thing and eat it for a few days before it no longer appealed. Here are some of the things I could stomach, in no particular order:

• Gatorade
• Langers fruit juice
• Spaghetti O’s with meatballs
• Dried seaweed
• Frozen microwave pasta dinners
• Raisin bran
• Wet chili verde burritos
• Jack In The Box’s Breakfast Jack and a “fruit” smoothie
• McDonald’s grilled Chicken Club with bacon (Twice a day. This one really horrified my husband.)
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with tuna or cut up hot dog
• Blueberry muffins
• Ramen/Cup o Noodle Soup
• Sandwiches. So. Many. Sandwiches. With extra mayo. (Ew. Why?)

I’m almost embarrassed now as I look at that list, but when you spend weeks feeling like you’re hanging on by a thread… You do what you can. The baby will get the nutrients they need.

(Fun fact: I absolutely could not bear the smell or thought of coffee or quinoa. …Quinoa doesn’t even have a smell. Just the word “quinoa” could make me dry heave. Pregnant women are weird.)

4. Manage Smells

Even the smell of my own house (especially the kitchen) began to gross me out. I had my baby in December, so I experienced the heat and smells of Los Angeles in the summer. Candles were too sweet; air sprays were full of chemicals…

I found a lifesaver in the form of wooden sticks: incense. Incense made the summer heat much more bearable. I made my way to a Bob Marley themed shop on Fairfax and selected 10 different fragrances. Incense allowed me to choose what my house and rooms in it smelled like. Huge help.

5. Toss the Fragranced Products

A few days after finding out I was pregnant, my husband and I decided to “go green.” I bought all the environmentally friendly cleaning products. …Then had to throw them all out a week later when I couldn’t handle the smells.

There wasn’t a liquid hand soap on the market with a smell I could stomach. I found my solution in bar soap. The fragrance (if any) is lighter than that of liquid soap and the ingredients tend to be better.

The only thing I did not try was motion sickness wrist bands. Should I experience morning sickness again… I’ll try those, as well.

Ultimately, for me, morning sickness was just something that had to be ridden out. For most women, it peaks in severity somewhere between 9-12 weeks. If your morning sickness is severe enough that you lose weight or are at risk of dehydration, please consult your doctor. It may be a more serious condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Take care of yourself.

For part two of this blog post, click here.