For many women, one of the first signs that they are pregnant is morning sickness – the name is a bit misleading really, because it can strike at any time of the day, or indeed all through the day. It’s thought that around 75% of women get some degree of sickness, but while some women will be lucky and only experience a little nausea, for some women it can cause real misery throughout the day.

No one is quite sure what causes morning sickness – theories range from changes in your hormone levels, an enhanced sense of smell, to the effect of stress and heightened emotions you may experience during pregnancy

Morning sickness can last anything from a few days to a few months – in most cases it will disappear completely by the end of the third month although for some very unlucky women it can continue throughout their pregnancy. It’s often triggered by certain foods or smells, and most women soon work out what particular foods set off their sickness.

The first thing to bear in mind is that you shouldn’t worry about whether your baby is getting enough nutrients. When you are pregnant, your digestive system slows down so that it can extract the maximum amount of nutrition out of the food you eat – so as long as you are keeping something down, your baby will be fine. Your body also ensures that your baby takes what it needs first, and you’re left with what’s left – so your baby is unlikely to go without. However if you can’t keep anything down, even water, then it’s worth mentioning it to your midwife, as you may have a more serious, but less common condition called hyperemisis gravidarum – this normally occurs in early pregnancy, and requires medical treatment.

To try and ease your morning sickness, there are many things that you can try. It may take you a while to find the cure that works for you, and you may find that one thing will work for a while, and then you need to move onto something else – here are a few suggestions for you:

Food and Drink

• Eat what you fancy – we all know that we need to eat healthily during pregnancy, but if you are suffering from morning sickness then it’s better to keep something down than nothing. There will be plenty of time to eat healthily once your morning sickness has passed.
• Keep something by the side of your bed, for when you wake in the night.
• Eat a piece of dry toast or plain biscuit first thing in the morning before you get up.
• Ginger can help – try ginger biscuits, ginger beer, or make a ginger infusion. Peel and chop a piece of ginger root, put the pieces in hot water to infuse for a while, then strain and drink. If you prefer, you can sweeten it with a little honey.
• Peppermint can help as well – try keeping some mints to hand for when you feel nauseous.
• A lot of women find that they go off coffee when they are pregnant, try drinking herbal teas instead.
• Fizzy drinks like lemonade and Coke can sometimes help, but some women find that flat coke take the edge of their nausea (you’ll have to use trial and error to find out which works for you!).
• Sipping ice cold water helps for some women.
• If you are actually vomiting, rather than simply feeling nauseous, try to find things to eat that aren’t too unpleasant coming back up (I know, it’s not a pleasant thought!)
• Having plenty of things to nibble on can help – some women find that they feel very sick if they go a long time between eating. Try keeping a dish of chopped up fruit, or vegetables, near you so that you can snack on it, or if you don’t fancy that, have a mint or wine gum every so often – whatever works for you!
• Eating 5 or 6 smaller meals rather than 3 large ones can help

Or you could try the following:

• Getting some fresh air can help – if you are feeling sick, open a window or pop outside for some fresh air.
• Try using sea bands – these work on the principles of acupressure, and some women find that they ease morning sickness as well as travel sickness.
• If you don’t like the taste of ginger, you could try some ginger tablets – these help some women.
• Rest whenever possible – try and get an early night, or have a nap when you get home. If you have a toddler, try and nap when they do – easier said than done, I know!
• Keep a diary of food, drink or activities – you might be able to find out what triggers your sickness or what makes it better.

If you are working, then it might be a good idea to keep mouthwash (as long as it doesn’t make you feel sick) and some baby wipes in your desk or bag, so that you can freshen up when necessary. If your morning sickness persists or is severe, you may need to tell your boss about your pregnancy sooner than you originally planned, and may need to take some time off work. Your employer is not allowed to count time off for pregnancy related ailments when they are calculating the amount of sick leave you have taken, so if you are needing to take time off because of morning sickness, it could be worthwhile telling your boss the real reason for your absence.

Above all, remember that in time this will pass – in the majority of cases it will ease by the end of the first trimester, and will all seem worth it when you are holding your new baby!