I am not a medical professional. ALWAYS consult your physician, OB-GYN, and/or midwife with pregnancy-related concerns, and consult them before trying any of these suggestions.

I had "morning sickness" morning, noon and night for 9 months with my first pregnancy. With my 2nd child, I was rarely nauseous, but would spontaneously hurl without warning, at least once a day during my 2nd trimester and occasionally during the 1st and 3rd. This was always "fun," especially when it would happen while I was trying to drive down a busy highway and later have to detail my car's interior with Lysol and a toothbrush.

Few people - even medical professionals - seem to take this sickness seriously. Believe me, I know how frustrating and debilitating nausea and/or vomiting in pregnancy can be, and the usual suggestions - "Eat a cracker before you get up" "Drink ginger ale" "Take a Tums" - never worked for me.

This is a collection of all of the tips, information, links and suggestions which I gathered during my pregnancies. Some of them are simply things that I found which worked for me. Others come from articles, my midwives' or doctors' suggestions, friends, folklore, etc.

I am not a medical professional. ALWAYS consult your physician, OB-GYN, and/or midwife with pregnancy-related concerns, and consult them before trying any of these suggestions.

* RELAX. In retrospect, I think I was so terrified, tense and nervous about having my first child, that I worked myself into a constant sickness. I've talked to many women who say they did the same thing. Nervousness and anxiety are enough to make anyone feel nauseous, even without the hormones of pregnancy. And it doesn't have to be a first pregnancy to make you feel upset or scared. If you are worried about your health, afraid of complications in delivery, have money troubles, are having conflicts with the baby's father and/or the rest of your family, just moved somewhere new or made a big life change, have no support systems, etc., any pregnancy can be difficult and make you feel sick...

* Go to church. Call friends or family you can trust. Don't hesitate to ask for help. Having emotional support, or actual physical support - help with laundry and dishes, someone to rub your feet, someone to watch your other children so you can rest - is VERY helpful (see above). Many towns and cities have mother support groups - try searching Google, Yahoo Groups, Meetup.com or at local churches, health food stores and co-ops, government and park and rec facilities. Join La Leche League - it's a breastfeeding support group, but I started going to meetings while still pregnant and just looking for information and to make friends.

* Potato chips and Gatorade. In the first trimester of my first pregnancy, at my OB-GYN's suggestion, I ate potato chips and Gatorade. They turned out to be the only things I could keep down. Some people might need to be careful of the salt in the chips, though, as it can contribute to water retention, swollen ankles, high blood pressure, etc.

* 7-up and Jell-o were also very helpful in my 2nd pregnancy. Not Sprite, though. For some reason, it just didn't settle my stomach the way 7-up did.

* Change your vitamins. It is important to take pre-natal vitamins before and during pregnancy, but I found that prescription vitamins made me very ill. I have also heard similar stories from friends who suffered nausea until changing their vitamin brand or prescription (sometimes 2 or 3 times until finding one that didn't make them ill, or as ill as the others).

While my prescription vitamins were covered by medical insurance, I opted to buy my own vitamins at a health food store. Rainbow Light has a pre-natal vitamin, as does Nature's Plus. During my second pregnancy, I took the Nature's Plus "Source of Life" supplement - it's derived from whole food concentrates, comes in mini-tabs so they're easy to swallow, and are vegetarian and hypo-allergenic. I took a bottle to my midwife so she could make sure it had everything I would get in a standard pre-natal vite, and she said it was just fine. NOTE: I do have friends who've said that the "Source of Life" vitamins seemed to upset their babies stomachs when taken while breastfeeding.

* Drink lots of water. This is often suggested in books and articles for helping with nausea and pregnancy in general. Staying hydrated is very important for you and baby. However, I found that lots of water can also mean lots and lots of vomit. I did better when there was something in the water - lemon, gatorade, juice, broth, soup, etc.

* Eat small meals frequently. This is also often suggested in the literature and by medical professionals. While this did not help me during my first pregnancy (I just simply didn't feel like eating AT ALL and if I did, it made me feel more nauseous) - it was true for my second pregnancy, when I would feel MORE nauseous if my blood sugar dropped, especially in my first trimester. As long as I would nibble a banana, nuts, toast, grapes, cheese, etc., throughout the day, I would feel fine.

* Eat whatever you are craving. I know we all want to eat healthy, nutritious meals, especially when we're pregnant, and make sure we get our calcium, protein, etc., but I was told by my OB-GYN and midwives during both of my pregnancies that it's more important that I simply EAT and keep it down, than to try and eat something because I "should" and then just throw it up, especially during the first trimester. "As long as you're taking your vitamins and drinking lots of fluids, eat whatever you feel like eating," was what I was told.

* On the flip side, poor nutrition can also contribute to nausea and vomiting. Don't dispense with vitamins altogether - and whenever possible, try eating fruit and veggies, whole grains, beans, protein, low-fat cottage cheese & yogurt (if you can - good sources of calcium, protein, and digestive "friendly flora") and drink clear, clean water. This also helps prevent constipation. Cut out on heavy, greasy, sugary, junk foods and fatty foods that are hard to digest and not high in nutrition.

* Solaray Super Papaya-Plex. These are a lifesaver! Not only do they help gaseous husbands (MAKE him take the tablets after each bowl of chili or each burrito!), but they worked wonders in my 2nd pregnancy. For some reason, if I ate more than a cup of food at a time, I would often end up hurling. These dietary supplements (purchased in a health food store or online) contain digestive enzymes which would help settle my stomach, digest the food and prevent gas.

* Tums(R). These were recommended to me by the OB-GYN I had during my first pregnancy (I switched to a midwife in my 2nd trimester). They are also often recommended to me by my husband, who eats them like candy. While Tums contain calcium, which is very good for pregnant women, they are designed to reduce stomach acid and heartburn. I personally found them to be completely useless (see paragraph above) for helping with my nausea, which was caused by an inability to digest, rather than too much stomach acid.

* Peppermint, ginger, papaya and pineapple. All are said to contain digestive aids and/or help with nausea. Sucking on peppermint candy and drinking ginger ale did help me A LOT in my 2nd pregnancy. Papaya and pineapple (which contains the enzyme bromelain) are often found as ingredients in natural digestive aids.

* Fennel. This is an herb. If you've ever eaten at an Indian/Tandoori restaurant, you may have seen a little bowl of it at the cash register, the way other restaurants have mints. It has a licorice flavor and can be chewed, or steeped in hot water to drink. I have found it to be another sure-fire way to settle the stomach and/or dispel gas & intestinal cramps.

* B6, iron, anise (an herb) & raspberry leaf tea. These are all recommended to help with morning sickness by Susun Weed in her book, "Herbal for the Childbearing Year."

* Avoid spicy or greasy foods. This should be a no-brainer, but it is mentioned in the "Herbal" book I cited, above, so I thought I'd throw it in.

* Fresh air/Eliminate smells. I found that just standing by a window, in a cool breeze, or leaving a smoke-filled area, were enough to curb growing nausea. (Of course, cigarette smoke is VERY BAD for ANYONE, let alone pregnant women, but I was on the board of an organization which met once a month in a pub where smoking was allowed - I couldn't go more than an hour or two before I'd start to feel nauseous and would have to leave.) During both of my pregnancies, I would become EXTREMELY sensitive to smells and would get instantly sick around strong perfume, stale food, paint, public restrooms, my husband's gas (seriously!) - I couldn't even wipe my 3-year-old's butt after she pooped without tossing into the sink when I was pregnant with baby #2.

* Fan, a/c and/or ice. Related to the "fresh air" suggestion above, I found that I did better when I stayed as cool as I could. Even while pregnant in the winter, I would easily overheat in heavy clothes or indoors with a heater. Or having a small fan (or just a magazine to wave with one hand) to blow offending smells away was very useful.

* Walk. Activity is good, in general, but is also recommended for everything from depression to obesity to circulation problems to joint pain to, yes, pregnancy nausea. Walking has been recommended to me during pregnancy, by doctors, midwives, books and friends.

* Rest. Sleep. As much as possible. It did wonders for me during my 2nd pregnancy (I was a Work-At-Home-Mom). During my first pregnancy, however, I was working a highly stressful newspaper job, with hours lasting sometimes until 2 a.m., and working 6-7 nights in a row. When my doctor found out, she had a fit and sent a note to my employer insisting that these hours were bad for my health (I had lost 10 lbs in my first trimester). I was able to sit down with my boss and work out a schedule which allowed me to work some days, fewer hours, and had the benefit (to him) of gradually adjusting the workplace to prepare for my eventual absence (see below). I ended up leaving work at 6 months pregnant, using a combination of accumulated sick leave, vacation and unpaid maternity leave.

* Consider taking maternity leave early, or ask for fewer/better hours. If you are working, I realize that you are probably there because you need the money, and/or are really dedicated to your career, and/or feel you are essential to your employer, and/or don't want to lose your job and health benefits. But, if you are suffering terribly from morning sickness - losing weight, can't function, aren't sleeping, aren't eating, etc. - consider talking to your doctor about a medical note (by law, employers CANNOT discriminate against you for being pregnant!), and talk to your employer about working out something that helps both of you (reduced hours, a place to nap during lunch, etc.).

* Nature's Miracle. If you do throw up on the furniture, in the car, etc., this stuff is GREAT for getting out the smell. It is purchased in pet shops (such as PETSMART) and is designed to remove dog and cat pee stains and smells. It is safe to use around pets and children, and contains natural enzymes which break down the puke (rather than just masking the odor).

* Get a second opinion. In my first pregnancy, I saw an OB-GYN for the first 5 months. She would just keep saying, "Oh, the nausea will end soon" or "It's just part of being pregnant." She said that every month, and it never did "end soon." She also didn't want to change my vitamin prescription. I switched to a different practice, with nurse-midwives, who were much more responsive to my concerns, offered more advice, and were better listeners.

* You do have a right to the care you want and deserve. You may need to shop around, request a sliding scale, set up a payment plan, petition your health insurance, or simply ask to see a different doctor, nurse or midwife in the same office. Having a baby is very exciting, frightening, expensive and emotional, and most health practitioners will understand that and be willing to work with you (and if they're not, IMHO, then you don't want them presiding over your life and birth, anyway, right?).

I am not a medical professional. ALWAYS consult your physician, OB-GYN, and/or midwife with pregnancy-related concerns, and consult them before trying any of these suggestions.

Some statistics: (from Parents Expecting Magazine, 2000)

At least 50%-90% of pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP)

Of these, 1-1.8% will require hospitalization from NVP

Between 36%-76% of pregnant women will feel sick all day long, especially in the first trimester

5% of women with NVP will vomit until childbirth

15% will feel nausea until childbirth

Studies indicate that NVP signals a healthy pregnancy - incidence of miscarriage are lower in women who experience NVP