Congrats! You’re pregnant! Welcome to 9 blissful months of glowing skin, thick glossy hair, kindness from strangers, and of course the all day hell that is “morning” sickness! You are reading this, so I think it is safe to assume that you are probably battling with some form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

At this point, you’ve tried it all, or so you think. Fresh ginger, ginger tea, ginger candies (if one more person asks, “have you tried ginger?” you may break!). You snack before getting out of bed and avoid really stinky situations. But, you still find yourself puking in a plastic bag from your emergency kit on the side of the freeway. Ugh. Well… here are a 50+ all-natural morning sickness remedies that do not include ginger.

Side note: I am not a doctor. Talk to yours.

Side note 2: If your vomiting persists well into your second trimester, you are losing weight, or just are finding that you can’t tolerate it anymore, talk to your healthcare provider. 

There is no reason to suffer through extreme morning sickness.

If your healthcare provider is not taking you seriously, find someone else.

Side note 3: As with everything pregnancy and motherhood related, trust your intuition and do what you know is right for you and your baby. And only you two.

Anyway, back to it…I tried ALL of these during my second pregnancy. Some worked a bit, some worked well, some might have been placebo (I’ll take it!). And there has been a huge difference between the two pregnancies.

In my first pregnancy, my nausea and vomiting persisted till the day my little guy was born. I ended up resorting to two prescriptions. This time around, I hoped to avoid prescriptions. So, I started preventing morning sickness before it started, and have noticed a huge difference.  I have gained a lot more weight. Not great for my vanity, but definitely better for the baby.

We’re at about 17 weeks, and I have successfully avoided a prescription. 

50+ all-natural morning sickness remedies

Practical Tips:

1. SLEEP. Sleep is probably the best thing you can do for your nausea and vomiting. If nothing else, you aren’t sick while you are asleep. But, a tired body is definitely a more nauseous one. I was nauseous every second I was awake with my first one. For many of us, this is not practical. But, just do your best to get as much good quality sleep as possible.

 2. Ask for help, and take it when someone offers.

3. Leave the projects if you can. Rest as much as possible, even if it’s just 5 minutes here and there. Dusting can wait (and it will!).

4. Keep a diary. Keep track of your triggers. I wish I would have done this much earlier on. It took me way too long to figure out that the same things were making me sick. For most of us, bad smells, the talk of certain foods, and a few other obvious things will do it every time. But, it’s those not as obvious triggers that noticing earlier on will help immensely. It took me months to notice a few patterns, so this time, I have been keeping track. You might be surprised what pushes you over the edge.

5. Trust yourself. Once you figure out your triggers, avoid them as much as possible. Once, I got sick because I didn’t like the way some guy at a meeting was dipping his fries. I knew he (and his fries) would be at later meetings so, I skipped them for the rest of my pregnancy. Know your triggers, even if they seem silly, and trust yourself.

6. Avoid everything that made you nauseous before pregnancy. You’ve obviously given up tequila at this point, but give up the things that made you even mildly nauseous before, from car rides and sugar, to bright lights and bars. Pregnancy will only make it worse. 

7. Put together a survival kit. Mine includes peppermint oil, chocolate, crackers, a plastic bag, napkins, a toothbrush, a spare shirt, a laundry bag, and water. It may not help the nausea, but it will certainly make the aftermath better.

Food:

8. NEVER GET HUNGRY. Ever. In my second pregnancy, I kept eating. If I felt good, I ate. If I felt bad, I tried to eat. In my first pregnancy, I often couldn’t tell if I was hungry, nauseous, or both. This time, I try to make sure I’m not hungry, ever.

9. Never get full. 

10. Eat whatever you can keep down. If you’ve eaten well prior to conception, the body provides some natural nutritional stores to feed baby. Just try to keep something down. I had a perfectly healthy baby after eating carbs with butter almost exclusively for 9 months. Which brings me to…

11. Bland carbs. Carbs and butter were the only things that didn’t make me sick for months. Most websites will tell you to eat protein, but I found that most protein made me sick. Carbs and butter, baby.

12. Bedside charcuterie platter. I like to call the snack stash I kept on my nightstand a charcuterie platter. It made it sound fancier than “crackers in bed.” Always have a snack by your bed, so If you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, you don’t have to go to the kitchen. This will make going back to sleep easier. And eating before you get up will help with nausea as well.

13. Lemons. Smell them, eat them, put juice in your water. Something about the tartness has helps.

14. Bone broth. This time around, bone broth has proven to be a morning lifesaver. I have come to crave it. It has a boost of easy to digest protein, and I can drink it even when I felt my absolute worst. One cup, with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper would relieve quite a bit of morning nausea, and even give me a small energy boost. And there were days when it was my only source of protein.

15. Eat good stuff whenever you can. My nausea gets worse as the day goes on (morning sickness? I don’t think so!) So, I try my hardest to get as much good stuff as possible in the morning. On some days, it is the only time I eat anything of value. 

16. Ice. On those days that you can’t even keep down water, do your best to stay hydrated with ice or popsicles.

17. Cold carbonated anything. There is something really refreshing and relieving about cold carbonated water or soda.

18. Coconut water. You are likely losing electrolytes and nutrients and may not be able to replace them with your diet. Try coconut water.

19. Sea salt. See above.

20. Tea. Tea has forced me to slow down. While my husband is putting the baby to bed, I brew a cup (any kind, but peppermint, ginger, turmeric, and chamomile are my pregnancy recommendations). And then I sit, with my feet up, and just drink the tea and breath. Nothing else. Just quiet time. I don’t know if it is the tea or the quiet or the breathe, but it has helped a lot.

21. Apple juice. Cold pressed apple juice has been a lifesaver.  

22. Apple cider vinegar. This is supposed to help neutralize stomach acids, which can help with nausea. I can’t even talk about ACV during my first trimester. But later on, I mix it with a little honey or stevia and lots of water. It is also supposed to help with heartburn, which is a bonus.

22. Eat cold food. It doesn’t smell as much or as bad as hot food.

23. Listen to your cravings. I truly believe that the body knows what it needs. And if it needs toast with almond butter, crema, and honey, have it. It might not be a perfect diet, but if you can eat it and keep it down, it is good for you. Your nutritionist might disagree 😉

Supplements:

During my second pregnancy, I started taking these supplements immediately after I found out I was pregnant and before the nausea set in. And it never got as bad as it did during the first pregnancy. I think by loading up on missing nutrients before they got depleted, I was able to prevent some of the nausea.

24. Magnesium. You can either take supplements or use topical magnesium. I took a supplement because it was the first thing I found when I went to Sprouts, but switched to topical later. They are equally as effective, as far as I can tell. 

25. Vitamin B6. I think B6 has also helped with my energy levels.

26. Papaya and other digestive enzymes. These help break down and digest your food, resulting in less nausea.

27. Probiotics.  During pregnancy, food-based probiotics are not an option for me (even the thought of yoghurt is disgusting right now). So… probiotics. Good gut health should help with the queasiness of pregnancy.

28. Prenatals at the right time. Sometimes prenatals are the cause of NVP. Figure out the best time and way for you to take them. 

29. Bentonite Clay. This is not the easiest thing for me to get down, but it is worth it. When the nausea is coupled with that sour stomach feeling, clay seems to help neutralize it. Make sure you get the edible version (I like Redmonds) and drink it with plenty of water, at a separate time of day then when you take your prenatals and supplements as it can absorb the nutrients. Get it in bulk, as there are so many uses! 

Essential Oils:

Certain essential oils are proven to reduce nausea and vomiting, as well as other pregnancy side effects. Generally, any oil that smells good to you, could help with nausea. But please check to make sure you aren’t using any of the not-safe-for-pregnancy oils.

30. Peppermint Oil. I keep peppermint oil in my kitchen, bedroom, purse, and car. A little drop helps with nausea, fatigue, and headaches. And if you are anything like me, and have gotten sick at the whiff of trash, bacon, diapers, your husband’s hair gel, etc. peppermint can be a life saver. I put a little under my nose to mask whatever odor comes my way. If smells are making you sick, peppermint oil could be exactly what you need to reduce the nausea and mask the smell.

31. Lemon Oil. Studies have shown that lemon oil works for nausea, and for me it did seem to help a bit. 

32. Lavender oil.Lavender oil is proven to help with nausea and to relax us and help us sleep as well, which also helps with nausea.

33. Sandalwood. Sandalwood helps with sleep, and when you’re asleep, guess what? You’re not nauseous!

Mindset

Don’t tell my husband I wrote this. Every time he mentions mindset, I snap. But… there is obviously some benefit to a positive mindset.

34. Eliminate stress. As much as possible. Stress is proven to aggravate nausea. Relax as much as possible.

35. Perspective. During my first pregnancy, I would count the days till the end of my first trimester, “knowing” that the morning sickness would be over. It wasn’t. Then, every few weeks, I would wake up and say, “It’s the Xth week, my morning sickness is going to be gone today!” Guess what? It was not. Finally, around week 25, it occurred to me that it may continue until the end. I stopped waiting for it to be over, and just got used to it. Once I stopped hoping for the end, my perspective changed, and I felt a little better.

36. Confidence. Know that it is a sign of a healthy pregnancy (I know, I hated hearing this too, but it is true), and that it will pass. Eventually. Even if it takes 9 months.

37. Laughter. The pregnant body is constantly betraying us. And often times it is embarrassing. Embrace it. Laugh at yourself. Laugh with your partner about and your girlfriends about the embarrassing situations pregnancy offers (gas at work? puking in a parking lot? laugh at it all).

38. Get past the embarrassment. Yep, you might puke in a trash can by the pool of a five star resort while people are having dinner. Get over it. And then laugh about it.

39. Tell a friend. And then listen to her terrible puke story. And then laugh about it.

40. Distraction. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

At Home: 

41. Rid your home of offensive smells. Get rid of anything that triggers you or try to mask it. Now is the time to get a diffuser and some essential oils if you haven’t already. 

42. Ask those around you to help with odors. I had to ask my coworker to stop wearing her regular lotion, and a babysitter to stop wearing perfume. My husband’s barber can’t use his regular pomade. I just can’t take the smells. People understand.

43. Cook outside. I could not handle the smell of a lot of foods cooking, or the lingering smell. So, we barbecued!

44. Ask for quiet. There were a few weeks during the first trimester of my first pregnancy that even certain sounds made me sick. We had to avoid favorite restaurants and don’t even ask my husband about his singing. It’s still a sore subject.

Lifestyle:

45. Acupuncture. I am a big proponent of acupuncture, as it has all but cured my autoimmune disease, eliminated a hangover, alleviated knee, back, and hip pain, and just made my life better. It did not work for my morning sickness. At all. But, it has been proven to work for others. Give it a try.

46. Acupressure. The bands also did not work for me, but, they have worked for my sea sickness in the past, and I love them for that. I have a girlfriend who wore them non-stop and swears by them. You can also practice acupressure on yourself, which did help me from time to time.

47. Ice yourself. This pregnancy, I overheat at night, no matter how cool the house is. Overheating leads to nausea. So, I take two ice packs to bed. One for my lower back and one for my chest. It has helped me sleep (a lifesaver!), and eliminates nausea from overheating.

48. Hydration. This is so important. Being thirsty is going to make you more nauseous. Do whatever it takes to stay hydrated and keep water (or whatever you are able to tolerate) close by at all times. Take small sips throughout the day.

49. Meditation. The benefits of meditation go so far beyond a clear mind. It has been proven to reduce physical symptoms of stress (nausea!), pain, and other physical discomfort. It has helped a lot this pregnancy, and has helped me get to sleep and back to sleep, which also helps. Insightly has a meditation specifically for morning sickness. 

50. Hypnosis. I used Hypnobabies birthing techniques to prepare for the big day. During the prep, you practice self hypnosis. While my birth did not go according to “plan,” the Hypnobabies helped immensely. I could feel the nausea waning as I worked on my relaxation. During the final trimester of my first pregnancy, the only time I didn’t feel nauseous were the 30-60 minutes I was self hypnotizing and when I was asleep. This time around, I have used the technique every time we have taken a long drive and when I have a few minutes at the end of the day here and there.

51. Breathe. A few weeks ago, I thought I was going to get sick. I paused, and focused on my breath for about 3 or 4 minutes. Just breathing. It worked. I have since tried it almost every time I have gotten sick or thought I was going to. It is successful about half the time.

52. Get horizontal. Even if it’s just for a few minutes. The world does not spin as much when you are in bed.

53. Cold fresh air. Especially in the morning. A few big deep breathes of cold air helps a lot. Get outside and breathe it in.

54. Light exercise. Even the thought of moving made me sick the first time around, but I have found that a slow walk outside or a few sun salutations helps a lot.

55. Wear loose clothes. Tight pants can make things worse.

56. Get ahead of your headaches. I had terrible migraines during both pregnancy (and am not a migraine person normally). Working to slow the headache before it got worse helps immensely. Usually this involves a nap or caffeine.

57. Brush your teeth often, but for shorter amounts of time, with little or no toothpaste. The bubbling up of toothpaste can trigger nausea and gag reflexes. 

58. Take time off, if possible. 

59. Time.  In 6 weeks (or 16, or 18, or 25, or 40… you never know), this will be all over. Worst case scenario, your nausea lasts until your little one is born. But, the upside is, about a half an hour after you give birth, it will be gone. And you will have never felt better. 

Are there any all-natural morning sickness remedies that you have tried that you swear by? I would love to hear them (as I’m sure all the other mamas would too!)