Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often known as morning sickness, is very common in early pregnancy. It can affect you at any time of the day or night or you may feel sick all day long. Morning sickness is unpleasant, and can significantly affect your day-to-day life. But it usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 of your pregnancy and does not put your baby at any increased risk. There is a chance of developing a severe form of pregnancy sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can be serious, and there's a chance you may not get enough fluids in your body (dehydration) or not get enough nutrients from your diet (malnourishment). You may need specialist treatment, sometimes in hospital. Sometimes urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also cause nausea and vomiting. A UTI usually affects the bladder, but can spread to the kidneys. you're vomiting and:
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Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast treatment that will work for everyone’s morning sickness. Every pregnancy will be different.
But there are some changes you can make to your diet and daily life to try to ease the symptoms.
If these do not work for you or you're having more severe symptoms, your doctor or midwife might recommend medicine.
Things you can try yourself
If your morning sickness is not too bad, your GP or midwife will initially recommend you try some lifestyle changes:
- get plenty of rest (tiredness can make nausea worse)
- avoid foods or smells that make you feel sick
- eat something like dry toast or a plain biscuit before you get out of bed
- eat small, frequent meals of plain foods that are high in carbohydrate and low in fat (such as bread, rice, crackers and pasta)
- eat cold foods rather than hot ones if the smell of hot meals makes you feel sick
- drink plenty of fluids, such as water (sipping them little and often may help prevent vomiting)
- eat foods or drinks containing ginger – there's some evidence ginger may help reduce nausea and vomiting (check with your pharmacist before taking ginger supplements during pregnancy)
- try acupressure – there's some evidence that putting pressure on your wrist, using a special band or bracelet on your forearm, may help relieve the symptoms
Find out more about vitamins and supplements in pregnancy
Anti-sickness medicine
If your nausea and vomiting is severe and does not improve after trying the above lifestyle changes, your GP may recommend a short-term course of an anti-sickness medicine, called an antiemetic, that's safe to use in pregnancy.
Often this will be a type of antihistamine, which are usually used to treat allergies but also work as medicines to stop sickness (antiemetic).
Antiemetics will usually be given as tablets for you to swallow.
But if you cannot keep these down, your doctor may suggest an injection or a type of medicine that's inserted into your bottom (suppository).
See your GP if you'd like to talk about getting anti-sickness medication.
It's thought hormonal changes in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are probably one of the causes of morning sickness.
But you may be more at risk of it if:
- you're having twins or more
- you had severe sickness and vomiting in a previous pregnancy
- you tend to get motion sickness (for example, car sick)
- you have a history of migraine headaches
- morning sickness runs in the family
- you used to feel sick when taking contraceptives containing oestrogen
- it's your first pregnancy
- you're obese (your BMI is 30 or more)
- you're experiencing stress
Visit the pregnancy sickness support site for tips for you and your partner on dealing with morning sickness.
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In this video, a midwife gives advice on how to deal with morning sickness during your pregnancy.
Page last reviewed: 13 April 2021
Next review due: 13 April 2024
Hi ladies-
I am 6 weeks, 1 day pregnant and feeling sooo nauseated. It hit me exactly one week ago at 5 weeks. I had bad nausea with my other 2 (now 5 and 7) but it is much worse this time. I am pretty much bed-bound with the sickness. It is non-stop 24/7. Maybe it's because I'm older now? I'm 37 this time around. I'm so worries it's going to get worse and turn into HG. I'm also quite thin and don't have weight to lose! Not looking for answers (I've tried everything to alleviate it and nothing works). I'm just looking for someone who can commiserate with me. This is miserable.
Hey everyone,
I am on my 3rd pregnancy now. I've got two DDs that are 3 and 1. This is so crazy to me, because this pregnancy is SOOOO much worse! It's more painful, my morning sickness is worse and vastly different (not sure how to explain it ... the nausea is just different from anything I've ever experienced), and I'm way more irritable and grouchy. What is going on? DH has a theory that this means I'm going to have a boy.
I guess this is partially a vent. I'm so exhausted and haven't been able to sleep because of the pain. I'm only 9 weeks and I swear I have round ligament pain. I'm not even sure if this is possible at this point, but that's what the pain feels like - comparing to what I had with my first 2.
I'm wondering if the morning sickness is different and worse because I had my gall bladder removed a few months after having my last baby. So this time around, I'm missing a gall bladder.
I've tried calling my OB's office to talk to them about all of this, but they're basically of the mindset that you're not *REALLY* pregnant until 12 weeks, so they don't want to waste time on you. (don't worry - looking into getting a new OB. I'm not putting up with their crap this entire pregnancy) They've prescribed me Zofran and Phenergan, which both worked with my first 2, but now they make no difference and Zofran has some really bad side effects this time around.
I've lost 15 pounds because of the morning sickness and feel like a bad mom and wife because I can't do anything. I basically lay on the couch and watch my kids play with toys all day. The pain and the nausea are just so bad.
Anyone have any tips? Advice? Know what I'm going through? I complain to DH a lot, but he's sick of hearing about it. He's sweet and doesn't say anything, but I can tell he just doesn't understand why it's not getting better.
wow, this is really long. Thanks for reading, if you got this far! :)
Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — Written by Sarah Bradley on July 30, 2020
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We’re just gonna come right out and say it: morning sickness sucks. Like, it might actually be the single worst part of pregnancy other than the part where you have to push a human being out of you.
Plus, it has the most inaccurate name of anything ever because it does not just happen in the morning (seriously… who was in charge of this?).
The only saving grace here is that it’s a first trimester problem. Once you get through the first 12 or 13 weeks, you’re good to go, right?
Yeah, no. Sometimes morning sickness lasts well into the second trimester and, for some especially unfortunate pregnant souls, it can drag all the way into the third trimester, too.
Here’s what’s probably going on and what you can do to feel better (other than induce labor and get this nausea-provoking baby out of you, already).
If you’re nearing your due date and wondering why you’re still barfing up your breakfast, know that while most cases of morning sickness get better after the first trimester, some just don’t — and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
While your initial nausea might have been caused by the sudden change in hormones as your body adjusted to being pregnant, third trimester nausea may be caused by a variety of things:
- Your growing baby. You’re running out of room in your stomach as baby grows, which puts pressure on your digestive system. This can cause everything from constipation to heartburn to nausea.
- Your prenatal vitamin. Some people have trouble digesting the high amounts of iron in prenatal vitamins without GI distress. If your nausea never really went away or if you changed brands mid-pregnancy, it could be causing nausea.
- Your diet. Is baby craving chili peppers? Well, good for baby, but you’re the one suffering the ill effects of spicy, oily, and acid-based foods. Especially with less room in your stomach these days, foods that tend to be irritating to the GI tract can really do a number on you.
- Hormones, again. These do typically level out after the first trimester, but let’s face it: Pregnancy is a hormonal roller coaster because they’re constantly in flux. If your nausea comes and goes by the day, it might be due to the up-and-down nature of your hormones.
If you’ve felt sick during most of your pregnancy, continuing to have symptoms in the third trimester isn’t unusual and can probably be blamed on one of these things.
If feeling excessively nauseated during the third trimester is a new thing for you this pregnancy, you should check in with your doctor.
Your stomach upset could still be caused by your changing body or an external factor like diet. But nausea is also a symptom of a few serious pregnancy conditions. Both preeclampsia (a severe form of high blood pressure) and gestational liver problems, like HELLP syndrome, can cause nausea.
If you’re feeling nauseated during the third trimester, it’s probably a GI issue — everything is getting squished in there, causing your digestion to slow down.
You may also be constipated or have abdominal bloating or gas, or you might have symptoms of reflux, like heartburn and indigestion.
If your changing hormones are to blame, you may also be feeling super tired, just like you did in the first trimester. Pregnancy really is the gift that just keeps on giving, isn’t it?
Your third trimester nausea could also be paired up with loss of appetite, persistent vomiting, and difficulty losing weight. In that case, you might actually have hyperemeis gravidarium, an extreme form of morning sickness that often requires medical treatment.
For the most part, you can treat third trimester nausea the same way you did way back at week 8 of your pregnancy.
Focus on eating smaller, more frequent meals (to avoid becoming overly full) and cutting back on foods that are agitating your digestive system (like those buffalo-style potato chips you can’t stop craving).
You can also:
- sip ginger tea or nibble on ginger gummies
- avoid any triggering foods or odors
- suck on peppermint or lemon hard candies
- snack on carb-heavy foods, like pretzels and crackers
- get extra sleep
- take a B6 supplement (if approved by your doctor)
- make changes to your prenatal vitamin, like splitting doses, changing the timing of doses, or switching to a gummy instead of a capsule
If you’re nauseated all the time and none of these remedies help, contact your doctor. Also give them a call if you’re having persistent vomiting or trouble keeping food or fluids down, even if you think you’ve caught a run-of-the-mill stomach bug.
Pregnant people need to be careful not to get dehydrated, so your doctor may want to monitor your symptoms.
Sometimes you can feel nauseated when labor is getting closer, but you’re much more likely to have nausea during active labor or the transition phase of labor.
Instead of wondering if your queasy stomach is a sign that you’re approaching the Big Day, pay attention to more reliable signs of labor, like:
Some of us are just unlucky enough to feel sick for 9 months, either intermittently or nonstop through all 3 trimesters.
But feeling nauseated 24/7 during the third trimester — especially if nothing helps alleviate it — is enough of a red flag to see your doctor for an exam. It could just be an unpleasant symptom you have to deal with until the end of pregnancy, but it’s always a good idea to rule out any issues.
Last medically reviewed on July 30, 2020
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