Morning Sickness Remedies: What Helped Me During the First Trimester

Raise your hand if you experienced morning sickness a lot during your first trimester! Mine was at its worst during week 9 and week 10 of pregnancy. I observed myself to gauge what kinds of food triggered it. I also took note of what helped me cope with it. If you’re currently pregnant and experiencing nausea a lot, here’s a list of morning sickness remedies that made mine a bit more manageable.

What is Morning Sickness?

According to What to Expect, morning sickness is described as nausea and vomiting that can happen when you’re pregnant. Since the sense of smell is heightened when you’re expecting, you may have strong aversions to certain foods and smells as well. I find it funny that morning sickness was labeled as such. Mine occurred every night before going to sleep! Morning sickness usually starts around the 6th week of pregnancy and lasts until the middle of the second month. I think mine started at around week 8 and slowly subsided at week 14 or 15.

Morning Sickness Causes

A few factors that may cause nausea and vomiting are increased levels of the pregnancy hormone as well as the rising levels of estrogen and progesterone. Heartburn and excess saliva can increase feelings of queasiness, too. Not all pregnant women experience morning sickness in the same way. Others may feel nauseous all day but rarely throw up, while some may vomit frequently. During the height of my morning sickness, I would always vomit before bedtime.

Foods That Triggered My Morning Sickness

Since I took note of what foods triggered my morning sickness, I made sure to stay away from these for a while.

Onions and Garlic

It was especially the aftertaste that I couldn’t stand!

Guacamole

Sadly, as much as I love eating guacamole, the mixture of onions and tomatoes made it hard for me to stomach.

Instant Noodles

The aftertaste of instant noodles had a similar effect as onions and garlic for me.

Chocolate-Flavored Enfamama

I mentioned on Instagram that for some reason, my tummy reacted to both Anmum and Enfamama. But the chocolate-flavored Enfamama was the worst for me! It would make me vomit instantly. I told my OB about this, so she decided to remove it from my diet and replaced it with calcium supplements instead.

Prenatal Vitamins

I think my prenatal vitamins were the number one cause of my morning sickness—especially Obimin! So I tried to always drink it when I wasn’t too full. After drinking, I’d wash it down with either a small bar of chocolate or orange juice. Anything to get rid of the icky aftertaste!

My Morning Sickness Remedies

While the foods listed above triggered my nausea and queasiness, below were the ones that helped me cope with it.

Ice Chips or Cubes

Whenever I’d start feeling nauseous, I would take an ice cube from the freezer and suck on it. I think the cold was a great distraction.

Orange Juice and Lemonade

Orange juice and lemonade made it bearable as well. But I tried not to drink too much because it had a tendency to trigger my hyperacidity.

Melons, Apples, Watermelons, Pears, and Kiwi

These specific fruits really helped a lot. So I stocked up on them during my first trimester. Every time I visited my family on weekends, my dad would prepare slices for me!

Long Naps

Since I could afford to take naps in the afternoon, I’d rest it out and hope the queasiness and nausea would go away.

Other Morning Sickness Remedies That Might Help

I lingered on Facebook groups and read that these allowed women to manage their morning sickness. I tried it but sadly, these didn’t work for me. But maybe it will for you!

Salabat or Ginger Tea

I stocked up on these but I noticed that drinking it didn’t really do much for my morning sickness.

Ginger Candies

These were also in my kitchen cupboard, but I guess because I’m not a huge fan of the taste, ginger candies didn’t do much either.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (or Severe Morning Sickness)

When you experience severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, that could be hyperemesis gravidarum. You might vomit multiple times a day, become dehydrated, and even lose weight. If you think you have this, consult with your OB! There are treatments available to prevent this.

I hope this article helps anyone who is struggling with morning sickness. Try to observe yourself and take note of what triggers it, and maybe stay away from those for a while. If you have any questions about my morning sickness remedies, feel free to leave them in the comment section. I recently also wrote about getting vaccinated against COVID-19 while pregnant, in case you’re interested to read.

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