SSM Health: All-Day Sickness Remedies For Pregnant Women

From the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton:

July 7, 2021

With pregnancy, your body goes through an extraordinary metamorphosis to create a nurturing environment for your baby’s growth and development over the course of a nine-month period. Despite how magical this transformation can be, we know it can also come with some rather unpleasant side effects, including fatigue, mood swings, swelling, hemorrhoids, skin tags, etc.

If you ask most women, however, they’ll likely tell you that morning sickness is the worst side effect of them all. The stomach pains, queasiness, nausea, and general malaise can be downright debilitating. Some days, it can be a challenge to function at home or work, let alone get through the day. The term itself is even misleading – it’s often a side effect that can hit at any point of the day. So, for argument’s sake, we’ll refer to it as ‘all-day sickness’ going forward.

What is All-Day Sickness (a.k.a. Morning Sickness)?

Generally marked by nausea and occasional vomiting, all-day sickness usually happens within the first four months of pregnancy and is often the first sign of pregnancy. It’s the result of the increased pregnancy hormones and is generally considered a good sign that the placenta is developing well (hey, at least there’s a silver lining, right?).

If you’re dealing with all-day sickness, you’re not alone. Approximately 70 percent of pregnant women experience nausea at some point during their pregnancies, while 50 percent deal with vomiting. And if you’re really unlucky, you may be among the one percent of women suffering from extreme all-day sickness.

Known as hyperemesis gravidarum – which translates to ‘excessive vomiting during pregnancy’ – this condition often begins earlier in the pregnancy, between weeks four and five, but lasts longer (sometimes throughout the entire pregnancy…yikes). In some cases, hospitalization or other medical interventions may be required, particularly if you become dehydrated.

For the more than 50 percent of women dealing with all-day sickness, however, there’s good news: There are several dietary and lifestyle recommendations as well as over-the-counter remedies you can try, which have been proven to be safe and effective at alleviating these symptoms and/or minimizing them altogether. Of course, before you take anything, you should consult with your OB/GYN or midwife first.

Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations

Certain factors, activities, foods, smells, etc., can trigger your all-day sickness symptoms or make them more pronounced. Try some of the following dietary and lifestyle recommendations to help prevent or minimize symptoms:

• Aim to eat smaller portions throughout the course of the day with more frequent food intake.
• Don't let your stomach get empty. Waiting until too hungry or thirsty can worsen symptoms.
• Be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day by carrying a large, refillable water bottle with you. However, avoid eating and drinking at the same time. Try separating these by 20 to 30 minutes.
• If you’re struggling to keep food down, eat a snack of 1 serving of carbohydrates with 1 serving of protein every 1 to 2 hours (e.g., have half an apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter).
• Eat a small amount of a dry carbohydrate food 10 to 15 minutes before getting out of bed (e.g., saltine crackers)
• Try eating cold/frozen foods, which are often tolerated better (e.g., popsicles, ice chips, slushies, etc.)
• Avoid strong odors, fried/greasy food, and spicy food, which can trigger all-day sickness symptoms.
• Try wearing acupressure wrist bands or motion sickness wrist bands.
• If you notice a metallic taste in your mouth, try sucking on candies or lozenges or chewing gum.
• Change positions slowly, especially when you’re getting out of bed.
• Avoid brushing your teeth right after eating.
• Try adding ginger (up to 1,000 mg/day dried ginger root) to your diet or drink ginger ale. Just be sure to have eaten something before ingesting ginger.
• When you start feeling queasy, try smelling a fresh scent such as lemon or rosemary. Those scents can help quell any nausea.

Over-the-Counter Remedies

If you’ve adopted some of the tactics outlined above, but are still struggling to find relief, consider one or more of these over-the-counter remedies:

• Vitamin B6 (50 mg tablets) – Take a half tablet, three times per day.
• Unisom or doxylamine (25 mg tablets) – Take a half tablet in the morning and a half tablet in the evening.
• Reflux medication (e.g., Pepcid)

Prescription Medication

For some pregnant women, all-day sickness can be particularly debilitating if they’re vomiting around-the-clock (in cases of hyperemesis gravidarum, for instance) or when they’re constantly nauseated and can’t seem to find any relief. In these cases, there is an FDA-approved prescription medication: Diclegis, which is a combination of vitamin B6 and Unisom.

Zofran is another medication that has been used and is considered low-risk, but it’s not FDA-approved for pregnancy despite a recent increase in off-label use for this condition. It’s also important to note that Zofran is recommended for use after the first trimester.

Keep in mind, prescription medication is often a last resort during pregnancy as you want to avoid as many medical interventions as possible. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms to figure out what might work best for you.

For more information about pregnancy, certain medical conditions, and what to expect when you’re expecting, visit https://www.ssmhealth.com/maternity.

Leslie McCloskey, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, who practices with the SLUCare Physician Group at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – St. Louis. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology, at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include general obstetrics and gynecology, management of abnormal pap smears and cervical dysplasia. She provides family planning services, prenatal care, well-woman exams, ultrasounds, colposcopy and LEEP procedures. Dr. McCloskey earned her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed her residency at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Ill.

This press release was produced by the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton. The views expressed are the author's own.