Morning Sickness FAQ- Your Burning Questions Answered

Morning sickness is no joke! There are so many changes in pregnancy from not sleeping well to hormone imbalances to fatigue. And then, just to top it all off, we get to experience that dreadful nausea. 

If you’re dealing with morning sickness, we wanted to create this guide that would tell you basically everything you need to know to make it through and not feel so alone while doing it.

Fun fact: 91% of women experience morning sickness. So truly, you are not alone and you are going to make it through this mama! 

So here we go! Everything you ever wanted to know about morning sickness.

Morning Sickness FAQ

Causes For Morning Sickness

The American Academy of Family Physicians believes that morning sickness results from a sudden increase in hormone levels released during pregnancy. This is likely the most common cause, but morning sickness could also be caused by reduced blood sugar (more on this later).

Have no fear, morning sickness is not a cause for concern. It actually is a sign that you are having a completely healthy pregnancy thus far! Who knew that nausea could have a bonus?! 

Common Morning Sickness Symptoms

The most common symptoms of morning sickness are nausea and vomiting. Food aversions are also possible meaning you will not even want to think about a certain food. For me, it’s almost always raw meat. BLEH. 

Some severe symptoms of morning sickness include throwing up 10-20 times per day. This is literally the worst and I am so sorry if you are one of those poor moms. 

You’ve got this though! Hang in there and it will be worth it in the end to hold that sweet babe! 

Does Everyone Get Morning Sickness?

No, some pregnant women do not experience morning sickness, but the overwhelming majority do. We found that 90.6% of women experience morning sickness at some point in pregnancy. 

When Does Morning Sickness Start And End?

For more than 54% of women, morning sickness starts between 5-6 weeks in the first trimester of pregnancy. For 37% of women, morning sickness ends in the second trimester. You can see more specifics from our pregnancy study.

When Does Morning Sickness Occur In A Day?

This is totally dependent on each person. Sometimes it is just like the name predicts– in the morning. For these people it’s most likely due to low blood sugar. 

For other expecting mothers, morning sickness should actually be called insomnia sickness because it happens at night and sometimes makes it difficult to sleep. 

Can I Have Morning Sickness Before A Positive Test?

Definitely. In the early pregnancy days, you might start to feel a little queezy. You can thank those lovely HCg levels (human chorionic gonadotropin) because when they are on the rise, so is your morning sickness. 

However, it will most likely hit closer to the sixth week of pregnancy when HCG levels are a bit higher. 

Remedies For Morning Sickness At Night

One of the best things you can do is go to bed early before the nausea hits. Another great tip is to keep a small snack on your nightstand. 

Then if you wake up in the night with an upset stomach, you can snack on a few of those crackers. 

Are Diarrhea And Chills Symptoms Of Morning Sickness?

Usually, morning sickness doesn’t include flu-like symptoms. If you’re experiencing diarrhea and chills, check with your health care provider for further information for you and your developing baby. 

Can Morning Sickness Be Nausea Without Vomiting?

You betcha! Nobody likes puking their guts out. But I’m not sure which is worse… feeling nauseous all the time or vomiting and then feeling better for at least a little bit. 

The majority of women will vomit at least once due to morning sickness. 

Can Morning Sickness Come And Go?

That’s the rough part about morning sickness. Some days you’ll have it and other days you’ll feel great. It also ebbs and flows throughout the day as well. 

Is Morning Sickness Worse with a Boy or Girl?

The old wives tale has it that morning sickness with a boy is a whole lot less likely. 

This was true for me as I didn’t have as many feelings of nausea with my son as I did with my daughters. 

Do Twins Make Morning Sickness Worse?

If you are pregnant with multiples, good luck my friend! You’re a rockstar and you can totally do this! 

But, due to the higher HCG levels, you will probably have a bit more morning sickness than some of your friends who are only expecting one. 

Second Pregnancy Morning Sickness

If you are a mommy veteran, then you probably already know most of this stuff about morning sickness. However, sometimes the nausea can get worse than your previous pregnancy. 

So don’t be alarmed if you feel more sick than you did before. This is totally normal! 

B6 For Morning Sickness

Vitamins are always a great idea during pregnancy! Anything will help that sweet developing baby of yours. 

But did you know… Vitamin B6 can also help alleviate some of these lovely symptoms you are experiencing? Two birds with one stone! 

Unisom For Morning Sickness

This is an over-the-counter medication that can help with the nausea. 

Talk to your healthcare professional about options for getting some if your sickness is so bad that you are having signs of weight loss or simply can’t function normally in day-to-day life. 

Zofran or Zyrtec For Morning Sickness

Talk to your healthcare provider to figure out a good option for medication if you feel like you have a severe form of morning sickness. These medications can be life changing! 

How Often To Eat For Morning Sickness

Eating when you have morning sickness is usually not a favorite activity. However, something you might try is eating bland foods. Saltine crackers, dry toast, and ginger ale might help alleviate some of your symptoms. 

Try to eat more frequent meals. You can do 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones in a day and it might help to spread out the nauseousness. 

How To Prevent Morning Sickness

There is no cure for morning sickness, but to help prevent it each day, you can try a few hacks… 

Morning Sickness Hacks

Try these helpful hacks for morning sickness remedies: 

1. Carry around a container of ginger and sniff it when you’re out and about and feeling sick 

2. Drink Ginger ale 

3. Have some ginger tea to help morning sickness

4. Take vitamin B6 supplements (found in a lot of prenatal vitamins)

5. Keep crackers on your nightstand and in your car. And in your purse. And at work. Just everywhere. 

6. Drink plenty of fluids

7. Try to get as much fresh air as possible 

8. Exercise

9. Go to bed early 

Breakfast Ideas For Morning Sickness

You don’t want to have to make so many dietary changes for this little baby who isn’t even here yet. But, there are a few things you can prepare ahead of time to help in the mornings when you just don’t feel like eating. 

1. Hard boiled eggs

2. Toast 

3. Overnight oats

4. Banana pancakes

5. Premade muffins

6. Smoothie (cold foods tend to help a lot with the nausea) 

Does Dehydration Make Morning Sickness Worse?

Yes! Dehydration in pregnancy is a problem, but especially for morning sickness. Some women have problems drinking water while pregnant because they just keep vomiting it back up again. 

Don’t worry, you’ll be ok. Just try to get as much water as you can because if you get dehydrated then it’s a vicious cycle of nausea, vomiting, and maybe some trips to the hospital (let’s not get to that point though! Just drink that water). 

Best Drinks For Morning Sickness

Again, ginger ale! Just go buy a bottle of it and always have some on hand. You’ll see what I mean– lifesaver! 

Getting enough fluids can be hard when water tastes so gross. Try drinking flavored water instead such as propel. 

Fruit juice is another helpful drink when water doesn’t sound so hot. 

Best Foods To Get Rid Of Morning Sickness

Hopefully, the food aversions aren’t so bad that you can’t stomach anything. Look at this blog post on the best foods for pregnancy to help you get enough nutrients in the day. 

Anything with ginger in it should help morning sickness go away. Try that bland food too– bananas, crackers, rice, applesauce.

Morning Sickness Peak

Hopefully, you’re morning sickness will peak between 12-16 weeks in your pregnancy. I know it seems like it’s going to last forever, but hang in there. It will eventually come to an end. 

Just picture at the end of all of this… that sweet baby being placed in your arms and say to yourself “Ok, I can do this!” 

Because you totally can! Your Paper Heart Family is cheering you on!