Morning Sickness Remedies: What Worked for Me

The name Morning sickness is such a misnomer. It lasts ALL DAY everyday, for weeks. And, at least for me, it was so much more than just a little queasiness. It was like nausea on steroids. And no matter what I did, it just won’t go away. It threw me into bed every night, exhausted and miserable, and greeted me first thing in the morning as soon as I woke up.

Luckily, I seem to be through the worst of it now. It still hits me now and then, but I am SO much better than I was three weeks ago.

One of my goals with this blog is to share what I’m learning on this journey with the rest of the Diabetes OC. So I thought I would dedicate this post to the things that worked for me (and those that didn’t work, too) when I was trying to survive the worst of my morning sickness.

Here they are, in no particular order:

Things that worked

• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. I found that if I nibbled on these tasty little candies a few at a time throughout the day, they helped keep my stomach from gnawing a hole in itself. An added bonus: they also helped keep my plummeting blood sugars out of that dangerously low range.
• Macaroni and Cheese. You know, the good, old-fashioned Kraft version with powdered cheese mix. This  dinner time go-to turned out to be just bland enough to allow me to keep down a decent quantity, and calorie-dense enough to help inch my weight back up into its pre-pregnancy range.
• Apple Cider. I can’t explain it, but I tolerated and even craved this fall-time drink, which came in especially handy when trying to treat those late-night and early-morning lows.
• Saltine crackers. True to their reputation, these little gems turned out to be the best nausea reducer for first thing in the morning. Believe what you read in the books: keep the saltines on the nightstand and eat one or two before you even attempt to put your feet on the floor.
• Salty potato chips. I read somewhere that a handful of salty potato chips could settle morning sickness. I was doubtful, but was also desperate. This one turned out to work pretty well, but the limit is just about 15 chips, or one carb exchange. After that, they started contributing to that full tummy sensation.
• Almonds. A handful of almonds helped take the edge off when it was too soon to take another anti-nausea pill. An added bonus is that they do not affect my blood sugar.
• Ice Water. It had to be ice-cold, but a few sips would quell my queasiness at least enough to help me get ready for work in the morning. Of course, the additional fluid was also key to keeping me well hydrated.
• Phenergan. I don’t know why my doctor initially told me that the only anti-nausea drug I could take was Zofran. Once I switched to Phenergan, I could finally start to eat again. The side effects can be debilitating, though. It does make me feel tired and loopy in high doses. If I can manage with the lower dose, though, it works pretty well. An added bonus: it is available in generic form, so it is much more affordable than Zofran.
• IV Fluids. When all else failed, I checked myself into the hospital for some good old saline. Two days and three bags later, I felt like a new person. It sure was a nuisance, but it really did help me turn the corner.
• My husband. He did EVERYTHING while I was stuck in bed. From laundry, to dinner, to waking me up to test my sugar,he has really taken a lot of the burden in this new journey. Thank goodness for him. I don’t know how I would have made it this far without him.

Things that did not work

• Bananas. Forget the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast,) which the doctor suggested when I was in the hospital. Bananas contributed to my full and queasy feeling and added a new symptom: heartburn. Applesauce was not much better. Rice and toast worked out alright, though.
• Ginger and lemon. Whether in the form of tea, ale, or candy, these remedies just did not cut it.
• Scrambled eggs. Yuck. This sounded like a good idea, but just did not work out. I couldn’t even finish one egg. Ever since, the thought of any type of egg makes me a little queasy.
• Zofran. I can’t believe I paid so much for a drug that did so little. I could have been taking a sugar pill. Just to prove that everyone is different, I have a friend who is taking this right now and it is working like a charm.
• Reglan. This drug is supposed to help the stomach empty, which should help the full-tummy sensation. Unfortunately, its side effects contributed to my incredible fatigue and helped to make me feel loopy. It did not help much with that full feeling, either. THe good news is that this is available in generic form, which helped keep my drug costs down.

Do you have any secret weapons for morning sickness? What worked  (or didn’t work) for you?

Explore posts in the same categories: first trimester

Tags: diabetes, morning sickness, pregnancy, type 1

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.