When Does Morning Sickness Start?

1. Motion sickness bands: Available from most pharmacies, these bands put pressure on an acupressure point in the inner wrist and are designed to ease travel sickness, but they can also alleviate pregnancy sickness symptoms.
2. Peppermint: Drinking peppermint tea can soothe and relax your gastric muscles and reduce cramps.
3. Prenatal vitamins: If you find that swallowing your prenatal vitamins in the morning contributes to an upset stomach, try taking them in the evening with a small, healthy snack.
4. Protein: Non-meat sources of protein, including dairy foods and nuts and seeds, can help to settle sickness symptoms.
5. Scent therapy: Some pregnant people find that lightly scented essential oils can help ease nausea. You can try popping some chamomile, ginger, lemon, orange, or peppermint oil into a diffuser or dab a few drops onto a piece of cotton wool and inhale the soothing aroma.
6. Sour foods: For some, sour or bitter foods like lemons and crisp green apples help to alleviate morning sickness. Try drinking a squeeze of lemon in some hot water.

Top tip

If you're not a lover of ginger, now is the time to wean yourself onto it. Ginger can ease symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Ginger tea, biscuits, supplements – there are a bunch of different methods you can try.

Does everyone get morning sickness?

According to the NHS, around eight in ten people experience nausea and vomiting while pregnant. So, you can pretty much guarantee that at least one of your mum friends will understand what you're going through.

However, everyone experiences symptoms in very different ways. Some avoid sickness altogether and just have the feeling of nausea throughout their first trimester. Others struggle to eat anything without being sick. If you're in the second group, you should speak to your doctor or midwife. 

Every pregnancy is different, and even if you've experienced morning sickness or food aversions in a previous pregnancy, that doesn't mean you'll necessarily experience the same symptoms in this or future pregnancies.

Can morning sickness come and go?

Once you've gotten used to certain pregnancy symptoms, it can be a bit alarming when those symptoms stop or change.

But many pregnancy symptoms can be erratic. You might notice swift changes in your mood, food cravings and even morning sickness - this is normal. One day you may feel totally fine and the next, the sickness may come back with a vengeance.  

If you're worried that your pregnancy symptoms have subsided, you can always ask your doctor. But unpredictable and inconsistent morning sickness symptoms are normal and, most of the time, nothing to worry about. 

What helps with morning sickness?

Let's run through some pregnancy sickness remedies you can use to help relieve your symptoms.

• Avoiding nausea triggers: This is your time to be picky about the food and smells around you. If you're working in an office and Janet from HR brings a tuna sandwich for her lunch, let her know that that's not cool. Anything to avoid nausea triggers is worth it, even if it does annoy Janet!
• Choose your foods carefully: Easily digestible, non-greasy and even bland foods can be a great option for avoiding nausea and vomiting. You might find that your tastes change during different weeks of your pregnancy and that's ok! Go with what you're craving and feel comfortable with, and make sure your house and workspace are clear of smells that you can't stand.  
• Staying hydrated: Even though you might be visiting the loo much more often than you're used to, you still need to make sure you're keeping yourself hydrated through the day. It might seem a lot but try and aim for around 10 glasses of non-caffeinated liquids a day. After a while, it'll just become part of your daily routine - which is a great thing to keep with you after the birth of your little one. 
• Eating little and often: It can be a bit gruelling to finish a whole meal while you're struggling with morning sickness, but sickness on an empty stomach just makes things worse. Try to eat little and often throughout the day. Bland snacks like crackers and dry toast are ideal for keeping your tummy full without triggering nausea.

When to contact your GP or midwife about morning sickness

You should tell your midwife or doctor or contact the hospital as soon as possible if you:

• have tried self-help remedies and nothing has eased your symptoms
• can't keep down any food or fluids for 24-48 hours
• aren't passing any or very little urine and it's dark in colour
• feel weak or faint and can't stand up for any length of time
• have lost weight
• have stomach pain
• vomit and see blood