Morning Sickness, Heartburn, and other Pregnancy Ailment Tips
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Before diving into this post, I want to mention that I am not a doctor and to be sure to check with your physician before starting something new, especially while pregnant. These are morning sickness, heartburn, and pregnancy ailment tips that have helped me with my twin pregnancy, though should be helpful regardless of the number of babies you are carrying! I know people kept telling me that it would “get better in the second trimester”, but 1) twin pregnancies are a whole different ball game and 2) for some (even singletons) it never actually get better. While I have felt pretty crummy my entire pregnancy (currently writing this at 32 weeks and it will go live around 33 weeks), these are some things I have tried that I wanted to share - both options that did and didn’t help. I hope you find some of these tips helpful and get some relief
MORNING SICKNESS TIPS
My nausea and vomiting started around week 6 and never really stopped. There were things I tried that did help, but I was nauseated and throwing up pretty much non-stop. I had loads of aversions and even water made me feel sick. No joke, I couldn’t take more than 3 tiny sips of water at a time or everything would likely come back up and I may or may not make it to the toilet. I think that was the worst part for me, as I genuinely love water and drink it non-stop. I know morning sickness for some is an overwhelming sense of nausea with no vomiting. While this may seem like you’re stuck in purgatory, let me just say that throwing up isn’t necessarily better because you’re not only losing nutrients, but it doesn’t make you feel better. At least it didn’t make me feel better. I still felt horrible even after emptying the contents (or lack there of) of my stomach. Either way, both nausea and vomiting around the clock suck, so hopefully some of these help you. All I know is that after the first trimester I never wanted to see (or taste) another cracker again! Or face mask for that matter… it made morning sickness that much worse.
Ultimately, by 14 weeks I told my doctor “okay, it isn’t getting better. Please prescribe me the meds!” She put me on diclegis (doxylamine- pyridoxine, 2 tablets at night and 1 in the morning, both on an empty stomach) and I have been taking it ever sense. I tried to get off of it around 17 weeks to see if being more in the second trimester helped and that was a mistake. I wasn’t even off of it for 24 hours and I began throwing everything up again, lost my appetite, and didn’t really regain strength until 3 days later. This was not ideal since I needed every pound to help my twins stay in and prevent pre-term labor. Note that diclegis is just a prescription form of Unisom and B6. You can try taking both over the counter separately, but for some reason, this doesn’t work for most people. Because Unisom and B6 are drugs you can get over the counter, most insurances don’t cover this as they don’t deem it medically necessary. Note that you can use Good RX on this and that should help, should it be an outrageous price - I think with insurance mine was going to be $450+, but with Good RX with was around $100.
All that to say, here are tips that I implemented before (and continued some after) getting on a prescription.
Eat every hour. This keeps your stomach going and doesn’t leave the acid to churn itself. Depending on your profession, this might be hard. I know during COVID it is also hard due to masks and things like that. Trying to small meals and snack frequently helped me a lot. On that note, it is good to eat before bed and right when you wake up. Try to keep a sleeve or two of crackers as those are easy to eat before falling asleep and right when waking up. Another option is to eat something a little heavier at night like dairy, as this is slow digesting and more likely to keep your stomach occupied until you wake up and can eat again. Also on this note, I’d say eat what sounds good! That first trimester I pretty much lived on grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken nuggets from varying restaurants. I was trying to keep food down and had aversions to pretty much all veggies, so I focused on eating what I could which was better than eating nothing!!
Acubands. These are said to help nausea whether it is from chemo, motion sickness, and even morning sickness. I wore these non-stop. They helped a little, but I would say the eating constantly helped me more. I will say that I tried several brands and these were my favorite. The vomiting was so debilitating, I tried anything and was happy with even the slightest bit of relief.
Ginger. I wanted to include this because I know it is a common suggestion. I LOVE ginger and consumed it all the time pre-pregnancy. Unfortunately, it was more often an aversion to me during pregnancy. I keep gin-gin candy on hand at home and in the car, so I would try one of them if it got really bad; however, I didn’t really lean on ginger that much. I know a lot of people like the Pink Stork brand and say they really help. One of my favorite things to do is boil an inch or two of ginger root (peeled) in water for about 15 minutes and drink it like a tea. It helps with nausea, bloating and more.
Preggie Pop Drops. Not something I wanted to jump to because I’d rather not have the dyes and high fructose corn syrup, but I thought these helped! I got the Preggie Pops Plus which included B6. Note that with these there is a maximum per day allotment due to the B6 inclusion. I would consume one after every main meal and then again as needed.
Peppermint. Essential Oils are controversial when pregnant, but I wanted to mention this. I didn’t put it on my skin, but I did keep a bottle by my bed to inhale every so often. This helped calm me and eased the nausea a little bit. I know some people like to eat peppermints as well and find that helpful. For some reason that sounded gross to me, so I stuck to smelling.
Hint Water. Thanks to my mom for this idea! As I mentioned above, even regular water (which I love) often induced vomit. My stomach did a lot better with liquid that included something else. I had my fair share of Sprite, Caffeine Free Coke, and Gatorade and am thankful for those, but sometimes I just didn’t want/need that much sugar. You can buy Hint water that isn’t carbonated, so it didn’t irritate my stomach much like other flavored (carbonated) waters did. It also tastes like real fruit versus artificial flavoring. I could drink these no problem! Such a good find that I wish I would have implemented sooner.
Singing. This may sound silly, but when I would get nauseous, my breathing would become irregular, which would make me feel worse and usually cause a headache. Singing a couple songs helped me regulate my breathing, relax, and help me feel better. I did this a lot before going to bed, when my head was spinning and I couldn’t get relief.
Diclegis. I mentioned this above, but wanted to include it on my list. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but it helped me a lot. Bonjesta is another option, as is Zofran.
Accupuncture. I saw acupuncturist every other week if not weekly. She focused on certain meridians that affect nausea. I wish I could have seen her daily, as it often brought my instant relief.
Chiropractor. I didn’t see mine in the first trimester per his suggestion, but come the second trimester, he was able to adjust things that are supposed to help with nausea.
Limit Vitamins. I didn’t want to do this since I felt like my babies were missing out on nutrition, but my doctor suggested it. I stopped for a couple weeks and it for sure helped with vomiting or lack there of. Taking pills in the 1st trimester was awful!! I stopped around 13/14 weeks added them back in (slowly) once I entered the second trimester around 16/17 weeks. Note I was on Dicelgis at this point so that probably helped.
HEADACHE TIPS
To be honest, I didn’t really suffer from pregnancy migraines or anything like that, but I wanted to include this section, as I know it is a very prominent ailment. I did have some headaches in the first trimester, but I think it was tied to my morning sickness and dehydration. It was often a never ending cycle and I didn’t really know which came first - the nausea or the headache. There’s not a ton of pregnancy safe options, but here is what helped me.
Water. You want to avoid dehydration. Get liquid any way you can! As mentioned above, Hint waters were great for me and were an option that didn’t have as much sugar as cokes or electrolyte drinks.
Coke. My doctor actually said I could have caffeine - like the amount of caffeine that is in one cup of coffee; however, I just cut it out completely. I did indulge in things like chocolate which often have naturally occurring caffeine, but I digress. Anyway, cokes were something I previously would indulge in to help with headaches, so it is no wonder that my body craved them when I had headaches during pregnancy. I was able to find caffeine-free cokes on Amazon and they have been a lifesaver when I got headaches. There was an aluminum shortage during 2020, so that put certain beverages on hold and caffeine-free regular coke was one of those. These were also good to drink when I needed to drink liquid, but couldn’t stomach water.
Nap. Sleeping is good during pregnancy anyway, so a dark room and some shut eye were always helpful.
Ice. Temperature changing items that involve heat and ice can be controversial during pregnancy; however, when it was really bad, I would apply ice on the spot of pain (usually behind my right eye) for 15 minutes or so, prior to taking a nap.
Peppermint. As mentioned above, I didn’t put any on my skin, but I did sniff it occasionally. It doesn’t make it go away, but it does ease it and often prevented vomiting when I was having a pregnancy migraine.
Chiropractor. My chiro would adjust my neck and that would often help headaches and give me instant relief. I saw him every 2 weeks starting in the second trimester.
Accupuncture. I tell my acupuncturist what I have been suffering from and she can access points to help with relief. I saw her every week in the 1st trimester and every 2 weeks in the second and third.
HEARTBURN TIPS
Yikes. I had obviously heard of heartburn before, but never experienced it until I was pregnant. It started to be an on and off issue for me around 20+ weeks, and a constant around 24+ weeks. At first I thought it was just another kind of aversion, since I had those frequently. I would be eating and then all of a sudden not want to eat anymore. Around 25 weeks a lightbulb went off in my head and I was like OMG. It’s like I have a burning in my throat - this must be heartburn! My specific heartburn was a burning in my throat and felt like I had food from my stomach to about 3/4ths of the way up my neck. I told my doctor and she was very clear on getting ahead of it versus treating it as it comes. While I didn’t want to take medicine if I didn’t have to, it got so bad I started implementing preventative care as she suggested. Otherwise I didn’t want to eat, which is a whole other problem in itself. I was able to solve mine with over the counter option, but I know everyone isn’t that lucky.
Ice. I’ve never wanted cold water / ice more. I’m typically a room temperature water kind of girl, so this was new for me. I went on a snow cone binger, but eventually decided to make my own popsicles at home. This satisfied my need and was a lot nicer on my wallet. I typically eat one every day after lunch, to try and aid the meal and minimize heartburn.
Not drinking during meals. I can be a water guzzler, so limiting water is hard for me. Drinking a lot of any liquid during a meal can stir up heartburn, so I try to “guzzle” before or after meals if I am going to, and only take small sips during a meal, usually when I’m taking pills.
Cutting citrus. I used to drink a hot lemon water daily, but cutting this out in the morning made my days easier. I could enjoy some later in the day, but drinking it first thing was detrimental to me. I also found that certain foods triggered me, like bell peppers. They made my heartburn so much worse! Listen to your body and take note of what you eat and how it makes you feel.
Accupuncture. Much like I would tell my acupuncturist about headaches, I would also mention heartburn. She would then try to bring the affected areas in to balance.
Pepcid. I take this daily around 9:30 am and 3:30 pm. This helps me prevent heartburn from even occurring. They work so much better than Tums! I prefer the chewables over the pills.
Tums. I take Tums as needed in addition to Pepcid. Typically I take this when I feel the heartburn coming on versus an hour before a meal. Note that The max for a pregnant person is 6 a day /. 2 tablets 3 x a day. I’m usually good in the morning, though I might bring these out after lunch, before dinner, or even after dinner / before bed. I liked the “Smoothies” flavor best.
ACID REFLUX TIPS
I did experience acid reflux, but it wasn’t as prominent for me as heartburn. I implemented these tips and they worked like a charm.
Stay upright after you eat. Do this for at least an hour after meals. I know it is hard, because all you want to do is lay down, but it does help!
Prop up. Whether you’re sleeping or just resting in bed, being somewhat upright and not 100% horizontal helps immensely. I do this with pillows and try not to lay completely flat unless I really need to. Even then, when I get up, I’m often met with several burps. Perhaps TMI, but just some proof that staying propped up helps!
Chew your food all the way. This helps digestion and makes you eat more intentionally. Eating slowly helps reduce reflux.
Left side. When you sleep, it is said that laying on your left side helps. There’s a lot of science behind why, but I’m not sure it has been tested.
NOSE BLEED TIPS
This is such a weird side effect of pregnancy that I experienced a long with a stuffy nose. Apparently your whole body is making new membranes, including your nose. There’s not much I could do for these, but here is what I did do.
Humidifier. Whether you have the AC on or a heater going, these product can wreak havoc on your nose. I sleep with a humidifier every night and on the nights I forget to turn it on, I notice the next morning. Most nights I sleep with it on half way, but if I’m really feeling it I’ll turn it up 100%. I reviewed the humidifier I use here.
Facial Dry Brush or Gua Sha. This helps more with a stuffy nose, but either way it keeps your face clear and moves around the congestion, helping it to drain to your lymph nodes. Super easy and budget friendly to incorporate.
Stay hydrated. Drink your water! This helps in regard to all of your nose woes.
CONSTIPATION TIPS
I almost forgot to include this section, because thankfully it is something I haven’t had to deal with. I have Ulcerative Colitis, so I am very on top of my bowel movements. I know that pregnancy constipation is real, so I wanted to mention what helps me. I am on UC medication, but wanted to mention my go-to, as “eating your veggies” and all that good stuff isn’t always possible when bread is all you can keep down! I know staying active helps with this too, but it isn’t always possible if you can barely get out of bed without vomiting.
Pique Ginger Digestion Elixir. I drink this every evening after dinner. People go nuts for this stuff and it frequently sells out. I most I’ve gone without a BM is 1 day and it is usually because I went several times the day before or end up going several times the next day to make up for it. I swear by it! It doesn’t make my stomach hurt like some other products do and is safe to drink per my doctor, whereas senna leaf tea every day wasn’t recommended to me. You can try this tea for a discount with code ELLEMULENOS.
Squatty Potty. I’ve been using a squatty potty for almost 5 years now and swear by them. They make going so much easier and cause less strain. This is always helpful, but especially so during pregnancy. We recently purchased this bamboo one so we could have one in both of our bathrooms.
Donut Pillow. This is more for hemorrhoids, but that does affect your pooping, so i thought it would fit well in this section. I keep this in the car, but will sometimes bring it in if I’m going to be sitting in a meeting for a while. I also traveled with this be it road trips or plane rides. It helps a lot with being comfortable in general, not just with hemorrhoids! I discussed natural hemorrhoid relief tips here.
BODY PAIN TIPS
You’re literally growing someone inside of you, so it is no wonder that you might have growing pains. My most relentless pain came mid-to late second trimester, though I did experience some earlier on in my ribs. Around 23/24 weeks I started experiencing intense burning in my hips - so bad it would wake me up in the middle of the night. At the time, both babies were head down (they are actually both transverse / sideways right now), so that new weight was what was thought to bring on the pain. Perhaps it is just my hips re-situating, because although the pain is somewhat better, I attribute it to the things I’m doing below to help versus that they have moved positions.
Accupuncture. I know I’ve mentioned this in a lot of sections, but it really does help a lot of ailments! She does use needles to relieve pain, but also uses a gua sha stone on my back, neck, and even hips.
Chiropractor. I have scoliosis and wore a back brace for 2.5 years, so back pain is normal for me. Some of my back pain is in regard to that. For example, my hips often get out of alignment and my right leg becomes shorter than my left leg. Adjusting things like this regularly helps me keep my pain at a minimum.
Massage. I’ve only had two pregnancy massages, but they were awesome. I do think they help, but they don’t come cheap and because of all the other treatments I incorporate, I do this less, as it is more helpful in the moment than long term. If you can afford them regularly, then go for it!
Physical Therapy. I began this around 30 weeks and have been going once a week. They give me exercises to do at home and perform services on me like hip massage and cupping. I had received cupping before at acupuncture, but it was the kind where you leave them in place. This cupping was constant movement and it was NOT pleasant. I do think it helped though! We did it on my hips and IT bands. The exercises I’m doing are also helpful as they are strengthening me and preparing me for the birth process. Note that my PT is for women and mothers and they specialize in pelvic floor. I would seek out a specific PT practice like this versus a traditional one as they will be more honed into your needs in this specific time.
Pillows. This wedge pillow is my favorite!! It helps support my belly and makes sleeping more comfortable. I bought it in the first trimester and it has been my most used pillow. When I started experiencing hip pain towards the end of my second trimester, but bought this U pillow. It is good to cuddle with / wrap around you, but a lot of the time I just stack it and use it to prop up. I do have a between the knee pillow and it is helpful, but using any pillow between your knees helps when side sleeping. A change I implemented per my PT is sleeping with two pillows between my legs. You can do this with one regular sized pillow versus two. You just want to make sure there is cushion between your knees and your ankles, not one or the other. My point is that you don’t have to buy a fancy pillow for this and really any pillow(s) work fine. At this point my 10lb + belly often hurts to roll over, but at least I have my pillows to keep my company once I get to my new “comfy” spot!
Compression Socks. One of the first ailments I experienced continually was calf pain. I would wake up in the morning with throbbing calf muscles. Since that started happening, I have begun wearing compression socks as often as possible. Sure they are great for if you’re pregnant and flying, but don’t forget about them for normal days. They help a lot! If I have time I’ll also do a foot / ankle bath in a bucket with epsom salts, but that is a lot of work these days, as I have to get Nick to help me carry it; however, that has a similar effect! Something I do every morning though is dry brush up my calves to stimulate blood flow, prior to putting on my socks. Elevating your feet throughout the day should help with this too.
Prenatal Cradle. I bought this in my second trimester I believe, but really didn’t start feeling the benefits from it until my third trimester. It helped with long travel days early on, but nowadays I wear it almost daily to help with support around my belly weight. These babies are heavy!! The one I have is specifically for twins and multiples, but they make regular ones for one baby too.
FATIGUE TIPS
I’ve had this my entire pregnancy. Not sure if it because I have twins, but I never got that “second wind’ people talk about in the second trimester. I don’t have much to help this, only to try and get some relief.
Nap. No really, if you are tired, take the nap! I try to limit them to 30 minutes or less to make sure I’m able to sleep at night, but sometimes I need longer and I just listen to my body and go for it. Naps have been shown to be beneficial for pregnancy, so have at it. I am lucky in the sense that I work from home and can nap for the most part when I need to.
Don’t Over Do It. You honestly have the best “excuse” to say no right now. Early in my second trimester I was feeling pretty great because my nausea meds were working and there were a couple weeks where I said yes to everything. I had to stay in bed and sleep for days because of exhaustion. My body was literally shaking from being so tired. I definitely learned the hard way to do what I can, not what I think I can.
EMOTIONS
Oooh didn’t think I’d go here? Well I am. Pregnancy is a roller coaster of emotions in general, so I feel like this needs to be discussed. Being pregnant after a miscarriage was particularly hard for me regarding anxiety and emotions, so I feel like I owe it to others to discuss it. Regardless of if you experienced a loss, voicing hardships of pregnancy is sometimes hard because you are thankful and don’t want to come off as complaining, but it isn’t healthy to keep it in. I’m still processing on best practices for this, but here’s the main thing that I try to do.
Let it out. Whatever you are thinking, don’t keep it inside. You don’t want to spiral and mental health is super important to keep in check during (and after) pregnancy too. Whether you have a judgement free zone to tell your partner or just need to grab a computer and type in a word document, do it! this will help you process. Don’t be afraid to seek out help / a therapist if you need to go that route as well. Oh and crying helps too ;)
I hope this helps!! Anything you did that helped your pregnancy ailments that I didn’t mention?
I think the only ailment that I didn’t really talk about was insomnia. I experienced this a handful of times, but honestly I don’t have any real tips for this. If I’m trying to fall asleep, I will often grab my phone (bad I know), until I’m tired, whereas if I wake up to go the bathroom (most nights at this point) I make it a point NOT to touch my phone as that will wake me up and I don’t have any way to get back to sleep. It often ends in my just getting ready for the day and taking an early - mid morning nap when it hits me. It may not be an issue for me since my nausea meds have unisom in it. Just a thought. I have however been experiencing it more as of late and I think it’s because I’m in the thick of the third trimester. No real help to give here though.
One other thing I didn’t really discuss was dry and itchy skin. If you are having trouble staying hydrated, your body / skin is likely suffering too. I plan on sharing a post with my favorite “tummy rubs”, but honestly I just make sure to moisturize my stomach morning and night and the rest of my body as needed / after I shower. I really like Primally Pure Body Butter at night and have found it to be the richest in moisture, but have some other favorites I’ll share soon too that work better for the daytime.
P.S. Check with your insurance to see what is covered. You’d be surprised what they may allow. Chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy are all a possibility and it may be less expensive that you think. My current insurance covers chiropractor visits and physical therapy, but not acupuncture. My previous insurance did cover acupuncture. You never know! I think of these are preventative care that will help me have the healthiest pregnancy and postpartum as possible. Twins will be two handfuls, so the better I’m feeling, the “easier” it will be. Perhaps not easy, but less pain is my gain!
Wishing you the best pregnancy! XOXO
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