Two things before any list of foods. The first is that “morning” is a misnomer: for many women it lasts all day. The second is that if you can’t keep fluids down, this stops being something to endure and becomes something to treat.
See a doctor the same day if:
- You can’t keep any fluid down for 24 hours
- You’re passing only small amounts of dark urine
- You’ve lost weight, or feel faint or dizzy when standing
- You’re vomiting blood, or what looks like coffee grounds
- You’ve severe weakness, or a racing heart
That pattern is hyperemesis gravidarum, and it needs treatment, not crackers. Effective anti-sickness medication exists, is safe in pregnancy, and is significantly under-prescribed because women are told this is normal and put up with it.
Table of Contents
What’s normal
- Affects 70 to 80% of pregnancies
- Usually starts around 6 weeks, peaks around 9 to 11, and eases by 12 to 16 weeks
- A minority continue for longer, and a small number all the way through
- It says nothing about the baby’s sex, and severity isn’t a measure of anything
The four things that help
- Never let your stomach get empty. An empty stomach makes nausea worse, which makes eating harder, which empties the stomach further. Eat something small every one to two hours, whether or not you feel like it.
- Eat before you get up. Plain crackers or dry biscuits by the bed, eaten lying down, then wait ten minutes before standing. This one change helps a great many women.
- Cold food over hot. Heat brings out smell, and smell is the trigger for most people. Cold noodles, cold porridge, fruit from the fridge, sandwiches.
- Separate drinks from food. Fluids with a meal fill the stomach and can bring it back up. Sip between meals instead.
What tends to stay down
| Category | Options |
|---|---|
| Dry and plain | Crackers, dry toast, plain biscuits, breadsticks, plain rice, congee |
| Cold and bland | Cold noodles, watermelon, chilled apple or pear, yoghurt, cold cheese, sandwiches |
| Salty | Crisps, salted crackers, clear soup, miso. Salt cravings in early pregnancy are common and usually fine to follow |
| Sour and sharp | Lemon in water, sour plums, pickles, green apple. Many women find sourness cuts nausea better than anything sweet |
| Ginger | Ginger tea, fresh ginger in hot water, ginger biscuits. One of the few remedies with reasonable evidence behind it |
| Protein, small amounts | Eggs, tofu, chicken congee, nuts. Protein helps some women more than carbohydrate |
| When nothing works | Ice lollies, ice chips, diluted juice, oral rehydration solution. Fluid matters more than nutrition in the short term |
What tends to make it worse
Fatty and fried food, spicy food, very sweet things, large meals, strong-smelling cooking, and hot drinks. Also, for many women, the prenatal vitamin itself.
Other things that help
- Vitamin B6 is a recognised first-line treatment for pregnancy nausea and is available cheaply. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the dose instead of guessing.
- Take the prenatal vitamin at night, with food, so you sleep through the worst of it. If it’s the iron that’s the problem, ask about alternatives instead of stopping.
- Get someone else to cook, and leave the kitchen while they do. Cooking smells are the most common trigger there is.
- Fresh air and a fan, moving air away from you.
- Acupressure wristbands: evidence is mixed, they’re harmless, and some women find they help.
- Rest. Tiredness makes nausea markedly worse, and the two feed each other.
- After vomiting, rinse. Don’t brush. Stomach acid softens enamel and brushing straight after scrubs it off. Rinse with water or bicarbonate solution and wait 30 minutes.
The part that isn’t about food
Sustained nausea and vomiting is miserable, and it’s regularly minimised: by employers, by families, and by women themselves. It affects work, relationships and mood, and there’s a well-recognised association between severe pregnancy sickness and depression.
Two things follow. Ask for medication if you need it. You don’t have to be at the point of hospital admission to qualify for help. And tell your obstetrician if you’re struggling emotionally, not only physically.
Frequently asked questions
When does morning sickness stop?
It usually starts around six weeks, peaks at nine to eleven, and eases by twelve to sixteen weeks. A minority continue longer, and a small number experience it throughout.
What foods help with morning sickness?
Dry and plain: crackers, toast, plain rice, congee; cold instead of hot, since heat brings out the smells that trigger nausea; salty things like clear soup and crisps; sour flavours such as lemon water and sour plums, which many find works better than sweet; and ginger, which has reasonable evidence behind it.
What’s the one change that helps most?
Never letting your stomach get empty. Eat something small every one to two hours whether or not you feel like it, and eat plain crackers in bed before getting up, waiting ten minutes before standing.
When is morning sickness serious?
If you can’t keep fluids down for 24 hours, are passing only small amounts of dark urine, have lost weight, feel faint on standing, are vomiting blood, or have severe weakness or a racing heart. That’s hyperemesis gravidarum and it needs treatment: safe and effective anti-sickness medication exists and is significantly under-prescribed.
Can I take medication for pregnancy nausea?
Yes. Vitamin B6 is a recognised first-line option, and prescription anti-sickness medications are safe in pregnancy. You don’t need to be close to hospital admission to qualify for help. Ask.
Should I brush my teeth after vomiting?
Not immediately. Stomach acid temporarily softens enamel and brushing then scrubs it away, causing lasting erosion with frequent sickness. Rinse with water or a bicarbonate solution, wait about 30 minutes, then brush.
What to remember
Never let your stomach empty: something small every one to two hours, and crackers before you get out of bed.
Cold beats hot, sour beats sweet, and ginger helps. Take the prenatal vitamin at night.
And if you can’t keep fluids down, that isn’t morning sickness to be endured. See a doctor the same day. The medication is safe and far too few women are offered it.
Read next
This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice. Speak to your doctor about anti-sickness treatment, and seek same-day care if you can’t keep fluids down.