Pregnancy hormones (especially progesterone) relax smooth muscles, including those in your digestive tract. This can slow down how quickly your stomach empties​, potentially leading to that full, queasy feeling and heartburn. An empty stomach can also trigger nausea – a bit of a Catch-22! Many women find their nausea is worst when they haven’t eaten in a while, because low blood sugar may play a role.

Ever since you became pregnant, have certain smells sent you running for the bathroom? You’re not imagining it – about two-thirds of pregnant women report a stronger sense of smell (hyperosmia) during early pregnancy​.

Often those heightened odors aren’t pleasant and can instantly turn your stomach. Experts believe this could be the body’s way of protecting you from foods that might be harmful in pregnancy. For example, the smell of smoke, garbage, raw meat, or even your partner’s cologne might suddenly make you gag. This super-smelling ability usually fades later in pregnancy, but in the first trimester, it can be intense.

Every woman is different. If your mother or sister had bad morning sickness, you might be more prone to it. Those who are prone to motion sickness or migraines also seem to experience worse nausea in pregnancy. Stress and fatigue can also contribute—being exhausted or anxious tends to make that queasy feeling more pronounced.

Interestingly, some scientists theorize that morning sickness has an evolutionary advantage. Feeling repulsed by certain foods (like the smell of spoiled meat or strong-tasting plants) would steer early pregnant women away from potentially toxic substances. In essence, nausea might be nature’s way of guarding the developing baby​.

While this theory isn’t proven, it’s a small silver lining to think your body might be trying to protect you. Also, research has noted that women who do experience nausea have a slightly lower risk of miscarriage on average – possibly because those pregnancy hormones are strong. (Don’t worry if you’re NOT sick, though – plenty of women have healthy pregnancies with minimal nausea.

If your nausea is primarily due to an empty stomach in the morning, drinking ginger tea or sniffing peppermint oil might not be enough. Ginger has some anti-nausea properties, but it doesn’t correct the underlying low blood sugar. So, if you only try ginger and still skip breakfast, you may not feel better.

The key to morning-type sickness is to preempt the emptiness: eat before you get hungry. Many women find that a combination of strategies works best (for example, crackers, ginger tea, and moving slowly). The good news is that this type usually eases up once you get food daily.

• Eat before getting up: Keep crackers or dry cereal by your bed and nibble a little before you even sit up​.
• Rise slowly: Give yourself time when getting out of bed. Sudden moves can worsen the wave of nausea.
• Protein at bedtime: A small high-protein snack (like cheese or peanut butter toast) before sleep may keep your blood sugar steadier till morning.

All-day pregnancy nausea can be tough because it’s multifactorial. An occasional ginger candy might help for a short time, but then the queasiness creeps back. Medical reviews have found that while ginger is somewhat effective, the evidence is limited and inconsistent – it’s not a universal cure. The same goes for vitamin B6 and other over-the-counter aids: they help some women a bit, and not others.

If you’re nibbling crackers non-stop and still feel ill, don’t be afraid to talk to your healthcare provider. Some safe anti-nausea medications can be prescribed when diet and home remedies aren’t enough. Remember: You do not have to suffer in silence just because nausea is common. When it drags on all day and affects your quality of life, seeking additional treatment is perfectly okay.

• Small, frequent snacks: Never let your stomach get completely empty. Graze on bland foods (toast, pretzels, yogurt, nuts) every 1–2 hours.​ 
• Stay hydrated: Take frequent sips of water, ginger ale, or electrolyte drinks. Sucking on ice chips or popsicles can help if drinking is hard.
• Vitamin B6: Consider a vitamin B6 supplement (ask your doctor for the right dose) – it’s been shown to help mild nausea in some women​
• Rest and destress: Fatigue and anxiety worsen nausea​. Take short naps or practice relaxation techniques (deep breathing, prenatal yoga) to calm your system.

If your nausea is trigger-driven, a generic remedy like ginger might not stand a chance if you’re, say, stuck in a smelly aisle of the grocery store. The cause here is sensory – your nose and brain react to an odor. The fix has to involve either avoiding the trigger or masking it.

That’s why someone telling you to “just eat a cracker” can feel useless – a cracker won’t magically make the garbage smell disappear. For this type, think of remedies in terms of your environment: fresh air, fragrance-free everything, and enlisting those around you to help minimize triggers. The good news is that this hypersensitivity tends to ease up by mid-pregnancy for most women​. Until then, do whatever you need to do (within reason) to avoid the nausea landmines – even if it means temporarily banning all cooking of broccoli in your house!

The obvious solution is to avoid triggers as much as humanly possible. Of course, you can’t live in a bubble, but small adjustments help.

• Avoid and adapt: Identify your nausea triggers and do your best to avoid them (e.g., if the smell of cooking meat makes you sick, let someone else cook or choose different foods).
• Fresh air and ventilation: Keep windows open while cooking, and use fans to disperse odors. When a smell overwhelms you, stepping outside for a few minutes can help.
• Use scent strategies: Sniff lemons or ginger, chew mint gum, or carry a handkerchief with a drop of lemon or peppermint oil to mask unpleasant odors. Pleasant scents can block nasty ones​.
• Cold or room-temp foods: These smell less than hot foods, so you might tolerate a cold turkey sandwich better than grilled chicken, for example.

If you’re feeling fine in the morning, the typical “morning sickness” advice of nibbling crackers at the bedside isn’t addressing your problem. For late-day sickness, prevention during the day is key. Sometimes women don’t connect that their evening nausea is related to not eating enough earlier, or being on their feet too much. A ginger ale at night might soothe you temporarily, but it won’t fix fatigue or low blood sugar.

That’s why focusing on self-care throughout the day is so important for this pattern. Also, if you only feel sick at night, you might be tempted to tough it out – but do mention it at prenatal visits, especially if it’s consistent. Your provider can check if maybe you have reflux that could be treated, or give other suggestions. Remember, “morning” sickness doesn’t follow a clock – and whenever it strikes, you deserve relief.

• Don’t skip meals: Ensure you eat enough during the day. An afternoon snack with protein and complex carbs can keep evening nausea at bay.
• Light early dinner: Opt for a lighter supper and eat it earlier in the evening. Avoid greasy or spicy foods at night, which can trigger nausea/reflux.
• Stay upright after eating: Give yourself an hour (or two) before lying down after dinner. If you need to rest, prop up with pillows to keep your head elevated.
• Evening relaxation: Try to wind down stress in the evening – a calm mind can ease a turbulent tummy. A warm bath or prenatal massage (if approved) might help you feel better.

This one is probably self-explanatory – hyperemesis is beyond the reach of typical home remedies. It’s not because you’re weak or not trying hard enough; it’s because the physiology (perhaps GDF15 hormone sensitivity, for example) is overpowering the usual controls. As one woman with severe morning sickness noted, ginger tea and “it’ll pass” attitudes did literally nothing for her.

In cases of HG, continuing to only try ginger, crackers, acupressure, etc., without medical intervention can actually be dangerous, as dehydration and weight loss can threaten you and the baby. So, the standard remedies “fail” here because the condition itself is much more severe than normal nausea.

The mismatch is like trying to treat a migraine with a tiny bandage – it’s just not enough. The only practical approach is medical management combined with coping strategies to get you through the day-to-day. If you’re reading this and suffering from HG, please know you’re not alone and it’s okay (in fact, necessary) to get proper treatment.

• Seek medical care: Don’t wait – call your doctor or midwife. You may need IV fluids for dehydration and prescription medications to control vomiting​.
• IV nutrition/hydration: In severe cases, doctors can give you nutrients and fluids through an IV. This can dramatically improve how you feel once dehydration is corrected.
• Try to eat/drink tiny amounts: Even if almost everything comes back up, keep trying small sips of fluid (water with a squeeze of lemon, electrolyte drinks, ginger tea) and small bites of bland foods. Something is better than nothing, and on better moments, those bits add up.
• Support and rest: Enlist help from family/friends for daily tasks. Rest as much as possible. Consider joining a support group for HG – talking to others who understand can provide emotional relief.