How to help my morning sickness?(Tips from a Wigan maternity and newborn photographer and mom of 2)
- throughthelookingg51
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 14
Welcome to pregnancy nausea, or as some people call it, “morning sickness.”
Funny thing is, it’s not just in the morning, is it? It can hit you at 3am, in the middle of Asda, or while you’re brushing your teeth and wondering how you got here.
💫 Hyperemesis Gravidarum: The real nightmare
Some of us don’t just feel a little queasy. Some of us get slammed by - Hyperemesis Gravidarum - that brutal, all-day, can’t-keep-anything-down kind of sickness that makes you cry, and survive on crackers and ice cubes for weeks.
It’s rare, but if that’s you right now, please know you’re not alone, and this isn’t just “bad morning sickness.” It’s serious, and you deserve help, rest, and maybe even an IV drip .
🌀 Why does pregnancy nausea even happen?
Blame it on those wild hormones — mostly hCG and estrogen — the same ones that make your boobs hurt, make you hate the smell of food you used to love, and somehow make you cry at a cat food advert.
Your body is trying to adjust fast in those first weeks, and while nausea can mean things are progressing, it doesn’t make it any easier when you’re curled up around a bucket, surviving on dry crackers.
🍞 What could help (but let’s be real — nothing works 100%)
Every pregnancy is different, and what helps one mum might do absolutely nothing for another.I tried everything I could find online at 2am (usually while holding back gagging) some things gave me tiny moments of relief, others were just wishful thinking.But here’s what might help, even just a little:
Dry food by the bed I kept salty crackers right next to me like a little goblin and munched before even sitting up.
Small, frequent snacks Never getting too hungry helped a bit. Even if it was just a plain rice cake or a bite of something bland.
Cold drinks Ice-cold lemonade or water with cucumber. Sometimes sipping slowly through a straw helped keep things down.
Ginger (if your body lets you) Ginger tea, ginger biscuits... even just sniffing ginger helped some mums. For me? It didn’t actually work for me because I hate ginger, but it worth a try.
Rest Actual sleep is hard, but lying down in a dark room and breathing through the waves helped me reset when I was at my limit.
Avoiding strong smells I didn’t even realise it for weeks... I just felt horrendously sick every time I was in my bedroom and couldn’t figure out why. Then one day, I hung up some freshly washed clothes on the airer, picked one up and thought, “oh, this actually smells nice.”Big mistake.I had to run to the bathroom so fast I nearly didn’t make it.Turns out, clean laundry was my secret enemy all along and of course, I’d been keeping the airer right next to my bed.
Talking to your midwife If you're really struggling (like can’t keep water down level struggling), please ask for help. There are meds that can help, and you don’t have to suffer in silence just because “it’s normal.”
+1 bonus tip! When you feel like you’re about to be sick, try taking a few small sips of water it can help protect your throat from stomach acid and ease the burning.
🤍 If you’re stuck in the nausea fog right now:
You’re NOT weak, NOT dramatic, and definitely NOT lazy. You’re growing tiny fingers, a spine, a nose, a whole person. Yes, it’s completely unfair this miracle feels like being on a never-ending rollercoaster on a hot day.
Some mums get lucky with mild nausea, some of us don’t. Either way, it’s not a contest. It does get better.
📸 A little note from your local photographer
If you’re somewhere around Wigan, feeling like a soggy marshmallow in leggings, and wondering if it’s way too soon to think about maternity photos, NO it’s not.
I create gentle, no-pressure maternity sessions for mums who want to remember this messy, beautiful journey, nausea and all. You can sit, snack, rest, and just be.
✨ You’re doing better than you think. If the only thing you managed to keep down today was a digestive biscuit, I’m so proud of you! 🤍
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