What Does Morning Sickness Feel Like? Signs & Symptoms

Many wonder what pregnancy nausea feels like. Are the symptoms related to being ill, or could it be early pregnancy? These are often the first questions that float through your mind as you head for the bathroom.

 If you feel hungry often and experience nausea throughout the day, which may be worse in the morning, chances are that you are pregnant.

Nausea during pregnancy, often called morning sickness, is so common that it is estimated that 70% of pregnant people experience some form of it. Morning sickness, which may happen any time of the day, is caused by a fetal hormone and further exacerbated by sensory, physiological, and hormonal changes.

So, what is morning sickness exactly, and what are the causes? What does it feel like to have morning sickness, and can anything be done to ease the symptoms?

What Is Morning Sickness?

Nausea and vomiting are problems primarily for the first trimester and resolve around the twelfth to twentieth week. However, as many as 41.8% may continue to experience morning sickness during the second trimester or later.

Morning sickness is a term for the nausea and vomiting experienced during pregnancy. It may feel like a queasiness in the stomach, or you may experience some of the following symptoms:

• Seasickness or motion sickness.
• Esophageal reflux (commonly called heartburn).
• Feelings of something being stuck in your throat.
• Hunger pangs.

The severest form of morning sickness is called hyperemesis gravidarum and is a form of severe vomiting that impairs electrolyte balance and causes weight loss and ketonemia, leading to a healthcare crisis. It affects 2% of all pregnancies in the U.S.

The symptoms of morning sickness may severely impact the quality of your life. You may fear leaving home because you may become sick to your stomach, impairing your ability to function socially. It may interfere with meal preparation as smells of certain foods may trigger an episode.

You may even feel isolated, struggling with feelings of being unwell and tired and fearing that no one understands the gravity of what you are coping with. Or, your symptoms may only bother you in the morning before getting out of bed, and you will feel fine for the rest of the day. Every case of morning sickness is unique in its presentation and intensity.

Regardless, if your nausea and vomiting are interfering with the quality of your life, seek help from a healthcare professional. Treatment options exist.

Causes of Morning Sickness

There are many contributing factors to morning sickness, but the primary cause is the production of a fetal hormone called GDF15. This hormone targets the brainstem, although we don’t entirely understand its mechanism. Maternal sensitivity to this fetal hormone can be predicted by pre-pregnancy exposure, with lower exposure rates leading to increased risks for hyperemesis gravidarum.

Other physiological changes may contribute to this hormonally-induced nausea. These include other hormonal changes such as an increase in human gonadotrophin or HCG, alterations in carbohydrate and nutrient metabolism, changes to blood sugar, and other adaptations for fetal growth.

Lastly, taste and smell may be more pronounced during pregnancy. Some find that just the smells of certain foods trigger an attack of nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, the sight or thought of offending foods makes one feel ill. This is an opportune time to focus on eating fruits as these rarely have a strong smell and are typically under-consumed.

What Does Morning Sickness Feel Like?

No two cases of morning sickness are alike or similar to someone else’s experience, but there are some common signs and symptoms. 

Motion-Sickness Or Dizziness

Many who experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy say they feel like they are on a boat. They feel seasick. This feeling makes driving or riding in a car during an attack almost impossible. 

Some feel so dizzy they cannot stand and must lie down to ease the whirling in their heads. Dizziness results from a shift in fluid levels or may be related to dehydration. Dehydration is a risk factor for many pregnant people as their water needs increase in the second and third trimesters.

Tight Throats

Pregnant people experiencing morning sickness symptoms may complain that they feel like something is lodged in their throats, choking them. This creates the desire to vomit to remove the obstruction. This type of obstructive feeling is the same lump in the throat that you get when you are overcome with grief and sadness.

It is a scary moment as you struggle to swallow, but the difficulty it poses is short-lived, passing on its own or with vomiting.

Upset Stomach

With many pregnancies, having a queasy, upset stomach is more prevalent first thing in the morning during your first trimester. As you go to lift your head off the pillow, your head starts to whirl in a dizzy fashion, and the nausea kicks in, forcing you to lie back down.

However, morning sickness may upset your stomach at any time of the day. Despite its common name, it is not time-restricted.

An upset stomach may lead to vomiting, which may lead to esophageal irritation and burning.

Heartburn

A burning feeling in the esophagus is another common complaint of nausea during pregnancy. It is caused by hormonal changes early in pregnancy and by the uterus pressing on the esophagus in later pregnancy.

Nevertheless, heartburn can trigger nausea in those prone to these feelings or may accompany the feelings of nausea when they occur. Following preventative guidelines by modifying your lifestyle can significantly reduce heartburn symptoms.

Urge To Vomit

The upset stomach and dizziness may lead to an overwhelming urge to throw up. Throwing up may relieve the symptoms, or the dizziness and nausea may linger. If vomiting becomes too severe and prolonged, seek the advice of your doctor.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatments for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy consist of pharmaceutical means and herbal/lifestyle interventions. Since mild to moderate nausea and vomiting during pregnancy have no adverse outcomes or even a protective effect, usually, no treatment is necessary except to improve quality of life.

Nausea and vomiting that is prolonged in duration, occurs late in pregnancy or is symptomatically severe may increase the risk for preterm delivery and the birth of a small-for-gestational-age infant.

Tips For Dealing With Morning Sickness

Several things can be done to ease the symptoms of morning sickness. If you are symptomatic, try the suggestions below.

1. If you are ill first thing in the morning, try keeping a dry, low-fat snack at your bedside that will not spoil at room temperature. Eat it before lifting your head off the pillow. Keep a bottle of water by the bedside for thirst after the dry snack. Plain granola bars, crackers, wafers, and melba toast are good choices.
2. Eat small, frequent meals and avoid large amounts of food at once.
3. Refrain from drinking beverages with your meals to avoid overfilling your stomach. Take only small sips of beverages during meals to facilitate chewing and swallowing.
4. Take your prenatal vitamins with supper, and avoid taking any vitamins in the morning.
5. Drink plenty of fluids between meals to stay hydrated.
6. Avoid coming in contact with smells that upset your stomach.
7. Talk to your doctor about taking an antihistamine, vitamin B6, or an anti-nausea medication to help control symptoms.
8. Avoid unnecessary stress and get plenty of rest along with a weekly exercise routine.
9. Prioritize including foods for morning sickness in your daily menu.
10. Pay attention to those foods you should avoid or limit during pregnancy.
11. Do the following for heartburn:

• Chew thoroughly and eat slowly, allowing digestion to occur.
• Do not lay down after meals.
• Sleep propped up in bed with a couple of pillows.
• Avoid foods that irritate your esophagus, such as foods high in red pepper.
• Make tea with grated ginger, or take ginger supplements before meals for heartburn or dyspepsia.

Conclusion

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy are common symptoms of a healthy pregnancy. They affect a significant portion of pregnant people, with estimates of about 70% or more experiencing symptoms associated with morning sickness. These signs and symptoms usually resolve by week twenty, although 41.8% may continue into their second trimester, complaining of distress. 

A few may go on to experience hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of nausea and vomiting that may require injections and IV fluids for hydration. Hyperemesis gravidarum may cause preterm birth or a small-for-gestational-age infant. 

Most cases of morning sickness are mild to moderate, and these have shown no adverse effects on fetal or maternal outcomes. The signs and symptoms of morning sickness can be decreased or eliminated with time, lifestyle changes, and medication.