Almost every mom-to-be knows that feeling — the queasy, uncomfortable sensation that makes you want to empty your stomach contents into the nearest sink. Sure, being pregnant is a wonderful time. Now if only it didn’t come with morning sickness, it would truly be a more pleasant experience!
Medically termed as “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy,” morning sickness is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks. Almost 80 percent of pregnant women experience this symptom, so you’re truly lucky if you’re in the other 20 percent!
Regardless of the cause, morning sickness is one of the most annoying symptoms of pregnancy. And the fact that it can occur all throughout the day, not just in the morning, doesn’t help either!
Some women who suffer from morning sickness have the queasy feeling right upon waking up, while some experience it later in the day. Plus, the hypersensitivity to a variety of smells adds to the unpleasantness of morning sickness. Just a whiff of certain scents, from food to perfume, can set off nausea and vomiting.
What’s even more bothersome is that such symptoms can hinder a mom-to-be from eating well or keeping food down. Though expectant mothers can agree that morning sickness is a huge pain, it’s comforting to know that it only usually lasts until the third month and tapers off afterward.
The good news is that women who experience this can actually do something about it! While medications should be the last resort and are only advisable in extreme cases, there are natural remedies that have been proven to help lessen and relieve morning sickness.
9 Essential Oils for Morning Sickness.
One of the most effective natural remedies would be aromatherapy. Many moms and moms-to-be swear by essential oils! One great thing that these oils can offer is that they work instantly to take the edge off that queasy, nauseating feeling, which is just what someone having the initial waves of morning sickness needs.
Essential oils can help make you feel better even by simple inhalation. Their tiny bioactive molecules can enter your body via the nose, and help ease off any morning sickness attacks.
Plus, the oils below are safe to use for pregnant women! They’re super handy to carry around as well!
Peppermint oil
This great all-arounder can help treat many pregnancy ailments. It’s fresh, minty scent offers a breath of relief for nausea and morning sickness. Aside from this, peppermint oil can also relieve indigestion and heartburn. It encourages the stomach muscles to function well to promote proper digestion.
Plus, it’s useful for boosting energy and staving off fatigue. It can also help relieve stomach cramping that sometimes comes with nausea. A drop under the tongue or a whiff of this minty oil offers instant relief from any bad case of morning sickness.
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Ginger oil
This zesty, warming oil is a go-to for various digestive complaints. Its medicinal properties have made ginger popular in many cultures, from Chinese medicine to Ayurveda. One of its components, mainly gingerol, acts directly to help relieve nausea and settle the stomach. Inhaling ginger oil, or taking the herb as tea can help alleviate the queasiness of nausea and vomiting, and can help lessen the frequency of morning sickness.
As a side note though, ginger oil should only be used in very small quantities and be used with caution, since some aromatherapists say that it has a chance of triggering contractions.
Chamomile oil
Chamomile’s soothing properties can help calm down nausea building up in your stomach. It also helps dispel any gas that has built up inside the stomach, thus preventing further discomfort.
You can combine chamomile oil with ginger oil for inhalation. Chamomile oil can even be orally ingested with warm water (just a drop to one cup). For drinking though, taking chamomile tea is preferable over ingesting the essential oil, especially since you’re pregnant and have to take extra precautions.
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Spearmint oil
With its fresh minty scent, spearmint oil has much the same characteristics as peppermint. However, this oil is more preferable for pregnant women since it contains less of a component called pulegone. Pulegone can potentially be a liver toxin if used in large amounts by pregnant women.
Spearmint is also slightly sweeter and has less of a sting than peppermint oil. It can instantly alleviate nausea and vomiting, while also promoting positive, uplifting emotions.
Sweet orange oil
This uplifting scent not only chases away the blues, but it also helps relieve nausea and morning sickness. Its sweet, citrusy scent heralds its numerous benefits, including promoting digestion, treating dyspepsia, and alleviating flatulence.
Sweet orange oil can instantly give a refreshing aroma that takes the edge off any queasy, nauseated feelings. This could be due to its digestive benefits that help calm the stomach. Plus, its mood-boosting properties can also help keep negative feelings at bay, which is a big bonus given those pregnancy mood swings! It also helps reduce stress levels, making it a very useful remedy for a lot of pregnancy issues!
Lemon oil
A bit stronger than sweet orange oil, lemon oil packs a potent citrus scent. It has numerous benefits for the body, one of these being its ability to settle feelings of nausea. It also has antispasmodic properties, which adds to its tummy-soothing effects.
In fact, a study using lemon oil on pregnant women showed promising results in that it was able to significantly decrease both the occurrence and the severity of nausea. It was also effective in keeping vomiting at bay.
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Grapefruit oil
Though not as popular as orange or lemon oil, grapefruit oil is rapidly gaining popularity due to its more unique scent among the citrus oils. It can help relieve nausea and vomiting, while also offering benefits like busting stress and promoting circulation. It has also been found to help curb sugar cravings, which can be helpful for pregnant women who have to watch their diet and sugar intake.
Grapefruit oil is energizing and uplifting. It can also help reduce fluid retention and decrease instances of depression and negative feelings. These make it a great natural remedy for other pregnancy symptoms as well!
Lavender oil
Being such a flexible, all-around oil, it’s no wonder that lavender’s calming properties help curb nausea as well. Just a whiff or two of this sweet-smelling oil can chase away the ugly sensations associated with morning sickness.
A word of caution though: there is some confusion as to the safety of lavender oil during the first trimester. If you have a history of miscarriage or have certain complications, its best to avoid its use. Many women, however, find it safe to use during the second and third trimesters.
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Lime oil
With a scent similar to lemon oil, lime is also a great remedy for morning sickness. Its clean, fresh, and tart scent can instantly offer an invigorating feeling any time of the day.
Lime oil’s digestive and healing properties make it a great addition to any nausea-relieving blend. It can relieve a wide variety of digestive ailments, including dyspepsia and flatulence. It also helps boost appetite, which can be useful in pregnant women who have difficulty eating or keeping down food. Use lime oil to drive away morning sickness by taking a whiff or two when the first sensations of nausea are felt.
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Mandarin oil
Though mandarin oil is a lesser-known citrus oil, it’s just as effective as lemon, lime or orange oils. With its similar effectiveness in treating digestive problems, it’s a great addition to your natural treatment regimen for nausea and vomiting. Its antispasmodic and stomach-calming properties, along with its sweet, orange-y scent, make it one of the best oils for morning sickness.
Essential oil application tips for morning sickness
Here are a number of ways you can use the essential oils above to relieve morning sickness:
The easiest way, hands-down, is to simply inhale the essential oil straight from the bottle! Since essential oils are packaged in small bottles of about 10-15 ml, they’re very handy to keep in your purse and to have with you all the time! Plus, this method is very useful in moments when you’re feeling the need for nausea relief right now. Just make sure to hold the bottle about an inch away from your nose and prevent your skin from getting in direct contact with the oil.
If you have a blend of oils, however, another handy way is to have a personal inhaler where you can add a few drops of your preferred blend. Personal inhalers are small enough to fit into your purse as well, and are easy to whip out when you feel those roiling waves of nausea attacking!
You can also place a few drops of the oil on your palms, rub together, and cup your hands over your nose to inhale the scent. When using this technique though, its best to have your essential oil diluted with a carrier oil, since pure, undiluted essential oils may pose some risks especially in pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions.
If you’re the type who brings along handkerchiefs, you may also want to add a drop or two of your chosen oil onto your hanky and inhale it from there.
For certain edible oils, like peppermint and ginger oils, you can add just a single drop to a glass of water and take small sips until nausea wears off.
You can also freshen up an entire room, like your workspace or living room, with the essential oils of your choice, while reaping their anti-nausea benefits. And hey, it doesn’t hurt to share these uplifting scents with people who come into the room as well!
If you’re plagued with morning sickness right after you get up from bed in the morning, you can diffuse about 3 drops of the oil next to your bed.
Other ways to apply essential oils for morning sickness are to rub them on the soles of your feet or use them as a massage on the back of the neck. Just make sure that they’re diluted with a carrier oil.
If you love your bath times, you can also add a few drops to your warm bath water!
Essential oil recipes for morning sickness
Fatigue and nausea buster
Ingredients:
- 1 drop spearmint EO
- 1 drop lime EO
- 1 drop sweet orange EO
- 1 drop grapefruit EO
Directions:
- Mix oils together.
- Place onto a personal inhaler, or diffuse through a diffuser.
Minty Lavender Anti-nausea Blend
Ingredients:
- 5 drops peppermint EO
- 10 drops lavender EO
- 30 ml (about 2 tablespoons) carrier oil of your choice (argan, avocado, coconut, sesame, sweet almond, jojoba, grapeseed, macadamia)
Directions:
- In a 1-oz dropper bottle, mix peppermint and lavender oil together.
- Add in one teaspoon of the fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil) and shake well.
- Add in the rest of the carrier oil and mix well.
To use, take a whiff directly from the bottle or rub a few drops between your palms and inhale. You can also rub onto your belly or massage onto temples.
Refreshing Anti-nausea Blend
Ingredients:
- 7 drops peppermint EO
- 8 drops lemon EO
- 30 ml (about 2 tablespoons) carrier oil of your choice
Directions:
- In a 1-oz dropper bottle, mix peppermint and lavender oil together.
- Add in one teaspoon of the fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil) and shake well.
- Add in the rest of the carrier oil and mix well.
To use, take a whiff directly from the bottle or rub a few drops between your palms and inhale. You can also rub onto your belly or massage onto temples.
Gingermint Anti-nausea blend
Ingredients:
- 10 drops chamomile EO
- 10 drops peppermint EO
- 10 drops ginger EO
- 20 ml carrier oil of your choice
Directions:
- Mix all of the essential oils together in a clean, dry amber bottle.
- Add in the carrier oil and shake well.
To use, place a few drops onto a handkerchief and breathe in. You can also use a personal inhaler. Do not use directly on the skin as this blend is a bit too concentrated for topical use.
Energizing Nausea Relief blend
Ingredients:
- 5 drops lavender EO
- 5 drops ginger EO
- 5 drops sandalwood EO
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Directions:
- In a clean, dry amber-colored bottle, mix together all of the essential oils
- Add in a small portion of the coconut oil and shake well.
- Add in the rest of the coconut oil and mix.
To use, rub onto your palms to inhale, or massage onto your temples for nausea relief and an energy boost.
Super Citrus Anti-nausea Diffuser Blend
Ingredients:
- 1 drop grapefruit EO
- 1 drop lemon EO
- 1 drop lime EO
- 2 drops orange EO
Directions:
- Blend the oils together and load into your diffuser.
- If you want to bring this blend along with you for inhaling on the go, you can simply add the oils together, add in a tablespoon of carrier oil, and mix together in a small amber-colored bottle.
Closing Morning Sickness FAQ
The awful, queasy sensation felt in nausea is actually the stomach muscle contracting, more or less getting ready to empty its contents upward. The muscular ring between the stomach and esophagus also gets relaxed to get ready for allowing the stomach contents to be pushed upward.
Nausea during pregnancy may not always lead to vomiting. Still, the sensation is not one that everyone likes to experience.
Though morning sickness may be one of the most loathsome pregnancy symptoms, there may actually be some good news associated with it! Research has found that morning sickness may actually be linked to a better pregnancy outcome! Mothers who experience morning sickness have a lower risk for a miscarriage, preterm birth or a baby with low birth weight.
Though the cause of morning sickness hasn’t really been established yet, some possible culprits may be:
- A hormone called hCG – Human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG levels peak during the first trimester when morning sickness commonly strikes, so they may very well be linked.
- Smell sensitivity – The enhanced sense of smell during pregnancy may play a part in inducing nausea and vomiting.
- Increased stress levels – Research has suggested that for some women, nausea and vomiting experienced during pregnancy may be an abnormal response to higher stress levels.
- Blood sugar fluctuations – Another theory is that the blood sugar levels during pregnancy (which are usually higher than normal) may play a role in morning sickness.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found this information helpful!
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations of your own please let us know in the comment section below.
