Pregnancy is an incredible journey filled with wonder, excitement, and life-changing moments. The joy of carrying a child inside you is truly unmatched. And while the experience comes with its fair share of challenges, it also brings some unexpected perks! Many women notice improvements in their hair, skin, and nails thanks to all those hormonal changes. But let’s be real pregnancy isn’t all glowing skin and strong nails. For many expecting moms, the less glamorous side effects can be tough to deal with. One surprisingly common (and frustrating!) issue? Motion sickness.
Car Sick While Pregnant: Safe Ways to Relieve Your Symptoms
Navigating car sickness while pregnant can be super frustrating. It can disrupt your daily routine in a big way and make even simple tasks like commuting to work or running errands feel overwhelming. The nausea, dizziness, and discomfort can catch you off guard, especially if you've never experienced motion sickness before. But you’re not alone, and the good news is that there are plenty of ways to manage it. Whether you're in your first trimester or nearing the finish line, understanding why it happens and how to ease the symptoms can make a world of difference.
Is It Normal To Get Car Sick While Pregnant?
Yes! It’s very normal to experience car sickness (or any type of motion sickness) while pregnant. This is especially true in the early weeks of pregnancy! It’s due to a variety of factors, meaning even if you’ve never been sensitive to motion, you still may find you get car sick (or air sick) when expecting. Pregnancy is full of changes and surprises . . . not all of them are pleasant. Let’s take a look into some of the factors that may be causing your newfound motion sickness.
What Causes Motion Sickness During Pregnancy?
Hormonal Changes
One of the biggest culprits behind pregnancy-related motion sickness is a shift in hormones. Elevated levels of estrogen and hCG (especially in the first trimester) can intensify your sense of smell and affect the balance-regulating fluids in your inner ear. These changes can heighten feelings of dizziness and nausea, especially when your body is in motion!
Fatigue
Pregnancy can be exhausting, especially in the early weeks when your body is working overtime to support a growing baby. Tiredness reduces your ability to adapt to motion, making you more prone to feeling off-balance or queasy in a moving vehicle.
Low Blood Sugar
Pregnancy can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels, especially if you're not eating frequently. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can lead to lightheadedness, irritability, and nausea all of which can worsen motion sickness symptoms.
Dehydration
When you’re pregnant, your body requires even more water than normal to support increased blood volume, the production of amniotic fluid, and digestion. If you don’t get enough water and become dehydrated, motion sickness can worsen because it affects the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure and maintain balance. When you're dehydrated, blood volume drops, which can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and increased nausea all of which heightens your sensitivity to motion.
Increased Sensitivity
Pregnancy heightens your overall sensitivity to physical stimuli, from smells and tastes to motion. Even if you’ve never been prone to motion sickness before, you may find yourself feeling sick while riding in a car, plane, or boat. Your body is simply more reactive to EVERYTHING!
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Extreme motion sickness that involves constant, severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), and it can make motion sickness much worse during pregnancy! Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) can lead to dehydration, nutrient loss, and overall physical weakness, all of which make it harder for your body to cope with motion. Even slight movements, like riding in a car, can trigger intense nausea in someone with HG, since their system is already overwhelmed and highly sensitive.
How To Deal With Car Sickness While Pregnant
Sit in the front seat.
One thing that causes motion sickness is the sensory mismatch between what your eyes see and what your inner ear feels. Basically, the eyes seeing something stationary, but the inner ear feeling movement can cause disorientation and nausea. So, sitting in the front seat and looking out the windshield can reduce this perception issue and ease motion sickness!
Avoid reading or looking at screens.
Reading or scrolling only your phone can worsen that sense of disorientation as your eyes try to read the words and your inner ear experiences motion. Keep the phone tucked away and stay looking ahead to prevent and improve motion sickness. If you do need to use your phone, go into your settings and turn on Vehicle Motion Cues. These tiny dots on the edge of your screen will follow the movement of the vehicle, helping to reduce your motion sickness.
Don’t drive in the morning.
If your motion sickness is at all connected to morning sickness, it’s a good idea to avoid driving before noon. Try to schedule appointments and other commitments at times of the day where you’re less nauseous and hopefully over the effects of morning sickness.
Keep the air cool and maintain airflow.
Letting in fresh air and keeping the air cool and reduce nausea by diluting strong odors, regulating the body’s temperature, and improving oxygen flow. So, try cracking a window and keeping the A/C on when driving or riding in a car!
Eat light, easy-to-digest snacks before traveling.
Remember, low blood sugar can be a cause of motion sickness, so a little snack before traveling can help stabilize your blood sugar levels! It can also prevent acid buildup. Try eating something like plain crackers, dry cereal, or a banana before you take off.
Consider taking a multivitamin with vitamin B6.
Research shows the vitamin B6 can really help with nausea and motion sickness! This is because it supports the production of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. The balanced neurotransmitters then reduce your overall hyper-sensitivity when pregnant, which relieves the effects of motion sickness!
Try ginger or peppermint tea or candies while driving.
Other research-baked nausea remedies are ginger and peppermint! For ginger, the active compounds soothe the stomach lining, speed up digestion, and support central nervous system regulation, all of which help with motion sickness.
For peppermint, its main ingredient, menthol, has a natural muscle-relaxing effect and calms the vagus nerve to ease stomach digestion and reduce the nausea reflex. Try picking up some ginger or peppermint tea or candies to enjoy during the drive!
Drink plenty of fluids.
Don’t forget dehydration can lead to nausea, so drink plenty of water before and during your drive. Of course, don’t drink too fast or too much at once, because that could make symptoms worse. Just be sure to sip on water throughout the day to keep your body extra hydrated.
Use acupressure wristbands.
Acupressure wristbands help relieve motion sickness by pressing on a specific point on the inner wrist called P6 (or Nei-Kuan), which is known to reduce nausea. By applying gentle, steady pressure, these bands can help calm the signals in your nervous system that trigger queasiness. It may sound too good to be true, but there are studies backing up the positive effects!
Wear anti-motion sickness glasses.
These aren’t the most attractive things, but anti-motion sickness glasses can be really helpful for reducing nausea! They help synchronize visual and sensory inputs to reduce motion sickness. Just keep a pair in the car and use them whenever you’re riding or driving!
Discuss anti-nausea medications with your doctor.
There are anti-nausea prescriptions and over-the-counter medications your doctor can prescribe you. If the motion sickness persists even after using natural remedies, talk with your doctor to determine if medication might be right for you.
Car sickness while pregnancy is frustrating, but there are helpful remedies!
Dealing with unexpected motion sickness can be overwhelming, but there’s a lot you can do to ease your symptoms to get one with your daily life. Try these nausea remedies, but don’t be afraid to talk with your doctor about other strategies that may work for you! For more pregnancy survival tips and new baby hacks, check out these posts:
And, if you haven’t bought a car seat yet, you’re in the right place! There are a LOT to choose from, but our Car Seat Finder Tool will recommend the best car seat for your car, budget, lifestyle, and new baby!
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