There are plenty of difficult parts about working while pregnant, but trying to act completely normal at work when you feel like you might throw up at any moment deserves its own category.
Before experiencing it myself, I thought morning sickness would mostly be about nausea. What surprised me was how many symptoms seemed to hit at the same time.
It wasn’t just feeling nauseous. It was the nausea plus heartburn, fatigue, and feeling out of breath—all while still needing to show up to work and perform like I normally would.
And for those first three months, I was also trying to hide all of it.
I hadn’t shared my pregnancy yet, so I was trying to work, have conversations, stay productive, and look completely normal while quietly managing symptoms that were making even an ordinary workday feel exhausting.
That was one of the hardest parts for me.
You may be sitting through a meeting while quietly wondering whether you can make it to the bathroom. You might suddenly discover that the smell of someone’s lunch is unbearable. Or you may wake up already nauseous and wonder how you’re supposed to get dressed, commute to work, concentrate, talk to people, and somehow remain productive for the next eight hours.
And despite the name, morning sickness definitely doesn’t always stay in the morning.
For some women, nausea comes and goes throughout the day. For others, certain smells, an empty stomach, exhaustion, or even the commute to work can make symptoms worse.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was how suddenly everything seemed to take double the effort.
Getting ready for work took more energy. Walking around took more energy. Concentrating took more energy. Even carrying on conversations could feel exhausting.
And if you have a job where you have to constantly interact with people, it can be particularly difficult. There were times when I felt like I always had to be “on” and talking, even though I was out of breath, nauseous, exhausted, and felt like I was actively running a marathon.
Except I wasn’t running anywhere.
I was just trying to get through a normal workday.
If you’re dealing with morning sickness while trying to keep up with your job, here are some realistic ways to make the workday a little more manageable.
Why Morning Sickness at Work Can Be So Difficult
Pregnancy nausea is hard enough when you’re at home and can lie down, eat when you need to, or stay close to the bathroom.
Work doesn’t usually give us that flexibility.
You may have meetings, patients, customers, deadlines, presentations, or a long commute. You may have a job that requires you to be on your feet or constantly talking to other people.
And then there’s another challenge that doesn’t get talked about enough: trying to hide morning sickness when no one at work knows you’re pregnant yet.
The first trimester is often when morning sickness is at its worst, but it’s also when many women haven’t announced their pregnancies.
That creates some awkward situations.
You’re suddenly eating crackers at 9 a.m. You keep disappearing to the bathroom. Coffee—which you normally love—might suddenly make you gag. You’re exhausted. You aren’t feeling like yourself.
And you’re trying to make all of this look completely normal.
Sometimes managing morning sickness at work isn’t about feeling great.
It’s simply about making the day more manageable.
1. Keep Something Small in Your Stomach
An empty stomach can make pregnancy nausea worse for some women.
Instead of relying only on three larger meals, try keeping a few simple snacks nearby so you can eat small amounts throughout the workday.
Depending on what you tolerate, that might include:
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Dry cereal
- Toast
- Applesauce
- Bananas
- Granola bars
- Nuts
- Cheese
- Fruit
For me, salty and sour foods were particularly helpful for managing nausea.
Something salty or tart often sounded much more appealing than a regular meal when I wasn’t feeling well. Pregnancy is incredibly individual, so what works for one person may be completely unappealing to someone else.
The important thing is figuring out what your stomach tolerates and keeping those foods nearby.
Working mom tip: Keep an emergency snack somewhere you don’t normally reach for it. If you forget to refill your regular stash, you’ll still have something available when nausea hits.
2. Eat Before You Get Too Hungry
When you’re busy at work, it’s easy to suddenly realize you haven’t eaten in several hours.
Unfortunately, waiting until you’re starving can sometimes make nausea even worse.
If you’ve noticed that an empty stomach is a trigger, try eating something small before you reach that point.
You don’t necessarily need an entire meal.
Sometimes a handful of crackers, a few pretzels, or another snack you tolerate is enough to help you get through your next meeting, patient, phone call, or task.
I found it much easier to stay ahead of the nausea than to wait until I already felt terrible and then try to recover.
3. Keep Water Close By
Staying hydrated during pregnancy is important, but drinking a huge glass of water at once isn’t always appealing when you’re nauseous.
Try keeping a water bottle nearby and taking small sips throughout the day instead.
Some women find cold water, ice chips, lemon water, or another pregnancy-safe beverage easier to tolerate than plain room-temperature water.
The goal isn’t to force yourself to drink something that makes you feel worse.
Find something you can tolerate and keep it within reach whenever possible.
4. Create a Morning Sickness Kit for Work
One of the most helpful things you can do is prepare for the possibility that you’re going to feel sick.
Create a small morning sickness survival kit and keep it in your work bag, desk, or locker.
Consider including:
- Crackers or another safe snack
- Sour candy or ginger candies
- Mints
- A water bottle
- Tissues
- Mouthwash or a toothbrush
- An extra hair tie
- A small disposable bag
- An extra shirt
Hopefully, you’ll never need half of it.
But when you’re already trying to hide the fact that you feel awful, knowing you have supplies nearby can take away at least a little of the anxiety.
5. Figure Out Your Smell Triggers
Pregnancy can give you an almost unbelievable sense of smell.
Unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing.
Nothing prepares you for sitting at your desk feeling relatively okay—and then someone reheats leftovers in the break room and suddenly you’re calculating how quickly you can get to the bathroom without anyone noticing.
For me, the smell of trash became incredibly amplified. I felt like I could smell it from a mile away, which wasn’t particularly helpful when I was already trying to keep my nausea under control.
It was strange how smells I barely would have noticed before pregnancy suddenly seemed impossible to ignore.
Coffee, perfume, cleaning products, reheated food, trash, and other everyday workplace smells can suddenly become unbearable.
When possible, figure out which smells trigger your nausea and reduce your exposure.
That might mean eating lunch somewhere different, stepping outside for fresh air, avoiding the break room at certain times, or temporarily moving away from a strong smell.
You won’t be able to control every smell at work.
Sometimes your best strategy really is just getting away from it.
6. Give Yourself More Time in the Morning
Morning sickness and rushing are a terrible combination.
If mornings are particularly difficult, try giving yourself a little extra time before leaving for work.
Even 15 extra minutes may give you enough time to eat something slowly, sit down for a few minutes, or simply avoid racing out the door.
This becomes even harder when you’re already a mom and have another child to get dressed, fed, packed up, and dropped off at daycare or school before you even start your own workday.
Preparing clothes, lunches, daycare bags, work bags, or breakfast the night before can help reduce some of that morning pressure.
Because when you’re pregnant and nauseous, things that used to take five minutes can suddenly feel like they require an entire strategy.
7. Make Your Commute as Easy as Possible
Sometimes getting to work feels like its own accomplishment.
If driving makes you nauseous, keep water and a few safe snacks in the car.
If you’re taking public transportation, keep your morning sickness kit somewhere easily accessible instead of buried at the bottom of your bag.
And if possible, give yourself a little extra time.
Running late, rushing, feeling nauseous, and worrying about whether you’re going to throw up is not a great way to start the workday.
8. Take Whatever Breaks You Can Get
Ideally, we’d all be able to step away whenever we aren’t feeling well.
Realistically, many jobs don’t work that way.
On busy workdays, a real break may not happen. Sometimes my “break” was a few minutes in the bathroom, standing outside for fresh air, or eating crackers between responsibilities. It wasn’t exactly relaxing, but sometimes those few minutes were enough to get me through the next part of the day.
Use the small pockets of time you have.
Sit when you can.
Eat something.
Take a few sips of water.
Get some fresh air.
You don’t necessarily need a perfect 30-minute break for it to help.
Sometimes you’re simply trying to make it through the day in small chunks.
9. Consider Whether You Need Workplace Adjustments
There is a difference between feeling uncomfortable and reaching the point where your pregnancy symptoms are making your normal job responsibilities extremely difficult.
If you’re struggling, consider whether temporary workplace adjustments could help.
Depending on your job and individual circumstances, that might mean easier access to snacks or water, additional bathroom breaks, being able to sit more frequently, schedule adjustments, or temporary changes to certain responsibilities.
This can feel especially complicated if you haven’t announced your pregnancy yet.
You may be trying to decide when to tell your supervisor while simultaneously trying to hide the very symptoms that are making your job difficult.
You don’t necessarily have to wait until you’re completely miserable before finding out what options may be available to you.
10. Talk to Your Healthcare Provider If You’re Really Struggling
Morning sickness is common, but that doesn’t mean you’re expected to suffer through severe symptoms without help.
If nausea or vomiting is making it difficult to eat, drink, work, or function normally, talk to your healthcare provider.
There are pregnancy-safe strategies and treatments they may recommend depending on your symptoms and medical history.
You should also contact your provider if you’re concerned about dehydration, can’t keep fluids down, are losing weight, feel faint or unusually weak, or your symptoms seem severe.
Some women experience hyperemesis gravidarum, a much more serious form of pregnancy nausea and vomiting that may require medical treatment.
Sometimes Getting Through the Workday Is Enough
One of the hardest parts of morning sickness at work is that everyone around you may be going through a completely normal day.
Meanwhile, you’re sitting there feeling like you’ve already run a marathon—and it’s 10 a.m.
You’re nauseous.
You have heartburn.
You’re exhausted.
You’re out of breath.
Everything seems to require twice as much energy.
And somehow, you’re still expected to answer emails, have conversations, attend meetings, make decisions, interact with people, and look relatively put together while doing it.
If you haven’t told anyone you’re pregnant yet, you’re doing all of that while also trying not to let anyone realize how terrible you feel.
Some days will be easier than others.
Keep the foods that work for you nearby. Drink what you can tolerate. Get away from triggering smells when possible. Take those tiny breaks wherever you can find them. And talk to your healthcare provider if your symptoms are becoming difficult to manage.
Most importantly, adjust your expectations for yourself during this season.
You are still doing your job while your body is simultaneously doing an enormous amount of work behind the scenes.
Some days, getting yourself to work and making it through the day really is enough.
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