How can I handle morning sickness when I’m not home?

If you are having regular attacks of nausea, you will, of course, do what you can to be near the facilities. But if you can’t get to a restroom — or if nausea strikes unpredictably — your best bet is to put together your own morning sickness kit. Depending on how much you want to carry, you can put the essentials into a zippered cosmetics bag and tuck it into your purse, or carry the kit as a separate tote.

Every good morning sickness kit should include…

• bags to throw up into.
• napkins or tissues (to wipe your mouth afterwards).
• small water bottles (so you can swirl out your mouth and stay a little hydrated).
• some small non-perishable breath fresheners, such as breath strips, peppermints, lollipops, gum or lemon drops — whatever works best for you.
• a travel toothbrush/toothpaste combo (from your local drugstore).
• some saltines, oyster or other crackers and/or a bag of cereal to help soothe a restless tummy.

Always pack several bags to handle the vomit. For something made just for that purpose, ask traveling friends and family to get you some of the airsickness bags from the seat-back pocket on airplanes. If that’s not possible, small white trash can liners with twist ties work well, and have the benefit of not being see-through. (You might want to open the bag ahead of time so you’re not fighting against bag cling when you really don’t have the time!) Also consider zipper-lock freezer bags — bring along a trash bag to put them in for disposal, though.

If you have a little extra space, you may want to bring along a change of shirt — just in case your aim is a little off. If that’s not doable, maybe tuck in some pre-moistened wipes and an instant stain remover pen or pre-treat sachets to help clean yourself up.

Of course, you can’t prepare for every contingency, but you will feel more confident going out there with more than just a shopping bag bunched up in your pocket.

Get more tips and help with morning sickness remedies here… and good luck!