Tracking morning sickness: what to tell your doctor

In the first weeks of pregnancy, nausea makes the day harder for many people. One day goes fine, the next even getting out of bed feels hard, and by the time someone asks "how has it been?" at your appointment, the details have blurred. This article covers how to note nausea days without wearing yourself out, when to contact your doctor or midwife without waiting, and what you can share at your appointment.

When does pregnancy nausea start, and how long does it last?

It's called "morning sickness", but nausea can come at any time of day. According to MedlinePlus, it usually starts in the first month of pregnancy and for most people lasts until around weeks 14–16; for some, it continues throughout pregnancy.

Everyone's experience is different. Some people never feel sick, others vomit every day. Your doctor or midwife is the one who judges what's expected for you and what's a concern. The point of your notes isn't to diagnose anything; it's to help you describe clearly what you're going through.

The NHS explains that when nausea and vomiting are severe and stop you eating and drinking, it's called hyperemesis gravidarum, and it often needs hospital treatment. That's why noting how things are going, rather than waiting for it to pass, makes it easier to ask for help in time.

Noting the pregnancy week when the nausea started and when it eased also helps at later appointments. These dates matter especially when you describe nausea that lasts a long time or suddenly gets worse.

What should you note on nausea days?

You don't need a long diary. Short notes that take a minute or two a day give a very clear picture after a few weeks. You can write down:

1. Date and time Over time you'll see whether nausea comes mostly in the morning, in the evening or when you're hungry.
2. Nausea or vomiting? If you vomited, write how many times that day.
3. What you could eat and drink Could you keep fluids down? Did you manage to eat during the day? One short sentence is enough.
4. Triggers Things you notice, such as certain smells, cooking, travel or tiredness.
5. How you feel overall Changes such as dizziness, weakness, darker urine than usual or peeing less often.
6. Weight If you weigh yourself, write the number as it is; leave the interpretation to your doctor.

Use your own simple scale for how bad the nausea is: "mild", "moderate", "severe", or a score from 1 to 5. What matters is using the same scale every day, so you can see differences between weeks.

Setting up a routine that doesn't tire you out

On a queasy day, even looking at a screen for long can be hard. So keep your notes as short as possible. If you couldn't write anything on a bad day, that's fine; adding "yesterday was really bad, vomited twice" the next day works too.

On days when you feel very tired, you can ask your partner or a close friend to write the note for you. A voice memo or a short message works too; what matters is that the information is saved somewhere. When you feel better, you can move it into your own routine.

Keeping your notes in one place saves you searching before appointments. We covered what to write each week during pregnancy in what to write in a weekly pregnancy journal; nausea notes fit easily into that routine.

When should you contact your doctor or midwife without waiting?

Based on guidance from MedlinePlus and the NHS, contact your doctor, midwife or health service without waiting for your next appointment if:

• You can't keep food or drink down.
• You're vomiting more than three times a day.
• Your urine is dark or you're peeing very little, or you feel thirsty, weak and dizzy.
• You're losing a noticeable amount of weight.
• What you've tried at home isn't helping, or the nausea continues past the fourth month.

If you vomit blood or something that looks like coffee grounds, or you feel very unwell, call your local emergency number straight away.

If you're thinking of taking any medicine, herbal product or supplement for nausea, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. Remember to add the vitamins and medicines you take to your notes too; you may be asked about them.

What should you tell your doctor at the appointment?

You don't need to read out weeks of notes at your appointment. Turning the main points into a short summary makes things easier for you and your doctor:

• When the nausea started and whether it has eased in recent weeks.
• How many days a week you vomited, and how many times on the worst days.
• How well you could keep fluids and food down.
• Triggers you've noticed and things that helped.
• Medicines, vitamins and supplements you take.
• Questions you'd like to ask.

When preparing your summary, it also helps to mention the worst and the best days separately. That way your doctor sees not just the average but also the hardest moments. Write the numbers from your notes rather than guessing; if you're unsure about something, say so clearly.

Writing questions down as they come to you, rather than leaving them for the day itself, means you won't forget any. You can use the steps in collecting questions for pregnancy appointments for this. After the appointment, add what your doctor said to the same notes.

Keeping your nausea notes in Oveluni

In Oveluni, when you choose Pregnancy as your life stage in the Women's Health area, you can follow your pregnancy week and check-up dates; you enter this information yourself, and Oveluni doesn't determine whether you're pregnant. For nausea days, you can open Symptoms in the Quick add menu, create your own tag such as "Nausea" with "Add custom tag", and write the details with A note. If you weigh yourself, you can log Weight, and what you drink during the day with Water. You can collect questions in the "Questions for my doctor" list and prepare a PDF report before your appointment. These are personal observations; they don't include any medical assessment. You'll find the app's other areas on the Features page. Oveluni is coming soon to the App Store.

Sources

1. MedlinePlus: Morning sickness
2. NHS: Severe vomiting in pregnancy (hyperemesis gravidarum)