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Morning sickness can make your pregnancy an uncomfortable journey, and it affects around 70 per cent of women.
Although we call this nauseating sensation ‘morning sickness’, unfortunately it can happen at any time, day or night. Normally morning sickness symptoms are relatively mild, but it is important to communicate any discomfort you experience to your midwife or family doctor so that they can help you to take the right precautions.
Your doctor or midwife may recommend some over the counter medicinal treatments to target your symptoms, however, these can often have side effects of their own. Often To help you target your morning sickness from home, try this list of natural remedies to help ease your pregnancy nausea.
Research shows that Vitamin B-6 not only alleviates the symptoms of morning sickness, but also plays a vital role in the development of your baby. As well as keeping your own brain and nervous system working smoothly, it ensures that your baby reaches a healthy birth weight and prevents development issues along the way. If you’re feeling low or exhausted throughout your pregnancy, Vitamin B-6 also stimulates the production of serotonin, ensuring that you and your baby are happy. When being used to treat morning sickness, 10 to 25 mg of Vitamin B6 taken three times a day has been proven to alleviate the nausea. Just avoid taking over 100mg of this vitamin a day to avoid any negative side effects.
Instead of taking concentrated amounts of Vitamin B-6, you can easily integrate it into your diet through foods such as wholegrain wheats and cereals, seeds and nuts, bananas or papayas, fish, lean meats, or best of all lentils, kidney beans, soybeans and chickpeas. Try blending up these pulses with frozen berries and your preferred type of milk for an anti-sickness smoothie.
Raspberry leaf, peppermint or anise teas are all effective when trying to reduce the symptoms of morning sickness. As well as alleviating nausea, red raspberry leaf tea has been proven to decrease the length of labour and the likelihood of assisted or caesarean delivery. Peppermint Leaf and Anise tea are two other safe and effective herbal teas that you can drink for nausea relief. Steer clear of Alfafa, Yellow Dock and Nettle tea as some research argues that they may not be safe to consume when pregnant.
Ginger is a magic ingredient for everyone’s immune system, but becomes particularly helpful when fighting morning sickness. Research shows that 1.1-1.5 grams of ginger a day can significantly reduce symptoms of nausea in pregnant women, and as long as you do not take excessive amounts it is considered to be a safe and healthy spice. You can choose to take supplements, or you can simply slice fresh ginger into hot water and lemon and sip it slowly, chew on ginger sweets, or drink flat ginger ale. If the taste of ginger turns your stomach, try chewing on fennel seeds instead for the same relief.
Regular, gentle belly rubs can bring relief to a multitude of problems during your pregnancy. Using slow, smooth movements across your tummy with the palms of your hands can ease morning sickness, muscle ache and simply help you to relax. Try adding a few drops of camomile or peppermint oil to a warm, damp towel and use it to massage your baby bump.
Finding out what exercise works for you during your pregnancy is important, as you don’t want to harm you or your baby. Mild exercise has been proven to help prevent the intensity of morning sickness. Try taking short, slow walks to keep your muscles moving, and gentle stretching to ease any nauseous sensations. Similarly, if you wake up with an awful bout of morning sickness, make sure that you move slowly and don’t rush out of bed, or you may feel worse. Take it slow, and rest as much as possible.
Too much fatty, rich and greasy food can turn anyone’s stomach, but you need to be especially careful when you are pregnant. If you are experiencing morning sickness, try to stop eating heavy amounts of fatty foods and instead opt for frequent, smaller meals containing healthy and fresh ingredients. You must also stay hydrated, which can difficult when water just won’t stay down. In this case, keep a glass of apple juice by your bed for you to sip throughout the night. This will keep your blood sugar levels up, and prevent any feelings of dizziness from dehydration.
Medical research has proven that acupuncture and acupressure are both extremely effective remedies to morning sickness and nausea, as it stimulates healthy blood flow around the body. It has even been suggested that acupuncture can help to ensure that your baby rotates from its breach position as you approach your due date.
Eating or chewing items with this fresh flavor can help you feel more relaxed and less nauseated. They may also mask unpleasant food odors that trigger tummy pain. As a bonus, mint can freshen your breath after a nasty round of morning sickness. Even just smelling mint can perk you up, so go ahead: Throw some mint lip balm in your pocket or try a rollerball filled with diluted peppermint essential oil.
It may sound counterintuitive, but grapefruit neutralizes stomach acid, which may help stave off morning sickness. Try eating one grapefruit after each meal. You can also try lemon water or sugar-free lemonade for similar results.
Morning sickness elixir – Combine 1 Tbs. of raw apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of water; add the juice of 2 lemons and 1 Tbs. of raw honey, and mix. Drink throughout the day. This elixir is very alkalizing and great for alleviating a queasy stomach.
Although pregnant women are more sensitive to offensive odors, they seem to respond well to pleasant smells, and sometimes find those smells soothing. One study found that aromatherapy with lemon and peppermint essential oils had a positive effect on morning sickness. For minor to moderate bouts of morning sickness, aromatherapy reduces intensity. You could try putting a few drops of your favourite scent on a tissue in your pocket and take i out for a good sniff when you feel the nausea coming on.
When it comes to treating morning sickness during pregnancy, there are lots of options to try. Everyone is different, so it’s a good idea to try several various remedies to figure out what works best for you. Many of us need to combine a few different methods to get optimal relief.
The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t just try to push through morning sickness: you deserve to find some relief for your symptoms. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are not finding adequate relief. If you are experiencing severe vomiting that includes weight loss and dehydration, you should reach out to your healthcare provider promptly, as you may need medical treatment.
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