Treating Morning Sickness Naturally

morning sickness

Treating Morning Sickness Naturally

In addition to making you physically miserable, morning sickness is frustrating. It stymies your plans for eating right for your pregnancy, and feeling nauseous (or continuously heaving) interferes with work, social, and personal time. Also, for the record, morning sickness can strike at any time of day. So, if this is your first pregnancy, don’t be alarmed if you have bouts of queasiness or vomiting throughout the day.

Note: While you should keep your doctor informed about your morning sickness, it’s unlikely you have any cause to worry. Your baby will be just fine as s/he gets what she needs from your body. Even if you aren’t able to eat normally, try to keep yourself as hydrated as possible. By the second trimester, things should start to feel better, and your body will be well-nourished again.

Keep Pregnancy Nausea at Bay With These 7 Natural Tricks

Fortunately, there are things you can do to treat morning sickness naturally – without the use of prescription medications.

1. Graze regularly and ditch the “three meals a day” plan for now

Pregnancy sickness can feel like a double-edged sword because you skip eating since you feel nauseous, and then you feel more nauseous because of your empty tummy. Most women find that snacking lightly – from morning until night – is the best way to minimize nausea and prevent vomiting. Keep whatever snacks you can keep down (saltines, pretzels, a bit of cheese, part of a smoothie) close at hand so you can take constant nibbles or sips.

2. Find your favorite source of real ginger

Ginger is proven to soothe stomach ailments and has been used to treat everything from morning sickness and motion sickness to food-related nausea and gastric inflammation. There are plenty of ginger-based options you can look for in your local market.

Some of the most common include:

  • Ginger tea
  • Chews
  • Lollypops
  • Pickled ginger
  • Ginger supplements (although most women find the tart/sweet taste of ginger is part of the initial relief)

Verify that the items you try are made from real ginger – rather than “ginger flavored” ingredients.

3. Skip the trigger foods

There are some foods that are notably harder on an already sensitive stomach. These include:

  • Greasy food
  • Spicy food
  • High-fat foods
  • Foods that you know give you gas

The foods least likely to cause nausea are healthy carbohydrates, salty foods, dry foods such as crackers, nuts, toast, cereal), and bland foods.

4. Avoid strong scents and keep aromatherapy options on hand

Strong scents such as cologne, perfume, cigarette smoke, or incense are more likely to trigger nausea. Odds are, you’ll have a few personal triggers of your own (we knew a patient who was triggered by any cooking smells in the house, so her husband cooked on their camping stove on the porch for two months…).

Do your best to avoid scent-related triggers, and keep a cotton ball with a couple of drops of your favorite aromatherapy oil on hand for soothing sniffing (peppermint, lemongrass and lavender are all good options to start).

5. Get plenty of rest

Tiredness or fatigue is just as likely to send you over the morning sickness edge as an empty stomach. Going to bed a little earlier than usual, taking naps when you can, or even closing your eyes with your feet up for even 15-minutes in the middle of the day recharges your body.

6. Suck on something sour

Just as ginger helps soothe the tummy, many women find that sucking on something sour can help. Experiment with hard candies, like lemon drops or sour apple candies, and see if that helps. Some women find adding lemon to their water tastes good, start to crave dill pickles, and love to sniff the scent of fresh lemon peel/zest.

7. Gentle Exercise

Many women find that keeping active helps take their mind off the nausea. Exercise releases endorphins and can give you an over all positive feeling. We’re big fans of yoga during early pregnancy!

The good news is, there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you feel your morning sickness bouts are beyond the norm and worry about your health – or your baby’s – contact your physician or fertility specialist to check-in.

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