Get Creative With Ginger
Ginger has long been touted as a stomach soother, and studies have shown that it may help morning sickness. Try adding a thin slice of ginger to hot water or sipping flat ginger ale. Doesn’t sound appetizing? Snack on a handful of crystallized ginger candy, nosh on gingersnaps or gingerbread, try ginger tea, or find your own tasty way to soup up the root. Erick suggests microwaving ginger jam and pouring it over vanilla ice cream. Yum!
You may think surfing the web will distract you from morning sickness, but the computer’s bright screen and undetectable strobe effect may make you more nauseated. To combat this effect, Erick suggests adjusting your screen to reduce eye strain. Make the font size bold and larger, and change the background to a soft pink or tan. Erick also recommends taking short breaks from the computer by getting up to do something elseor by simply closing your eyes.
Best Morning Sickness Remedies To Relieve Nausea During Pregnancy
In this detailed guide to the best morning sickness remedies, we delve into all of the methods you can use to relieve pregnancy nausea. Despite the name, morning sickness can actually arrive any time, which, of course, is not the most convenient of things. While severe cases of morning sickness should be addressed with your doctor as soon as possible, there are several home remedies for morning sickness that can treat your symptoms and bring relief.
What Causes Nausea In Pregnancy
No one actually knows what causes morning sickness. Also known as nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
It is speculated that the extreme change in hormones may be to blame. Also the enhanced sense of smell and taste that you experience during pregnancy may contribute to your morning sickness symptoms.
Whatever the cause we just want to get rid of it right? Morning sickness can be terrible! 75% of women experience some sort of nausea during their first trimester. About half of those also experience vomiting.
There is even an extreme case of morning sickness known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum . This is a condition in which you suffer from severe nausea and vomiting all the time and experience weight loss and electrolyte imbalance as a result. If you think you are suffering from HG please consult your doctor or midwife.
RELATED: How to Prepare Your Body for a Healthy Pregnancy
Prenatal nutrition and fitness feels like a mystery to many of us. I mean your doctor hardly even touches on that area at all.
And yet, we now know that what you eat and how active you are while pregnant directly affects your babys genetic outcome, turning on and off certain genes based on your nutrition and fitness!
Hows a mom to know what to eat, what not to eat, and how to safely exercise to have a fit bump-only pregnancy and grow the most healthy baby possible through her diet and exercise?
Read Also: Vagisil During Pregnancy
Avoid Strong Smelling Foods That Bother You
- Try eating outside in the fresh air if possible.
- Ask someone else to cook, especially trigger foods, hot foods and high smell foods.
- If you have to prepare meals for yourself or others make food you are able to eat and try to make cold foods that are easy to make.
- A breathable mask can be helpful when you have to be in a place where smells are too strong for you. These masks help to block some of the food smell.
- Smelling lemons or lemon essential oils might help settle the stomach.
Morning Sickness Remedies That Really Work
You don’t have to suffer through weeks of queasiness. From nausea-reducing foods to over-the-counter medications, try these easy remedies for morning sickness relief.
Morning sickness is common in the first trimester, but fortunately for expecting mamas, you don’t have to simply grin and bear it. “Just because it’s a common part of pregnancy doesn’t mean women have to suffer with it,” says Marra Francis, M.D., an OB-GYN in Woodlands, Texas, and a contributing author to the Mommy MD Guides. “People do get relief, either by using natural remedies or traditional medications.”
We rounded up some tried-and-true morning sickness remedies, from nausea-reducing foods to natural remedies to over-the-counter medications. And remember: Pregnancy queasiness usually subsides as you enter the second trimester, so you only have a few more weeks to go!
You May Like: Mayo Clinic Pregnancy
Guard Against Unpleasant Smells
When youre pregnant, you expect your body to change. But who knew that your sensitivity to smells would change as well? The hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy can even turn once-appealing smells into unpleasant, even intolerable, nausea triggers.
That means that the smell of your favorite meal may now make you want to throw up. Talk about frustrating!
If you find that your sense of smell is becoming more sensitive, we suggest you avoid heavy odors like tobacco, perfumes, and exhaust from vehicles. If you encounter a smell that triggers your nausea, excuse yourself as quickly as possible and find fresh air away from the odor.
If you cant get away from the trigger smell, try breathing through your mouth instead of your nose. And dont worry about what others may think if you have to excuse yourself. Theyre not pregnant.
Cures For Morning Sickness During Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings about a number of changes to your body swollen ankles, sore back, and constant pressure on your bladder. But for many women, nausea, or morning sickness, can be the most unpleasant symptom of the entire 9 months.
To add insult to injury, theres the name morning sickness. Whoever put those two words together really got it wrong! Its not uncommon for that sick feeling to persist well into the afternoon or evening making morning sickness feel like all-day sickness.
Thankfully, nausea during pregnancy doesnt have to be a 24-hour thing. There are a number of cures you can try right at home without expensive medications or time-consuming doctor visits. Here are14 tips to help you get rid of morning sickness.
Don’t Miss: How To Check Your Stomach For Pregnancy
Whats Severe Morning Sickness
Severe morning sickness is when nausea and vomiting get so serious that a pregnant woman vomits several times a day, loses weight, and gets dehydrated or is at risk for dehydration.
If this rare pregnancy-related condition isnt treated, it can affect a woman’s health and her baby’s ability to thrive.
The medical term for severe morning sickness is “hyperemesis gravidarum” , which means “excessive vomiting during pregnancy.” It usually follows a similar timeline to normal morning sickness. But it can go longer, sometimes lasting for the whole pregnancy. Often, the symptoms get less severe as the pregnancy continues.
Most cases of hyperemesis gravidarum affect a woman’s first pregnancy. But women who have it in one pregnancy are more likely to have it in future pregnancies.
What Is Morning Sickness
If youre struggling with morning sickness, rest assured that youre not alone. About 70 percent of women experience symptoms, which include nausea and vomiting. For some, these symptoms are triggered by certain odors and sensations. Typically, symptoms begin around six weeks into pregnancy and start to subside during your second trimester. However, each pregnancy is different, and symptoms often last for shorter and longer term periodsand in varying degrees of severity. While the exact cause of morning sickness is difficult to pinpoint, its widely agreed that low blood sugar and a rise in pregnancy hormones are at least partially to blame.
For a deeper dive into morning sickness symptoms, causes, and treatments, read our complete guide. To learn about the best morning sickness remedies to relieve pregnancy nausea, keep reading below.
Recommended Reading: Donating Plasma While Breastfeeding
What Can I Do To Feel Better If I Have Morning Sickness
There are a few things you can do to feel better. These include:
- Eat a few crackers or toast in the morning to help settle your stomach. Keep a few crackers at bedside and eat a couple before getting up.
- Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day instead of 3 large meals.
- Avoid spicy and fatty foods. Eat bland foods such as bananas, rice, dry toast, plain baked potato, gelatin, broth, eggs, tofu, or applesauce.
- Eat healthy snacks between meals, such as yogurt, peanut butter on apple slices or celery, cheese, milk, or nuts.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially water, throughout the day.
- Take your prenatal vitamins with a snack. If your prenatal vitamin contains iron, try taking it at bedtime. Talk with your doctor about other vitamin options.
- Avoid odors, flickering lights, other situations that bother you and trigger your nausea.
- Make tea with real grated ginger or try ginger candies.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Keep rooms well ventilated, turn on a fan, or go outside from time to time to get some fresh air.
- Smell fresh-smelling, pleasant scents such as lemon, orange, or mint.
Other methods may help reduce nausea. Talk with your healthcare provider before trying these:
- Acupressure wrist band. These bands apply pressure to certain points on the wrist.
- Acupuncture. In this treatment method, thin needles are put into the skin.
Do not use marijuana to treat morning sickness! It has not been shown to be safe for your baby during pregnancy.
Dont Miss: What Are Some Pregnancy Cravings
What Causes Severe Morning Sickness
The cause of severe morning sickness isnt known. But it might be related to the hormone changes of pregnancy. A hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, might be to blame because severe morning sickness most often happens when HCG levels are at their highest in a pregnant woman’s body.
Severe morning sickness also might run in families. Its more common in women whose close family members have had it.
Other things that can increase a woman’s chances of having severe morning sickness include:
- carrying multiples
- history of motion sickness
Don’t Miss: Can Pregnant Women Use Vagisil
The Myth Of Hysteria And Morning Sickness
Unrelenting morning sickness can have a profound effect on your quality of life, preventing you from working, socialising and looking after your other children.Pregnant women enduring morning sickness report higher levels of psychological stress, including anxiety and depression. This prompted the false belief that morning sickness is purely psychosomatic, which means that the womans fears and anxieties trigger her physical discomfort. However, there is no research to support these claims.
Prescription Medications As Severe Morning Sickness Remedies
If youre unable to treat your symptoms with the best morning sickness remedies above, talk to your doctor about prescription medications.
Commonly prescribed medications include:
- Zofran : Used to prevent nausea and vomiting, this antiemetic works by blocking the actions of serotonin in the body. Note that if youve already begun vomiting, it will not stop itZofran is meant to be taken as a preventative measure although, it can provide relief from nausea in as fast as 30 minutes.
- Diclegis : This medication combines an antihistamine and vitamin B6, and provides similar benefits to Unisom SleepTabs and vitamin B6. However, Diclegis can be easier to manage, as it doesnt require you to measure out different medications and supplements.
Also Check: Can You Get Braces While Pregnant
Other Morning Sickness Remedies
Every pregnancy is different, so you may find that the best morning sickness remedies for you are completely different for someone else.
Other morning sickness remedies tips:
How Long Does Morning Sickness Last
Nausea can start as early as four weeks and go all the way up to 14 weeks, although ithere are always a small majority who have morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy.For some women after 14 weeks or less they dont have anymore morning sickness again. Each womans body and pregnancy is unique, and it is hard to say when it will end entirely.
You might have had an easy pregnancy with your first baby and this one you cant stay out of the bathroom.
Pregnancy doesnt come with an actual handbook for all the challenges and changes we go through.
Don’t Miss: Kt Tape Pregnancy Round Ligament Pain
Drink Before Or After A Meal Not During
Staying hydrated is important, especially if youre vomiting. Drink small amounts of fluid throughout the day, but limit fluid intake during meals to avoid feeling too full. Drink 30 minutes before or after a meal instead. If you prefer drinking with your meal, have a small glass of water rather than a beverage containing sugar, as too much sugar can upset your stomach.
Coping With Morning Sickness
Get plenty of rest.
Eating small snacks often every 2 hours can help. Try a dry cracker or a plain biscuit before getting up in the morning. Have a cheese sandwich or some yoghurt before you go to bed. You could also try eating wet and dry foods separately. For example, eat a piece of toast, wait an hour and then have a drink.
Ginger may also help. You could try ginger in the form of tea, ginger ale, ginger beer , capsules or biscuits.
Acupressure bands worn on your wrists like a bangle or watch may help. These are often used for travel sickness and you can buy them from a pharmacy.
You May Like: Vagisil Safe For Pregnancy
How Can I Manage Morning Sickness At Home
The following are safe, proved treatments for morning sickness. Still, few women gain complete relief from morning sickness treatment.
- Acupressure, firmly placed on the P6 point , relieves nausea for some women.
- Dimenhydrinate is a non-prescription anti-nausea medicine. When taken as your doctor advises, it may relieve morning sickness.
- Ginger, taken regularly as a powder in a capsule, grated fresh into hot water for a tea, or in syrup or crystallized form, may relieve morning sickness after a few days of treatment.footnote 1
Follow these guidelines for minimizing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
- Keep food in your stomach but not too much. An empty stomach can make nausea worse. Eat several small meals every day instead of three large meals.
- For morning nausea, eat a small snack before you get out of bed. Allow a few minutes for the snack to digest, then get out of bed slowly.
- Stay hydrated. Drink a lot of fluids. Try a sports hydration drink, as well as water, broth, or juice.
- Avoid smells and foods that make you feel nauseated. Citrus juice, milk, coffee, and caffeinated tea commonly make nausea worse.
- If you are taking iron supplements, ask your doctor if they are necessary. Iron can make nausea worse.
- Get lots of rest. Stress and fatigue can make morning sickness worse.
Contact your doctor immediately if you vomit more than 3 times a day or are unable to take fluids, especially if you also have pain, fever, or both.
Possible Causes Of Morning Sickness
The cause of morning sickness remains a mystery, but it is thought a combination of physical and metabolic factors play a significant role, including:
- High levels of hormones, including oestrogen
- Fluctuations in blood pressure, particularly lowered blood pressure
- Altered metabolism of carbohydrates
- The enormous physical and chemical changes that pregnancy triggers.
Also Check: Donate Plasma While Pregnant
Take Your Prenatal Vitamin At Dinner
Most of us are used to taking a vitamin in the morning with breakfast so that our body can make use of the nutrients throughout the day. But when youre pregnant, that influx of vitamins and minerals can actually make your nausea worse.
Instead of taking your prenatal vitamin in the morning, we recommend taking it at night with dinner. Taking your vitamin at night works better because your body has been digesting all day long so the vitamin isnt such a shock to your system. And taking that prenatal vitamin with a meal helps your body break it down more effectively.
Put both of those things together and you wont feel quite so uneasy.
Not Sure What To Do Next
If you are still concerned about your morning sickness, why not use healthdirect’s online Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention.
The Symptom Checker guides you to the next appropriate healthcare steps, whether it’s self-care, talking to a health professional, going to a hospital or calling triple zero .
Don’t Miss: Sore Breasts After Mirena Removal
What Are The Risks Of Morning Sickness
You may have an increased risk of developing morning sickness if:
- this is your first pregnancy, you are having a girl, or more than 1 baby
- have had a previous pregnancy with nausea and vomiting
- have a family history of morning sickness
- have a history of motion sickness or have had nausea while using contraceptives that contain oestrogen
Other risk factors include:
- obesity
- stress
An enlarged placenta is also a known risk factor for morning sickness. The placenta is the organ that attaches the mother to her unborn baby and provides the baby with food and oxygen. The placenta can become enlarged in multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets, or during a molar pregnancy, where the fertilisation of the egg goes wrong and leads to an abnormal growth of cells inside the womb.
Dont Miss: Can You Find Out Who The Father Is While Pregnant
Drink Your Way To Feeling Great
Tea. Tea is your friend right now. Cold tea, hot tea, whatever works for you. The types to try to ease nausea are Ginger Tea and Peppermint Tea.
My favorite for quelling nausea during pregnancy was Bigelow Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea Plus Probiotics I found it to be the best! Probably because it contains both lemon and ginger to calm the quesiness, as well as the additional probiotics that will keep your gut as balanced as it can be right now. I drank it every day.
Beyond tea, keeping Kombucha and selzer water on hand at all times is essential for a nauseous mommy. I cant number the amount of times I sent my husband to the store to buy lemon seltzer water.
Find the drink that works for you and stock up!
Recommended Reading: Is Kinesio Tape Safe For Pregnancy
