Home Remedies For Pregnancy Nausea
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For some women, nausea is the first indicator that they might be pregnant and is what prompts them to schedule a doctors visit or a pregnancy test. Pregnancy nausea or morning sickness is not typically a dangerous condition, but it is aggravating and getting relief becomes a priority during its duration. Fortunately, your kitchen or bathroom medicine cabinet already provide plenty of home remedies for pregnancy nausea and well discuss 15 of those in this article.
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.
Ways To Manage Morning Sickness
Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy can happen for many reasons. About 65 per cent of women have nausea and vomiting while pregnant. It often starts at about 4 to 8 weeks of pregnancy and continues to 12 to 16 weeks or more for some women.
Although its often called morning sickness, nausea and vomiting can happen any time of the day or night.
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Overall Approach To Treatment
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is a common and sometimes challenging problem, and hyperemesis gravidarum may be associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Both conditions may significantly affect the quality of life and psychological well-being of the mother. A variety of safe and effective therapeutic options are available, and a multimodal approach to treatment is helpful. The treatment algorithm presented in Figure 1 is closely aligned with treatment recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.34
Evaluation of Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy
Figure 1.
Treatment algorithm for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Evaluation of Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy
Figure 1.
Treatment algorithm for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Data Sources: A PubMed search was completed using the key terms nausea and vomiting, pregnancy, and hyperemesis gravidarum. The search included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, and reviews. Clinical Evidence, the Cochrane database, and Essential Evidence Plus were also searched. Search date: January 15, 2012, and January 24, 2014.
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Ginger And Peppermint Teas
Ginger has long been used to aid digestion and reduce abdominal discomfort. Studies show that it may also help relieve the symptoms of nausea.
Other options are to sip cold ginger ale or to add a slice of raw ginger to water or tea.
Snacks such as gingerbread, or ginger cookies may also help.
Peppermint tea may also help settle the stomach.
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Things You Can Try Yourself
If your morning sickness is not too bad, your GP or midwife will initially recommend you try some lifestyle changes:
- get plenty of rest
- avoid foods or smells that make you feel sick
- eat something like dry toast or a plain biscuit before you get out of bed
- eat small, frequent meals of plain foods that are high in carbohydrate and low in fat
- eat cold foods rather than hot ones if the smell of hot meals makes you feel sick
- drink plenty of fluids, such as water
- eat foods or drinks containing ginger there’s some evidence ginger may help reduce nausea and vomiting
- try acupressure there’s some evidence that putting pressure on your wrist, using a special band or bracelet on your forearm, may help relieve the symptoms
+ Natural Ways To Curb Nausea During Pregnancy
Jan 15, 2020 | Pregnancy, Nutrition
Nausea is a very common early pregnancy symptom, affecting 8/10 expecting mothers. The severity and timing of pregnancy-induced nausea can fluctuate significantly based on a multitude of factors. While nausea during pregnancy is often also called morning sickness, pregnant women experience symptoms throughout the day and night. In many cases, nausea will resolve around 12 weeks, at the end of the first trimester. However, every pregnancy is different and there are cases of nausea that persist until delivery.
I have spoken with our teams prenatal dietitian Kristin Brown to tell us a bit more about common causes and natural remedies used to prevent nausea during pregnancy.
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Who Is Likely To Experience Nausea
As many as 90 percent of women experience some level of pregnancy nausea, so your chances of encountering it are quite high. And while there arent specific risk factors to notify you in advance whether youll be one of those women, there is one group who experiences morning sickness more frequently than others mamas carrying multiples.
This is theorized to occur because of the higher levels of hCG from carrying more than one baby. Since hCG appears to be the main cause of pregnancy nausea, it makes sense that having more of it coursing through your body could put you at greater risk of morning sickness.
But what about previous bouts of pregnancy nausea? If youve had it in one pregnancy, are you guaranteed to have it in subsequent pregnancies?
If Youve Had It Before, You Might Dodge It Next Time
The only exception to this is for women who experience Hyperemesis Gravidarum , which is a severe form of pregnancy sickness that occurs in about one percent of pregnancies. Unfortunately, if youve had HG during one pregnancy, youre likely to have it in subsequent ones.
No matter how nauseous you are, remember what food you do take in the nutrients will get to the baby! Try your best to stay hydrated as best you can.
My Personal Morning Sickness Experiences
For my first pregnancy I had morning sickness for exactly the first three months. Although it wasnt MORNING sickness, it was evening sickness. I would be fine all day until dinner, then throw up. It really wasnt all that terrible. Annoying, but pretty predictable and once I threw up Id feel ok again.
My second pregnancy was way more tough. The first 3 months I was nauseous all the time, but never threw up. Which seems to just make the nausea go on and on. Unless I chewed gum. For some reason the sweetness would put me right over the edge and would immediately be running to the bathroom to puke. And I have a massive gum chewing addiction, so that was a bit rough.
Then after a full trimester of relief, the nausea came back for my entire 3rd trimester! I didnt even know that was possible until I experienced it. But I found that it is actually quite normal to have 3rd trimester morning sickness.
My second pregnancy gave me the opportunity to try out all kinds of methods to ease nausea.
Even though you may not be able to completely eliminate nausea in pregnancy, it is so helpful to have multiple tools to relieve or reduce the debilitating symptom of nausea.
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Ways To Treat Morning Sickness Naturally
For some, its merely a food aversion a strong reaction to certain smells or tastes. For others, its periodic queasiness, often peaking in the morning and dissipating after lunch. For an unfortunate few, its an overwhelming feeling that lasts all day, their waking hours punctuated by repeated heaving over the toilet.
Nausea during early pregnancy, sometimes called by the misnomer morning sickness, is very common and completely normal. More than half of women experience some degree of nausea and/or vomiting during their pregnancy. Even in severe cases that result in hospitalization, studies indicate that women who brought their weight up later in the pregnancy had the same birth outcomes as women who didnt have morning sickness at all.
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.
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Morning Sickness And Your Baby
Some women are concerned that the action of vomiting may threaten their unborn baby. Vomiting and retching may strain the abdominal muscles and cause localised aching and soreness, but the physical mechanics of vomiting wont harm the baby. The fetus is perfectly cushioned inside its sac of amniotic fluid.Numerous studies have discovered that moderate morning sickness is associated with a reduced risk of miscarriage. However, prolonged vomiting can deprive your child of proper nutrition and increase the risk of your baby being underweight at birth.If you have nausea and vomiting that will not stop, contact your doctor or midwife.
What Is Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Hyperemesis gravidarum is simply increased nausea and vomiting in pregnancy due to the normal increase in one of the pregnancy hormones. If you are experiencing these symptoms it is important to tell your obstetric provider because if left alone, it can cause severe dehydration. There are simple things you can do at home to help decrease nausea and vomiting and prevent from becoming dehydrated.
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Tips And Tools To Fight Nausea In Pregnancy
The one I used was Sea Band Morning Sickness Wrist Bands. Honestly, it worked best when worn regularly during those weeks I was prone to morning sickness.
If I waited to put it on until after the nausea hit, it took a while to work. Instead, I wore it as a preventative measure and it help greatly! As long as I wore the wrist bands on both wrists, I didnt feel sick very often.
Stated Stormy Stevenson from Pregnantmamababylife.com.
Avoid Cooking Odors As Much As Possible
If you can have someone else cook for you, that is ideal. If thats not an option, ventilate your kitchen well while cooking. Open the windows, use the fan and, as long as nothing is cooking on the stovetop, leave the room to avoid inhaling cooking odors. Avoiding scents and odors in general is a good ideaperfumes, air fresheners, trash, etc.especially when youre not feeling well.
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Crackers Pretzels And Toast
Dry foods such as crackers, pretzels, toast and cereals are often recommended to people experiencing nausea. In fact, one study found that almost 90% of gynecologists recommend soda crackers to women with morning sickness .
Its not clear why people tolerate dry, plain foods when theyre nauseous, and no scientific research on the topic exists.
However, its known that people feel more nauseous on an empty stomach and react poorly to strong-smelling foods .
Thats why its best to avoid preparing and cooking food when youre sick, as the sight and smell of food could trigger nausea.
Crackers, pretzels, toast and cereals are quick meal fixes that require little to no preparation, have no strong odor and may help settle your empty, upset stomach .
Summary
An empty stomach and strong-smelling foods can trigger or worsen nausea. Crackers and other plain, dry foods may help settle your stomach.
Coping With Common Discomforts Of Pregnancy
Pregnancy produces many physical changes. Aside from weight and body shape, other alterations in your body chemistry and function take place. The heart works harder, your temperature registers slightly higher, body secretions increase, joints and ligaments are more flexible and hormones are altered.
Mood changes are common, resulting from a combination of hormonal changes and greater fatigue, as well as normal anxiety over body image, sexuality, finances, marriage roles and impending parenthood.
The following is a list of the most common discomforts of pregnancy and some guidelines for coping with them.
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What Are Food Aversions
Food aversions during pregnancy are waves of nausea that are caused by eating, smelling, being around, or even just thinking about a specific food. While typical pregnancy sickness has no specific trigger, nausea due to food aversions can be avoided once you identify exactly what the trigger is.
Its unclear exactly what causes food aversions, but its likely related to the good ol hCG that causes regular pregnancy nausea. There may also be a psychological component, where you experienced severe nausea or vomiting after eating a particular food and then cant stomach the idea of being around it again.
A heightened sense of smell during pregnancy possibly may cause these aversions, a sensory overload youre not used to .
Then again, it may have no known cause because its also entirely possible to crave the exact food you hated later in your pregnancy.
Some food aversions last throughout the entire pregnancy, while others may come and go.
Some of the most common food aversions are:
- Meat raw or cooked.
- Foods with strong scents or flavors, like vinegar-based foods or citrus fruits.
When Does It Start
The nausea and vomiting that come with morning sickness usually begin early in a pregnancy, at around six weeks. Most people get relief from symptoms about three months into their pregnancy. However, some people have nausea that lasts the entire time.
Nausea and vomiting don’t always accompany each other. Some people with morning sickness only experience nausea, while others may only vomit.
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Tips To Help Manage Morning Sickness
There is no one approach that will work for every woman with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy as each pregnancy is different.
Here is a list of some small changes you can make that may help to ease your symptoms:
In addition to trying to alleviate the symptoms of nausea and vomiting, dont forget to protect your tooth enamel if you are vomiting a lot. Try rinsing your mouth with a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a cup of water to help neutralize the acid produced by the vomiting.
Eat Smaller Meals More Frequently
Most of us were raised with the habit of eating three meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner with maybe a small snack or two thrown in to get us through the day. But thats for people who arent eating for two.
When youre pregnant, things are different. Instead of the standard three meals a day that youre used to, we recommend eating smaller meals more frequently. At this point, you may be asking yourself, Why would eating smaller meals more frequently help with morning sickness? Great question! Heres the answer.
Eating 5 or 6 small meals a day will help stabilize your blood sugar levels. This will keep you from being too hungry and too full both feelings that can make morning sickness worse.
In addition, when you eat anti-nausea foods consistently throughout the day, the discomfort associated with morning sickness can be significantly reduced. And if youre wondering exactly what those anti-nausea foods are, dont worry, well get to them soon.
The easiest way to get started eating more frequently is to include one small meal between breakfast and lunch, and another small meal between lunch and dinner. If you still find yourself craving food at the end of the day, eat a small snack a few hours after dinner. If thats still not enough, try including a small meal in bed before your regular breakfast.
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Other Tips For Treating Nausea
Besides consuming certain foods and beverages, you can take other steps to relieve your nausea :
- Eat something small every 12 hours: Avoid skipping meals, as an empty stomach can worsen nausea.
- Eat and drink slowly and in small amounts: This allows you to relax during meals and take time to enjoy your food. You may also want to avoid consuming liquids and solids at the same time.
- Do not lie flat after eating: Avoid lying down for at least 30 minutes after eating, as this can put pressure on your stomach, making nausea worse.
- Avoid food preparation: The smell while cooking and preparing food can worsen nausea. If possible, avoid or shorten the time spent in the kitchen.
- Keep your mouth clean: Nausea and vomiting can leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth, which may prevent you from eating. Rinse and brush your teeth regularly and use sugar-free mints to keep feeling fresh.
In addition, avoid the following types of foods when you feel nauseous (
- Caffeine
Summary
You can take additional steps to treat nausea by avoiding certain foods, eating small, regular snacks or meals, consuming liquids and solids separately, avoiding food preparation, sitting up after eating and keeping your mouth fresh and clean.
Foods For Morning Sickness
A pregnancy diet that’s high in protein and complex carbohydrates is not only good for baby, it can also help keep nausea at bay. Think whole grain toast and peanut butter, or hard cheese and crackers. Steer clear of greasy and processed fast foods, which are hard to digest and can make morning sickness worse.
Wondering what to eat for morning sickness? A few of the best foods when youre nauseous and vomiting during pregnancy include:
A few other mealtime tips can help reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy:
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