11 Natural Ways To Help With Morning Sickness
Pregnancy is an exciting time and unfortunately for some, the euphoria of the happy news can be halted when morning sickness rears its ugly head!
What is Morning Sickness?
Morning sickness is, unfortunately, a very common pregnancy symptom and is also a very misleading name, as it can occur at any time of the day or night!
But nausea and vomiting are more common in the morning due to the stomach being empty.
Although it is not fully understood, it is believed that the sickness or nausea is caused by hormonal changes that occur due to the implanting pregnancy.
Symptoms might start occurring at about 6 weeks and usually start to recede from about 12/14 weeks.
Although some can experience it for longer and for a small number of women. it can continue throughout the pregnancy.
Although feeling nauseous and/or vomiting is miserable, it is thought to be a sign of a well-established pregnancy.
Morning sickness won’t harm the baby.
But if the sickness becomes severe then you will need to get checked out by your Midwife or Doctor, just to rule out that you are not suffering Hyperemesis gravidarum.
This is an uncommon condition that occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies but can result in dehydration and malnutrition due to excessive vomiting, and medical intervention may be necessary to replace lost fluids.
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Here are some tips that can help you minimise the effects of morning sickness:-
- Eat small, but frequent meals throughout the day – having an empty stomach can make the symptoms worse.
- Eat a high protein meal or snack before bed, protein takes the longest to digest so you won’t wake up in the morning so empty.
- Cut a lemon, place the wedges in a plastic bag and inhale the lemon scent as needed to help reduce nausea.
- Try drinking ginger ale or ginger tea.
- Other teas that can help are peppermint, spearmint, or chamomile.
- Wear “Sea Bands” all the time, these are motion sickness bands, with a plastic button pressing on acupressure point Pericardium 6.
- Snacking on unsalted crackers on waking can stave off hunger in the morning, or get your partner to bring you breakfast in bed :).
- Avoid fatty, rich, and acidic foods.
- Vitamin B6 supplements have helped some women, so make sure you take a good prenatal vitamin tablet to make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals.
- Get plenty of rest, stress and tiredness can make pregnancy sickness worse
- Complementary therapies can help reduce symptoms, such as Acupuncture and Reflexology.
Did you suffer morning sickness? What helped reduce your symptoms?
