Suffering from morning sickness and concerns for your baby may have led you to trying to find natural remedies for morning sickness.
Finding out you are pregnant can be one of the most exciting moments of your life but that excitement can be tarnished if you are suffering from morning sickness. Though the name suggests that it is something that happens in the morning this is not necessarily true. Morning sickness can happen at any time during the day. Morning Sickness refers to a range of symptoms expectant mothers may experience from being nauseous or having an upset stomach and feeling queasy to actually vomiting.
While morning sickness is not a pleasant experience it is also complicated by the concerns of affecting the development of the baby while trying to treat the symptoms. Many turn to natural remedies for morning sickness.
Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness: Identify Triggers
In attempting to treat morning sickness with natural remedies it is important to first identify any triggers. If possible try to avoid anything that may be triggering your morning sickness.
Things to consider:
• Strong smells
• Stress
• Motion
• Tight clothing or being uncomfortable
• Foods or drinks
• Is it just the hormones?
• Have you been getting enough sleep?
• Smoke
Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness: Food and Drinks
Key points to remember that might help lessen the symptoms of morning sickness include:
• Eat smaller meals
• Avoid spicy, fatty or acidic foods
• Try eating peppermint candy or chewing peppermint gum
• Try drinking ginger tea or peppermint tea
• Use lemon in tea
• Nibble on crackers or graham crackers
• Deal with food cravings-consider smaller portions
• Consider your caffeine use
• Try foods high in protein
• Avoid foods with strong smells
• Eat a little protein rich snack before going to bed
Another Natural Remedy for Morning Sickness: Acupressure
There is a wrist band type device called a Sea Band that claims to help with nausea and with morning sickness. It uses the principles of acupressure by applying pressure to a point on your wrist that helps minimize or eliminate nausea. Acupressure has helped others with a variety of problems from wrist and knee pain and nausea and more. Acupressure can be very helpful especially if your morning sickness is mild.
However, you don’t need to buy the band in order to use acupressure. At AltMD they explain acupressure and show you how and where to use acupressure for nausea.
Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness: Supplements
Unfortunately, the supplements you are taking because you are pregnant may also be contributing to your morning sickness. If this is the case, talk with your doctor about alternatives.
On the other hand, other supplements may help with morning sickness. These include vitamin B6 and Folic Acid.
It is important to understand that everything that goes into your system affects your child and could possibly be a problem. Most supplements have daily recommended doses and guidelines and these should be followed. Your doctor can provide you with that information in relation to your specific needs.
One final suggestion to help you cope naturally with morning sickness, relax and get plenty of rest. Take a few moments to sip a cup of peppermint tea with lemon while listening to relaxing music. Nibble on a couple of crackers and then use a little acupressure to alleviate any tense spots.
A word of caution, just because a remedy is natural does not mean it is safe. Please discuss any plan for treating your morning sickness with your doctor. An example of a natural remedy that may be a concern is the use of ginger. While generally recognized as safe, a few studies but not enough to confirm indicate it could cause problems such as bleeding.
Congratulations! While morning sickness is a challenging part of pregnancy and can be problematic, it will pass and hopefully soon you will be dealing with midnight feedings and colic.
Sources:
AltMD: http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Acupressure-for-Nausea
Altmedicine: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsdisease/a/morningsickness.htm
