Proven
Effective All-Natural Home Remedies
– Enabling You To Treat The Real Root Causes, Not Just The Symptoms –
For Natural, Permanent Relief To Over 60 Major Health Issues
Medical Disclaimer: This site is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Click here to read our full disclaimer.
Disclosure: We are a compensated affiliate to the merchants advertised on this site. Click here to read our full disclosure.
Morning Sickness Survival Tips
"Just eat a few saltines and you'll be ok".
I don't know about you, but as someone who suffered
with prolonged, severe morning sickness (which I affectionately call morning
If you're suffering with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, you're not alone. Most women experience
it to some degree during their first trimester. If you're one of the unfortunate few whose symptoms last longer than the typical 6-12
weeks, I empathize. I've had the same experience with all 4 of my pregnancies. I have learned a few things that helped however, and
I hope you can get some relief with these tips.
1) Getting your blood sugar regulated is priority #1.
One theory about why
morning sickness is worse in the morning (and for some women only occurs then) is because when you wake up from sleep, you have low
blood sugar. For some pregnant woman, going 8 hours without food is just a bad idea.
You might find it helpful to eat a high
protein snack before bed, and even to eat a bite each time you get up in the night to go to the bathroom. (Which in the beginning
may be quite frequent!)
Personally, I found that what I did first thing in the morning was of paramount importance. I had to
eat a few bites of food *while still lying down*. So I either put some food on a plate beside my bed or asked my husband to bring
me a snack first thing in the morning.
Don't jump out of bed. Eat your snack slowly and lie still for a few minutes afterwards.
Then slowly get up and immediately go to the kitchen and eat another bite. Again, I emphasize protein.
2) Avoid foods that cause
rapid blood sugar shifts.
Fruit juice, sugary snacks, processed cereal (the kind that comes in a box), anything made with white
flour, etc. – these types of foods cause your blood sugar to rapidly rise then come crashing down, triggering nausea and vomiting.
Eat protein foods and whole foods.
Meat, cheese, yogurt (be careful here – try plain yogurt with frozen berries mixed in. Most
yogurt has way too much sugar), eggs, nuts, nut butters, veggies, and whole grains should be your staples.
Even if eating doesn't
appeal to you, coaxing yourself to eat a little bit of a protein food every 2 hours will help prevent vomiting. Don't leave the house
without carrying a snack with you.
3) If drinking water makes you sicker, try these alternatives.
It's very important that
you stay hydrated. You're going to need extra fluids to support the pregnancy, but many women find that drinking water makes them
more nauseated. Some things to try:
· Smoothies made with fruit, ice and plain yogurt or kefir. The tangy flavor
of these two dairy products really hit the spot for me. They also sneak in some extra protein.
· Water served
VERY cold with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
· Carbonated water with a small amount of fruit juice for flavor.
· Weakly brewed iced or hot tea with lemon. The small bit of caffeine won't harm your baby. Something about the bitter tannins in tea
may help ease nausea.
· Citrus fruits and melons.
4) Avoid nausea triggers as much as possible.
Your
nose is on hyperdrive during early pregnancy!
Stinky smells like poopy diapers, kitchen trash, even morning breath may be impossible
to totally avoid, but try your best to avoid smelly situations.
Have someone else take out the trash. Have hubby change your
toddler when he's home. It's the least he can do!
And don't be shy about telling someone who has bad breath, noxious perfume
or cigarette smells on them that you're in a delicate condition and need some fresh air. During my pregnancies, my husband had to
switch to unscented deodorant and soap, otherwise I couldn't hug him!
If cooking smells make you ill, take a break from your
usual garlic and onion specialties. Don't be a martyr. Hubby will understand that you can't make his favorite sausage and peppers
for a while.
Prepare meals that won't stink up the kitchen. Green main dish salads with cold, cut up chicken, steak or hard boiled
eggs. Sandwiches are good too.
5) Try Aroma therapy
Put a couple of drops of lavender, mint or lemon essential oil (these
oils are generally regarded as safe to use during pregnancy) on cotton balls and keep these in various locations... the kitchen, bathroom,
your purse and in the car. Take a whiff when you feel sick. Put a few drops on your pillow.
6) Take it easy- but don't forget
exercise
I know, I know... exercise is the last thing you want to do when you can hardly get your face out of the toilet! But
if you force yourself to take even a ten minute walk outside every day, it WILL help.
But do try to take it easy, avoid stress
as much as possible, and rest as much as you can. You're doing the very important job of growing a baby. Explain to your other children
why you're feeling poorly and that it won't last forever. Call in favors and ask friends to come over to play with your 2 year old
for an hour so you can sleep, or ask them to cook extra when they make dinner tonight and bring you a dish.
When you feel a bout
of nausea coming on, try to lie down for a few minutes in a dark room with your eyes closed. Sometimes if you do this the episode
will pass.
7) Focus on the positive
Sometimes when you're so miserable it's easy to forget what's making you so sick! Remember
that statistically, women who experience nausea and vomiting of pregnancy are more likely to carry the pregnancy to term.
One
of my midwives told me that she always worries when a Mom comes in for her first prenatal feeling wonderful...the chances of her miscarrying
are higher.
So rejoice in your strong hormones! Read pregnancy magazines, birth stories on the Internet, look through maternity
clothing catalogs, do whatever you need to do to cheer yourself up and get yourself in the mood for a new baby.
8) More Misc.
Tips
· Try eating candied ginger or sipping ginger tea. I found ginger in capsules to be too harsh and they
hurt terribly if they did come back up.
· Brewer's yeast capsules work for some Moms.
· Try sucking on lemon slices when you're feeling a wave of nausea.
· Sip mint tea or chew mint gum to help dry
up excessive saliva that may trigger nausea.
· If you have trouble brushing your teeth due to an overactive
gag reflex, switch to using baking soda for awhile. The foaming of regular toothpaste may be too much. And brush your teeth in shifts
if you need to... first the top teeth, then a few minutes later the bottom teeth, then your tongue, etc.
· Avoid getting overheated or chilled. Extremes in temperature can trigger vomiting.
· Try Sea-Bands, available
at large drug stores. They're designed for motion sickness but helps some pregnant women.
· Go with your cravings,
within reason. For some reason, pizza and Taco Bell always hit the spot during my pregnancies.
· Clean the
toilet daily, even if it's the only household chore you can do right now. Better yet, have someone else do it. And wear your hair
up for awhile. If you're going to be throwing up, at least you will have your hair out of the way and a clean bowl to hug!
Is it Morning or All-Day Everyday Sickness?
Around
Morning sickness is typically at its worst early in the day, hence its name, but it can strike at any point during the day or
night. Despite research, the actual cause remains a mystery, but theories include hormonal changes and fluctuations in blood pressure.
In most cases, morning sickness doesn't harm the woman or the unborn child. However, severe morning sickness that includes weight
loss and dehydration needs prompt medical attention.
Morning sickness is caused by the rapid hormonal changes a woman's body
undergoes during pregnancy. This is especially hard during the first few months while a pregnant woman slowly adjusts to the hormonal
change. This is why many women experience less morning sickness after their first trimester.
The hormonal changes include increasing
estrogen, progesterone and hCG (human chronic gonadotropinis) levels. The hCG is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes
the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Combine this with an enhanced sense of smell and more
stomach acid than usual and it’s no wonder women get sick to their stomach during pregnancy.
According to studies, it’s not completely
clear how these hormones cause morning sickness, but there are a few theories that have been generally accepted by the medical community.
Progesterone tends to soften and relax muscle tissue --- which is the natural process of preparing a pregnant woman's body for labor
and delivery. It may also prevent pre-term labor by keeping the uterine muscles relaxed. Unfortunately it also relaxes all the muscles
involved in the digestive process, which causes food to be processed slower, thus causing excess stomach acid.
So far no one
seems to know why hCG levels may cause morning sickness, but it is believed that there is some connection, simply because morning
sickness seems to get worse as hCG levels go up in the beginning of pregnancy. They start to decline around the end of the first trimester,
which is also the time when many women notice their morning sickness gradually improve as well.
Pregnant women are also concerned
that constant vomiting may threaten their unborn baby. Vomiting and stretching may strain the abdominal muscles and cause localized
aching and soreness, but the physical mechanics of vomiting won’t harm the baby. The fetus is perfectly cushioned inside its sac of
amniotic fluid. In fact, numerous studies have discovered that moderate morning sickness is associated with a reduced risk of miscarriage.
However, prolonged vomiting eventually leads to dehydration and weight loss, a situation which could possibly deprive the child of
proper nutrition and increase the risk of the baby being underweight at birth.
Unrelenting morning sickness can have a profound
effect on a woman’s quality of life, preventing her from working, socializing and looking after her other children. Pregnant women
enduring morning sickness report higher levels of psychological stress, including anxiety and depression. This prompted the fallacy
that morning sickness is purely psychosomatic, which means that the woman’s fears and anxieties trigger her physical discomfort. However,
there is no research to further substantiate these claims.
Nevertheless, whether it is morning or “all-day-everyday” sickness,
the most important thing is always seek medical advice, especially if symptoms become severe. Treatment options can include drugs
that won’t harm the developing baby.
Effectively Managing Morning Sickness
Many pregnant women suffering from morning sickness may be wondering why it happens and
whether it serves a purpose. When nausea and vomiting occur, they are often an indication of elevated hormonal levels, which is a
sign that the pregnancy is in progress. However, it doesn't mean that pregnant women who do not experience morning sickness are more
likely to have a miscarriage.
This condition, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is a result of toxins that overburden
the liver, hindering its ability to process the high levels of pregnancy hormones. Imbalance in the liver can cause nausea and vomiting.
Whatever the reasons may be, the odds of having morning sickness are greater if you:
· experience nausea
as a side effect of birth control
· suffer from motion sickness
· have female relatives who also
experienced morning sickness
· are pregnant with twins
Morning sickness usually lasts throughout the first
trimester. To be relieved from its hassle and inconvenience, a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes as well as some alternative
approaches should be tried by the expecting woman.
Simply follow the “slow, steady” rule when eating. It is better to eat six
small meals spread throughout the day than consume three large meals. Don’t let yourself get hungry because the rise and fall in blood
sugar can only add to your queasiness. Having gone without food for quite a while is the reason why many women feel nauseated in the
morning. To avoid having an empty stomach, nibble on bland foods such as dry toast and saltine crackers. It is advisable if you can
keep a box of crackers at your bedside to munch on before getting up in the morning.
Passing up foods that have strong odors
and refraining from eating greasy or spicy foods help prevent morning sickness. It is also important for the pregnant woman to drink
lots of water and to take prenatal vitamins.
If you still experience nausea after giving your best efforts to avoid it, try cold
foods which can be soothing, especially water-rich choices such as melons, grapes, berries, fruit smoothies, cucumbers and oranges.
Eating any form of citrus alleviates nausea. Sniffing on a slice of lemon can help also relieve morning sickness. Another great antidote
for morning sickness is ginger which comes in different forms such as fresh ginger, ginger powder, dried ginger tablet or capsules,
ginger ale, ginger snaps, and ginger tea.
Pregnant women experiencing morning sickness should always remember that staying hydrated
is essential to replenish lost electrolytes, the minerals such as sodium and potassium that regulate the fluid balance in the body.
Take slow, steady sips when you drink anything. Taking in more than 2 ounces at a time tend to bypass the tissues and fluids travel
directly to kidneys and bladder.
When morning sickness starts to interfere with a woman’s quality of life, doctors may recommend
vitamin B6 supplements which are easily depleted and absorbed by the body when pregnant. That’s why it is important to take a supplement
or to load up on food sources that contain B6 such as egg yolks, yogurt and whole grains to help alleviate morning sickness.