Morning sickness, or nausea, is a highly common symptom of early pregnancy. Most prevalent during the first trimester, morning sickness is most often caused by the pregnancy hormones flooding your body and usually subsides after the first three months. While it’s difficult to prevent nausea completely, here are some natural remedies that may help relieve your morning sickness.
Whether you’re experiencing periodic queasiness in the morning or suffering this unfortunate symptom all day, nausea is a natural symptom of pregnancy and is usually no cause for concern. However, if you are steadily losing weight, becoming dehydrated or experiencing severe and ongoing vomiting, it’s important to contact your doctor. It’s also recommended that you speak to your doctor before trying any new foods.
Tips for Managing Morning Sickness:
Try ginger. One of the most popular natural treatments for nausea, ginger is often claimed to help ease morning sickness and settle an upset stomach. If you’re not sensitive to the flavour or smell, try ginger tea, dry ginger ale (made with real ginger) or ginger chews.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Missing meals can worsen your symptoms. To avoid an empty stomach, try and incorporate smaller, more frequent meals into your daily routine, instead of three large meals a day.
Skip trigger foods. Try and steer clear of fatty, greasy, fried or highly spicy foods (or limit them at least), as these can also make nausea worse. While it might sound bland, dry foods like nuts, crackers, toast, cereal and other high-protein, carbohydrate-heavy foods are less likely to upset your stomach.
Keep dry crackers by the bed. Many women feel the urge to run to the bathroom as soon as their feet hit the ground. Try keeping a packet of dry biscuits or crackers and have one before you hop out of bed.
Avoid strong smells. From perfumes to foods, keep clear of overpowering scents that make you feel sick, especially since your sense of smell is generally heightened during the early weeks of your pregnancy. Remember that heating food can intensify odours, so ask others for help when cooking or try to cook at times of the day when you feel better.
Get on your feet. Some women find that light exercise helps to relieve symptoms. Try taking one or two walks during the day or doing some easy at-home prenatal yoga to help counteract nausea. While exercise is encouraged, be sure to consult your doctor before embarking on any new exercise routine.
As always, stay hydrated. Avoid large drinks but incorporate small and frequent sips of water throughout the day. Try and increase your fluid intake only between meals, as taking big swigs during meals can increase feelings of fullness and worsen your symptoms. You can also try crushed ice or slushies to help yourself stay hydrated. If you’re vomiting often, remember to up the intake.
While it’s one of the more miserable pregnancy symptoms, morning sickness is a natural part of the journey and tends to dissipate at around 3 or 4 months, though this can vary for some women. Remember to consult your doctor if you’re struggling to keep food down or experiencing severe sickness.
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