Home Remedies For Morning Sickness

As an expectant mother, your body is going through multiple changes, some of them quite rapidly.  Naturally, you are excited about your pregnancy.  Unfortunately, the excitement is sometimes overshadowed by what is commonly known as morning sickness.  

Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day, and frequently lasts all day.  It affects about half of all expectant mothers, and for most, it goes away in the latter part of the first trimester.  However, some women experience morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy.

Although there are medications that can be taken to help reduce your morning sickness, it’s always best to try natural options first.  There are many home remedies that may help reduce or even eliminate your morning sickness.

Treat it Gingerly

Ginger root has been found to be very effective in the treatment of morning sickness.  You can incorporate ginger into your diet in a variety of ways.  Ginger snaps, ginger candy, ginger ale and ginger tea can all help lessen your symptoms.  

Breakfast in Bed

Keep a stash of soda crackers by your bedside and eat a few first thing in the morning, before you even get out of bed.  Once you have a little food in your stomach, move slowly into your day.  Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready so you don’t rush around and make your symptoms worse.

Less is More

Eating smaller meals and snacking frequently between meals can help lessen morning sickness by keeping something in your stomach all the time.  An empty stomach seems to make symptoms worse.  Keep hydrated with plenty of fluids.

Protein & Carbohydrates

A diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates can be very helpful in reducing morning sickness symptoms.

No Fast Food

A fairly simple home remedy in the treatment of morning sickness is to avoid greasy, fatty foods.  These foods take longer to digest and trigger morning sickness symptoms.

Not Too Sweet

Avoid foods and beverages that are high in sugar, such as juice, soda, candy and doughnuts.  Instead, if your sweet tooth is acting up, opt for such foods as peanut butter, apple slices and fruit smoothies.

Smelly Stuff

Try to avoid exposure to odors that aggravate your nausea.  Early on in your pregnancy you will discover what odors trigger the symptoms, so an easy home remedy is to simply avoid those odors.

Have a Mint

For as many odors that can trigger your morning sickness, the smell of peppermint can help calm your stomach.  Using peppermint oil as aromatherapy can be a very effective home remedy.

Accupressure

Frequently used to treat motion sickness, accupressure wrist bands can aid in the treatment of morning sickness.  This can get to be expensive, with each pair costing about $10.  You can reserve this remedy for serious bouts, or times when you absolutely cannot be sick.

Rest, Rest, and More Rest

The most effective home remedy for morning sickness is rest!  Not only will it help reduce your morning sickness, but rest is essential to a healthy pregnancy.  Try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, and take a nap during the day when your schedule allows. 

Prenatal Vitamins

You know how important prenatal vitamins are for a healthy pregnancy.  But not all prenatal vitamins are created equal.  Some are more likely to aggravate your morning sickness than others.  Ask your doctor if your prenatal vitamin could be the culprit.

Take a Walk

A little fresh air and exercise can do wonders for your morning sickness.  The fresh air can clear your nasal passages of some of the odors that are bothering you.  And everyone can use a little exercise.

If you are experiencing morning sickness, it’s worth the effort to try a variety of home remedies.  Most of them are not difficult or expensive and they may reduce or even eliminate your symptoms.  Pregnancy is such a special time in your life and you don’t want to waste any of that time being sick.