 Morning sickness, considered unavoidable by many, can be remedied.
Women might experience nausea in the early stage of pregnancy. Most often, this nausea disappears after the first trimester when the hormone levels are in a better balance. In very few cases, women vomit and lose so many fluids and electrolytes that they may have to be hospitalized. Although some women may feel nauseous throughout the entire pregnancy, there are some remedies out there that can help to cope with morning sickness and avoid the worse case scenario.
Story from WebMD
During Dansicker's first pregnancy, she followed all the advice that
well-meaning friends and family members doled out. Crackers, bland
foods, apple cider vinegar, lots of water -- but nothing curbed the
nausea or stopped the vomiting. "I stopped eating altogether and lost
15 pounds," Dansicker recalls. "I was a mess."
The next time around, Dansicker
made a concerted effort to learn more about what was going on in her
own body. "I took a more scientific approach to the problem," she says.
"I knew that my body was producing extra hormones and that my chemical
balance was out of whack because of that. So I decided to just keep
eating through the nausea and the vomiting."
Dansicker
ate her way through her morning sickness with fruit, proteins -- such
as peanut butter, turkey sandwiches, and meat sauce served over pasta
-- and bread. "I noticed that I vomited less and the nausea subsided
when I continued to eat all day long even after and during the vomiting
and nausea," she says.
By the end of
week 13, the nausea subsided and the vomiting stopped, says Dansicker.
"I think the real key to fighting morning sickness is to eat through it
with a variety of foods. It won't stop the nausea or vomiting but it
will considerably help you manage it."
By Carol Sorgen
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According to Chinese medicine, “morning sickness” involves the disharmony of the stomach and the spleen. These organs are in charge of post-natal qi. Post-natal qi is acquired through eating food and drinking fluids and is needed in the production of blood. Therefore, the acupuncturist or herbalist believes that when you are nauseous during pregnancy, your qi and blood production are impaired. Of course, these are the essential building blocks for a healthy mother and fetus. So no matter what disease mechanism or cause, paying attention to morning sickness and the stomach is critical. Stomach qi should normally flow downward. During a bout of nausea, stomach qi counter-flows upward, possibly resulting in vomiting. Therefore, according to Chinese medical theory, it is crucial to regulate your diet and eating habits during pregnancy.
With the increase of hormones during a pregnancy, a woman’s senses of smell and taste are heightened. Therefore, it is important to be thoughtful about the environment and what food is ingested. In general, eat more frequently and eat smaller meals, so that you are never too hungry or too full at one time. Keep a few crackers, bread (dry toast), cereal, or other BLAND foods handy - and try eating it when you first wake up—even before you get out of bed in the morning! You might also want to eat a small snack at bedtime and when getting up to go to the bathroom at night. It is important keeping healthy foods on hand, "just in case.” You may have a moment when you feel like you could eat something. So, if there's something nutritious already in the house -- like fruit or veggies that have been cut up into bite-size pieces -- you're much more likely to eat them, than you would be if you first have to go to the store to get them. Nausea is worse when the stomach becomes empty.
 
Morning Sickness Maternity T-Shirt
Sometimes morning sickness is paired with a hyper-sensitive sense of smell, food aversions or a bad taste in the mouth. To combat these feelings of uneasiness, you might want to consider staying away from high-fat and greasy food or odors (such as perfume, cigarette smoke, coffee, and strong cooking smells) that you find particularly offensive. Some suggest eating your meals next to an open window in order to minimize the number of odors you're exposed to while you're eating.
Here are many natural remedies that are used for morning sickness. Some might work better than others - each individual must find out what works. Identify any triggers and avoid them. Also it is very important, although very difficult, while combating your "morning sickness", to try to maintain a positive attitude throughout your pregnancy.
1) Diet: Avoiding large meals; instead, snack as often as every 1-2 hours during the day and drink plenty of fluids.
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Make sure you are drinking enough fluids, especially if you have been vomiting.
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Don't have fluids at mealtimes. Just make sure, that you make up for the lost fluids at other times of the day, since dehydration can also cause nausea.
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Choose "stomach-friendly" foods such as food with high in protein and complex carbohydrates. E.g. peanut butter, apple slices, celery, nuts, cheese, soda crackers, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken soup and fishAvoid foods high in fat and salt, but low in nutrition.
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Avoid hard-to-digest foods such as sausages, onion rings, and other fatty fried foods.
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Don't force yourself to eat foods that make you feel worse just because
they're good for you. If you're going to throw up all the nutritious
foods you're eating, you're better off just eating what you can keep
down, and making up for it when you feel better.
2) Acupuncture: Some studies suggest that acupuncture has a positive impact on pregnant women with hyper-emesis (a severe form of morning sickness) and nausea. Commonly women will receive twice-weekly acupuncture sessions for two weeks, plus acupressure.
3) Herbs: Use common sense and use herbs cautiously.
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Ginger is a common remedy for morning sickness. It has been used for centuries in cooking and medicinally. The Food and Drug Administration classifies ginger as "generally recognized as safe." Ginger products such as ginger tea, ginger candy, and ginger soda might be considered although I would recommend making tea using 2 or 3 slices of cooked or sliced raw fresh ginger.
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Raspberry tea has been used by many pregnant women to ease morning sickness. Be aware that there is currently some debate about its safety, so don't drink this without speaking to your physician first.
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Lime or Lemon: carry around a slice of lemon inside a small plastic bag. Some women find that sniffing lemon helps to settle the stomach. Others find similar relief from mint or grated ginger root.
4) Supplements: Vitamins should be treated as such and not a substitute for food. Step cautiously. Generally, it is better to use the lower recommended dosage.
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Vitamin B (10 or 25 mg three times per day)
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Vitamin K (5mg) and Vitamin C (25mg), taken together, may provide relief of symptoms for some women. However, most doctors use higher amounts of vitamin C (500 to 1,000 mg per day).
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Try taking your prenatal vitamin in the middle of a meal instead of on an empty stomach.
5) Acupressure Wrist Band: To obtain the greatest benefit from the bands, frequently massage the plastic button overlying the acupuncture point. The wrist bands, often marketed as "sea bands", stimulate an acupuncture point called "Pericardium 6", which is known in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve nausea. It is a wrist band with a plastic button that puts pressure on the point inside of the wrist. “Sea Bands” usually cost less than $10 for a pair and can be found online or in some health food stores. Another product, called “Relief Band”, is pricier –at about $110—and releases low-level electrical pulses that stimulate the same acupuncture.
6) Miscellaneous:
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Keep rooms well-ventilated to reduce odors.
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Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.
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Avoid pants with belts and other tight-fitting clothing.
Word of Caution: Call your doctor if:
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Your “morning sickness” does not improve, despite trying natural remedies.
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You vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. (Call IMMEDIATELY.)
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You lose more than 2 pounds.
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You vomit more than 3 times per day or you cannot keep food or liquid down.
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You are nauseous and you are vomiting beyond your 4th month of pregnancy. This is not uncommon. It happens to some women, but have it checked out.
"There are no one-size-fits-all remedies"
Recommended:
- The surpricing history of how we are born. BIRTH by Tina Cassidy. Journalist Tina Cassidy was inspired to
write about cultural birth practices after hearing many accounts of
birth experiences. Cassidy is a former reporter for the Boston Globe and writes for other publications including The New York Times Magazine.
- Ricky Lake gives birth on film . An interview by Eve Troeh on NPR.
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In October 2007, "The Leonard Lopate Show" explains acupuncture .
