The anticlimax of morning sickness, for most women, is a return to reality after the overwhelming news of the promised addition to the family. Home remedies for morning sickness are as old as motherhood. Before we look at the 15 remedies in our list, let’s take a look at what morning sickness is.
80 percent of all pregnant women experience some form of morning sickness. Its onset is sometimes an indicator of pregnancy, but it is typically a later sign that arrives after a woman has already learned that she is pregnant; arriving in the 6th week after conception. Though the exact cause of morning sickness hasn’t been identified, research points to several factors as likely causes:
- A rise in estrogen and progesteren levels which interrupt the body’s balance of chemistry.
- The sudden appearance of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
- An increased sensitivity of smell, which over-stimulates nausea triggers.
- Possibly a drop in blood sugar as the placenta begins to draw away energy from the body.
Whatever the cause of morning sickness these 15 home remedies for morning sickness can help you work your way through this unpleasant period of your pregnancy, but they are not all inclusive. With pregnancy, honest discussions about your body’s changes need to be discussed with your health care professional.
Top 15 Home Remedies for Morning Sickness
Foods to Avoid
Before adding to a list of home remedies for morning sickness, it is good to take a look at a few foods to avoid.
What to do:
- Avoid spicy foods.
- Reduce your intake of rich and fatty foods.
- Eliminate greasy foods and fried foods.
How it works:Though it varies from one woman to the next, these foods are the most likely to trigger a nauseas response.
Moderate Caffeine and Eliminate Artificial Sweeteners
The jury is still out on whether caffeine is good during pregnancy and whether it helps or exacerbates morning sickness, but there is no question about the ill effects of artificial sweeteners.
What to do:
- Continue drinking coffee and caffeinated drinks if they don’t upset your stomach, but drink them in moderation.
- If you use artificial sweeteners in your coffee, get rid of it.
- Get rid of soft drinks and juices that contain artificial sweeteners.
How it works:Caffeine can trigger nausea for pregnant women. Artificial sweeteners are a definite nausea trigger, besides being made up of dangerous chemicals.
Recommended foods
Having taken away particular foods, our list of home remedies for morning sickness would not be complete without adding a few that can help you get through this difficult period.
What to do:
- Add avocados to your diet.
- Consume plenty of meat, eggs, nuts and other high protein foods.
- Cheese and yogurt should also be added to your diet.
How it works:These particular foods have shown that they tend to ease the effects of morning sickness.
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Water
The simplest of all home remedies for morning sickness is water.
What to do:
- Get into a regular habit of drinking 8 to 10 twelve ounce glasses of water daily.
- If you haven’t trained yourself to drink water, try using natural juices from lemons, oranges and other fruits to give your water drinking a boost.
How it works:Dehydration is a major contributor to the symptoms that accompany morning sickness.
Crackers
The challenge of keeping things down is always a concern with morning sickness. Because your body needs nutrients, crackers are added to our list of home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- Keep a supply of crackers on hand, even in your purse, during your pregnancy.
- Eat several crackers throughout the day to boost your energy.
- Eat a cracker before going to bed at night.
How it works:Crackers are easy on most people’s stomachs and can provide you with an energy boost throughout the day as well as help to settle your empty stomach.
Magnesium
Boosting your magnesium intake is also one of the helpful home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- You can increase your magnesium levels by eating more cold water fish like salmon halibut and cod.
- Also eat other magnesium rich foods.
- Alternately, you can take a daily dosage of 350 to 360 mg magnesium supplement daily.
How it works:Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in the regulation and balancing of hormone production.
Peppermint
Tea from peppermint is an old standby among home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- Boil 1 Tbsp of peppermint leaves for each cup of water.
- Steep the tea for 10 mintues.
- Strain and sip the tea slowly to help relax your stomach.
- You can also breathe peppermint oil on a cloth or suck on peppermint candy.
How it works:Peppermint is a natural anesthetic, which is especially effective for calming the stomach.
Aloe Vera
The same soothing relief of aloe vera on bee stings and sunburns can be used internally as well, making aloe vera a great addition to a list of home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do: Take 1 oz. or 1 Tbsp of aloe vera juice in a glass of water daily to sooth your stomach.
How it works:Aloe vera’s soothing anti-inflammatory properties, but is also a great source for vital vitamins and minerals necessary during pregnancy.
Popsicles
Sucking on ice is usually a great way to sooth a nauseas stomach, so it makes our list of home remedies for morning sickness as well.
What to do:
- Keep plenty of natural, no sugar added popsicles on hand to use when you’re feeling nauseas.
- Or, make your own natural fruit popsicles.
How it works:Because frozen juice and ice melt and enter the stomach slowly, it tends to sooth nausea, and the cold going down the esophagus tends to relax most people as well.
Lemon
Sipping lemon tea and lemonade is another among the most common home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- You can drink a carbonated soft drink with lemon to help ease nausea.
- For a sugarless or low sugar approach, keep natural lemonade or limeade on hand to sip throughout the day.
- You can put 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1 Tbsp of honey in hot water to sip as well.
How it works:Lemon also has a natural anesthetic effect that soothes the stomach.
Vitamin B
An important part of you and your baby’s health throughout your pregnancy is vitamin B, but it is also highly recommended as one of the best home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- There will probably be significant amounts of vitamin B in your prenatal vitamins, so take them religiously.
- Also add or increase your intake of vitamin B rich foods.
- Concentrate on foods high in vitamin B6.
How it works:Vitamin B helps reduce the feelings of nausea.
Ginger
Numerous studies have shown the benefits of ginger for reducing nausea and settling the stomach, so it is a major addition to our home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- Boil 2 Tbsp of grated ginger in a cup of water.
- Allow the boiling water to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Strain out the ginger, add lemon juice and honey as desired.
- Sip this soothing tea slowly to help gain control over your upset stomach.
How it works:The gingerols and shogaols found in ginger have been shown to greatly reduce nausea and vomiting, as well as aiding digestion.
Chamomile
One of the first things many of us think of when we’re nauseas is the desire to relax and settle things down. Chamomile is perfect for that and a great addition to our list of home remedies for morning sickness.
What to do:
- Boil a cup of water and then turn off the heat.
- After the water had cooled a few minutes, add 3 tsp dry chamomile flowers, cover and steep 10 minutes.
- Strain and sip this tea to sooth nausea.
How it works:Chamomile’s soothing effect helps to relax your stomach.
Fennel
If you like licorice, then fennel seeds are one of the home remedies for morning sickness that might appeal to you.
What to do:
- You can chew on a few fennel seeds throughout the day, especially after meals.
- You can also make a tea, by adding 1 tsp of crushed fennel seeds to a cup of boiling water. Steep the tea for a few minutes, strain out the seeds and sip this soothing drink.
How it works:Fennel is not only a digestive aid, but also contains anesthetic properties as well.
Curry
Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine hails curry leaves as one of its home remedies for morning sickness, so we’ve added it to ours.
What to do:
- Extract the juice of by crushing 15 to 20 curry leaves on a sieve.
- Combine the curry juice with 2 tsp of lemon juice and some honey.
- Sip this mixture 2 or 3 times daily.
How it works:Curry contains a number of beneficial digestive enzymes, but also helps to sooth the stomach.
Non-Morning Sickness Remedies
Though morning sickness is a lot of what we hear about when it comes the discomfort of pregnancy, there is so much more to it. As you grow this small human being in your stomach, you are going to go through wondrous changes. Your body is shifting and things will not always be pleasant. So what about the other discomforts of pregnancy, and how should you deal with them? We will tackle two culprits: constipation and heartburn, below.
1. Constipation
Everyone talks about the first trimester but not the third. But there are so many uncomfortable things that can happen in the third! Some of these are constipation that leads to hemorrhoids. Because your body is putting pressure on your bowls, it can be hard to go even when you really need to. This tension is painful and not enjoyable in the least. So what are some things you can do about it?
Fiber: First thing’s first, make sure you are consuming tons of fiber! Fiber is the key to healthy bowel movements when you’re pregnant and when you aren’t, but it is even more vital when you’re in the third series of growing a baby in your stomach!
Water: Did you know that water is a detoxifier? Along with all the other health benefits, water can work wonders for your bowel movements. It keeps a steady flow and fully washes down your food in a way that nothing else can.
2. Heartburn
This one is a killer! Heartburn is one of the worst things about pregnancy, and it sucks if you are pregnant or not. It can be hard to keep it under control while pregnant, but it is possible! Try these tips below.
Eat Wisely: Stay away from heartburn triggers such as that can of coke, the Indian food, and McDonald’s. This can be very hard since you will likely experience cravings, and it might be the specific foods you need to stay away from. Looking back, many people realize that the heartburn is actually caused by eating so many of the foods they were craving.
Milk & Honey: Honey and milk are two of the best soothers, and there are so many ways to use them! But truthfully, consuming these things be themselves is good enough! Be sure not to consume too much of these though, because they are both acidic and can create acid in your stomach.
Stop Eating Early: Having an early cut off time for eating is vital for avoiding heartburn. Test out exactly what time is early enough to eat and too late to cut off in order to feel comfortable laying down. Night time can be the worst time for heartburn, but it can also be due to your snacking and late eating!
Natural Remedies: Sipping on some ginger ale or chewing on some natural papaya enzyme pills can truly help you to feel much better. Just like honey and milk, these two remedies are great for instant relief if you need some.
Wrapping it Up
Morning sickness doesn’t have to completely kill your pregnancy buzz. You can gain some control over it through the use of these top 15 home remedies for morning sickness. If you have used any of these remedies, be sure to share in the comments below or suggest other remedies not listed here.
Images from depositphotos.com and pixabay.com.