6 natural remedies for pregnancy-related nausea
During your first trimester of pregnancy, your hormones might seem like they’re out of control. Levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen, and progesterone are rising, which can sometimes lead to increased nausea and morning sickness. Morning sickness can range from mild to severe (a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum). While you might normally pop an anti-nausea pill, you’re now taking medications that can affect both you and the baby. Sometimes the baby’s growing immune system is not equipped to handle most medications. Fortunately, there are some natural remedies you can try to help reduce nausea.
Before starting any interventions, however, it’s important to keep your physician in the loop about your symptoms. He or she is most familiar with your medical history and can anticipate any potential issues while taking medication.
1. Keep plain crackers by your bed—Eating plain, salted crackers when you first wake up and lying in bed for 15-20 minutes can help settle your stomach and raise your blood sugar, reducing morning sickness symptoms before you get up in the morning. Because pregnancy nausea tends to be worse in the morning, keeping crackers on-hand can help. Trail mix and dry cereal can also help if you don’t like crackers.
2. Soothe with ginger-containing foods—Foods that contain natural ginger tend to have tummy-taming effects for expectant moms. This includes real ginger ale, ginger snaps, ginger teas or ginger candies. Just make sure the ginger is the real thing, not artificial flavoring.
3. Try acupressure wristbands—Acupressurists find that pressing a point on the underside of the wrist can help to ward off nausea due to seasickness and/or morning sickness. These bands can be purchased at most drugstores and natural foods stores and are often labeled as “Sea Bands.” They’re inexpensive, so even if they don’t work for you, they’re worth a try.
4. Identify and avoid your nausea triggers—When you’re pregnant, foods, situations, and smells that never bothered you before can suddenly irritate you very much. This includes warm temperatures, certain perfumes, and the smells of spicy foods. Whenever possible, seek out fresh, cool air to minimize nausea and avoid anything that irritates your stomach.
5. Ask your doctor about B6—Taking 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily has been shown to reduce some symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, according to the American Pregnancy Association. But always check with your doc first before starting any supplements.
6. Consider homeopathic treatments—Homeopathic herbs, such as asarum, ipecacuanha, lacticum acidum, and pulsatilla are all treatments used to help pregnant women find relief. They should not be used unless under the supervision of your physician and a homeopathic professional who can assess your symptoms and determine the appropriate treatment.
It is important to discuss your symptoms with your doctor as there may be other ailments that need to be addressed.
Takeaways
- Pregnancy-induced nausea is typically related to hormone fluctuations and typically subsides after the first trimester.
- Eating small meals and eating a snack of salted crackers first thing in the morning can minimize symptoms.
- Always check with your physician before starting any natural remedies, such as homeopathic herbs or vitamin supplements.
I had nausea BAD with both of my pregnancies. I’ve uses Preggie Pops, crackers, ginger and someone recommended mustard? Because I was so bad off.
Preggie Pops worked wonders for me!
Those taste great and work well too! Thanks for the tip Regina! 🙂
Definitely going to try these <3
Lemonade and sweet tarts got me through my 1st pregnancy! Nothing seems to be helping this time around!! It’s been miserable!
Also try Vitamin B12 supplements and bland foods in small portions such as bananas (great in potassium!), rice, apple sauce and toast. Also known as the BRAT diet. If these don’t work, you may try a prescription of Diclegis that you can get from your doctor.
Ginger really helps, I buy real ginger ale, and sea band makes ginger gum/lozenges, as well as the nausea bands. Those have helped me.
Great options. I am nauseous constantly so I’ll try anything!
Also try warm ginger tea with some honey in the morning as soon as you get up! That may calm your stomach before starting the day.
I wouldn’t of thought of leaving the crackers by your bed. These tips are awesome! I’m not pregnant yet but I get nauseous easily and want to be prepared for morning sickness when I AM pregnant.
I agree! It’s also a great idea for when you are nursing at night – have some good snacks/water right on your nightstand so you don’t have to go too far in the middle of the night!
my doctor prescribed unisom, a sleeping pill…is this safe?
It is safe, though you may want to start with vitamin B6 since it has less side effects first. We’ve got an upcoming question of the day about this since so many women are wondering the same thing!
I discovered the unisom/b6 combo with my first pregnancy at 5.5 months. It was my lifesaver! I know it doesn’t work for everyone, and I did try just vitamin B6, but I definitely needed the combo. I started it at 6-7 weeks with my second pregnancy, and it definitely helped a lot!
I’ve heard that ginger syrup works wonders! I plan to make a batch and add it to my water
I mix 30% natural ginger ale with sparkling water, and it seemed to help so this just might do the trick!
Peppermint candies and/or sour candies seem to be popular, too! I know peppermints helped me survive the early days with my first!
Love the non-medical suggestions – I think it’s so important we give other options to pregnant women!
Crackers and ginger ale helped me so much during both of my pregnancies. Mints also helped me with nausea. Something about them just seemed to make me feel a little better. I would keep tons in my purse at all times. 🙂