This post is by contributing writer, Michele Augur.
If you are that queasy early pregnancy season, I just want to let you know that I empathize with you!
Once you are experiencing morning sickness, there are a some things you can do that might help. However, any remedy will likely not eliminate your discomfort 100%. During my seasons of morning (all day!) sickness, I have found it incredibly helpful to meditate upon Psalm 23 in the midst of it. (It really was surprisingly refreshing!)
Just as in any other challenging season of parenting, our Lord is faithful to walk with us, and can use these times for refining us. He may be calling you to simply rest in Him (and on the couch at times), and we cannot necessarily expect to complete all that we had before pregnancy. Give yourself grace, dear one.
Nourish yourself and your little one.
Get Your Protein
Keep pursuing the high-protein diet. Even if it doesn’t seem to help with the morning sickness right now, it can have many benefits in the long run. Referring to the Brewer Diet checklists may be helpful in setting meal/snack habits. I actually found it most helpful to begin this diet (as well as including some “detoxing”/cleansing herbs) several months before conceiving, in order to establish a healthy foundation.
Eat Often
Small, regular nourishing snacks (every hour or two, if needed!) can help prevent that intense queasy feeling. Keep finger-foods handy in the fridge or your purse to munch on. During the day, you can keep a slow cooker filled with a protein-dense snack, such as oatmeal & peanut butter (add some cinnamon, raw honey, & coconut) or brown rice & cheese (stir in some sea salt, herbs, and sunflower seeds). You can quickly spoon out a small bowlful for a snack. Eat even if you feel too sick to eat. You’ll likely feel better, not worse (if it comes back up, oh well).
Eat at Night
This tip from my midwives made such a difference for me. Whenever you wake up in the middle of the night (pregnant mamas know about those potty trips!), before heading back to bed, grab a half cup of whole milk yogurt from the fridge. Drizzle it with a bit of raw honey. The combination of whole milk fats, the probiotics, and the benefits of raw honey help with balancing blood sugar and with digestion (both of these issues can contribute to nausea), as well as helping you fall back asleep.
Don’t Wait for Breakfast
I found that I was less nauseous in the morning, if I ate before getting out of bed. My husband would bring breakfast to bed (or I would keep snacks at the bedside), and we would eat together before I sat up (moving too quickly started that motion sickness feeling!).
Eating an early breakfast (before 5 or 6 am), helped me start the day. (Waiting for a later breakfast meant intense nausea from hunger.) After eating, I could either doze or get up. I would then feel ready to get up and take care of my toddler’s breakfast by 7 or 8 am when she awoke.
Take a Nap
Tiredness from “overdoing it” can lead to feeling poorly. Make sure to take times throughout the day to rest. Little ones can certainly be playing nearby while you rest. A half hour or so of laying down can make such a difference.
Try to grab a chance to put your feet up, by snuggling up on the couch or pulling out a lawn chair while children play in the yard. My little girl enjoyed books on tape, Signing Time DVDs (we learned a lot of sign language last year!), reading preschool books together, nature “treasure hunts” in the backyard, and tearing pictures from catalogs. (We would save these special activities for “Mama’s Resting Time.”)
Drink Your Tea
Drinking a quart of “pregnancy tea” throughout the day provides quality nourishment. Find (or make) a tea that includes herbs for digestion, such as peppermint or ginger.
Add Some Lemon
Friends and I have found that drinking homemade lemonade or lemon water has helped refresh us and provide some nausea relief during pregnancy. (You can add some carbonated water to make it bubbly, if that is additionally soothing for you.) Toss some lemon slices in your water bottle while on outings. You might also find a natural ginger ale helpful, as well.
See a Chiropractor
Regular chiropractic care has been one of the best elements in our family’s pursuit of wellness. A chiropractor can help correct any imbalances that may be contributing to extreme symptoms.
Try Acupressure
I’ve never tried it myself, but I have heard of some mamas benefiting from the use of acupressure bands (originally designed to prevent sea-sickness).
What natural remedies have worked for you?
{Photo Credits: Esparta, Plinkk}
The one thing that consistently helped me was Japanese Umeboshi, or pickled plums. I know it might sound strange to those unfamiliar with this delightfully strange flavor, but the combination of sour-sweet, mixed with plain white rice, was my go-to snack in the evenings when my nausea was worst. They have been used for centuries in Japan for nausea, vomiting, excessive stomach acid, and assisting in correcting the PH of the body.
Also, I hydrated throughout the day with coconut water, which is filled with potassium and really soothing to the stomach. Thank the Lord my nausea went away after the first trimester; major sympathy to all the ladies out there who deal with it throughout their pregnancy. Urgh.
Just FYI, nettles and dandelion are ok for using before conception, but once there is a pregnancy, these are two of the herbs that have diuretic properties and can lead to low blood volume and a rising blood pressure.
Also, just FYI, at least some of morning sickness can come from a B-vitamin deficiency (the daily levels for B-vitamins needed increase dramatically as soon as pregnancy begins), and ingesting any caffeine can destroy B-vitamins, so drinking coffee would probably make the morning sickness worse for most people, unless they were replacing those B-vitamins in large amounts. Most prescription prenatal vitamin brands have B-vitamin levels that are way too low (less than 5-10 mg of each B, while most women need 5-10 times that much).
Also, you may be interested to know that “Spiritual Midwifery” also suggests 1/2 cup grapefruit juice with meals (goes along with the lemon water that others have suggested).
Best wishes,
Joy
Thanks, Joy!
I used the nettles under the direction of my midwives, and certainly recommend that you check with your provider for regarding using herbs during pregnancy.
Blessings,
Michele
Thank you so much for this post! I really need it right now. Psalm 23 is really empowering — now if I can just remember to focus on it when I’m feeling really queasy.
I’m not sure of whether we are allowed to reference our own websites on this blog, but I will leave it up to Michele or the moderator to decide.
I just want to mention that I have a website page with some “morning sickness” suggestions also, and it gives a little more detail on the B-vitamin option — taken from what Adelle Davis has to say about it in her “Let’s Have Healthy Children” book.
http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id101.html
I hope that this may be helpful to someone.
Joy
Beans!
http://inashoe.com/2009/10/bean-cure/
…and after trying *everything*, and I do mean *everything*, only to find that you’re still throwing up continuously, realize that it is a short season and you will not be throwing up for the rest of your life!
For my pregnancy, I threw up 3-5 times a day for the first 6 months, and after that I had several good days a week where I didn’t throw up (but the rest of the week would find me throwing up 3-5 times a day). I threw up till delivery. Fun, huh?
But my darling daughter was worth it all!
Tried most of the remedies listed in the post during my last pregnancy (as I was smack in the middle of my CCE training and therefore much more educated!). It made a world of difference in dealing w/nausea and vomiting compared to my previous pregnancies.
Echoing the comments about ginger. I tried a couple different ways of using it and found these the most helpful: ginger “beer” and crystalized ginger. Now, let me clarify that I really did not like the taste of the ginger beer at ALL, but it really helped, so I sucked it up! Joy Jones says that the idea w/ ginger beer is to take a few little sips when nauseated to calm the stomach so that you CAN eat something. With crystalized ginger, I kept a bag on hand and would just chew a little nibble here and there as needed. I think I had some ginger chews, too, and they were much mor palatable.
It seems that morning sickness is one more challenge of pregnancy that often accepted as “just one of those things,” with no way to ease it naturally. So many women are suffering needlessly w/out ever having tried any of these suggestions!
I also found that coconut milk was helpful with this pregnancy. Be careful not to use it from cans containing the white plastic liners as this can be devastating to a developing baby years down the road.
Peppermint is also wonderful for calming nausea and it makes a delicious tea.
Wonderful post! Love the tips…especially just letting go of the house and sitting down with your children in the backyard to rest. That 1st trimester is so important to be eating right, drinking enough water, getting all of the essential nutrients and REST for that new little one developing inside.
Ginger, lemons, limes, raspberries, and watermelon are known to help with nausea.
Bananas taste the same going down as they do coming up so I always liked eating those. Fighter pilots eat bananas before they go up in case they vomit.
As soon as I had a positive pregnancy test with my 3rd child I knew the nausea and lack of energy would be coming in a few weeks so I took the time I felt good to make a bunch of freezer meals. That way my family had something nutritious to eat instead of convenience foods and eating out.
Great article! I’m about 18 weeks pregnant, so I’m no longer suffering from the morning sickness, but I liked that you included the tip about drinking lemon water. I didn’t find that tip anywhere else on the internet, but putting a little lemon juice in my water was one thing that really helped with my nausea early on! I’m not sure why, but it was the best thing.
Callie, I think the lemon water works because lemon juice alkalizes the body…brings it back to the natural ph. This is also the same science that is behind the folk remedy of honey and cider vinegar in water (a TBS of each in a glass of water).
Great article! I’m about 18 weeks pregnant, so I’m no longer suffering from the morning sickness, but I liked that you included the tip about drinking lemon water. I didn’t find that tip anywhere else on the internet, but putting a little lemon juice in my water was one thing that really helped with my nausea early on!
Awwww I was hoping at the end you would have said you were pregnant. then I saw it was a guest post!
We’re done w/having children. 3 were enough for us. And I don’t know anyone pregnant.
I do remember keeping saltines and water on my nightstand so I could have some before my feet hit the floor. It worked for 2 of my pregnancies. The third… I was sick for 8 of the 9 months, and was hospitalized a few times!
No one truly knows what causes it and some women, like myself, truly suffer from hypermesis gravidarum. Here’s a series I did on my blog to encourage women going through this intensely difficult time.
http://faithfulhomemaking.blogspot.com/search/label/Morning-Noon-Night%20Sickness
That’s a great article. Sometimes nothing helps to ease morning sickness! I was never diangosed with HG, nor was I hospitalized, but it was something very difficult to go through, especially since we went through years of infertility before I got pregnant!
Thank you so much for this post! I am 10 weeks into my second pregnancy and have had “all-day-and-night” sickness for weeks now. I have had a hard time with it emotionally as I haven’t been able to keep up with my house, and teaching my daughter the way I would like. My sickness seems to be closely related to hypoglycemia so eating regularly (like almost every 1/2 hour), and focusing on protein has been the biggest help. Eating during the night has made a big difference too.
Amanda, i had the same condition with all three of my pregnancies. The only thing that truly relieved the nausea for me was GINGER! I would drink hot and cold tea with about a quarter teaspoon dry/ground ginger steeped with it (not too much as it doesn’t dissolve). Then I discovered fresh ginger. To this day I will cut fresh ginger into slivers and put it in a pot of any type of tea to steep. Since then (many years) it I always keep fresh and dried ginger in the house as it has become our staple tummy trouble fixer. Candied ginger also works…but I like to stay away from sugar…along with soda water. Hope this helps you as much as it did me.
Shonda Parker, herbalist, says that morning sickness is from a toxic liver and suggests a liver cleanse before you get pregnant. That can be done by taking milk thistle capsules or burdock root.
However, if it’s too late for that, the absolutely best cure for nausea is chewing Wrigley’s Double Mint gum. Go ahead, it’s a pleasant method, is cheap, and it works!
Thanks, Carol! The detoxing/liver cleanse was exactly what I did before my last pregnancy. I think it really did help.
Dandelion and Nettle are useful as well.
Thanks,
Michele
I’ve read that too. Your body has such better circulation when pregnant, so the toxins that you normally could handle become overwhelming. Doing a bowel and liver cleanse are so important before conception. I’ve also found (before I knew about cleansing) that eating protein in the night (as mentioned, on those many potty trips or up-with-toddlers trips) helped the most. Also, not eating any sugar before noon (no, not even a smidgen on my oatmeal) and limiting it overall really helped too. Good luck!
I took a class once called Introduction to Environmental Studies, and when we were learning about organic foods and standards, the professor said that studies have found that sometimes morning sickness can be relieved at least some by eating organic foods and produce. The pesticides can be causing the woman’s body to react to try to eliminate the unnatural substances.
I had a rough first trimester+ with this pregnancy and now in my 3rd trimester, some of the nausea seems to be coming back. I started using the seabands at about 10 weeks pregnant and they really seemed to make the nausea more manageable. I also took papaya enzyme tablets when the nausea/heartburn got really bad.
Katie, I just received the seabands from a friend, though they didn’t come with instructions. I looked up info about the P6 spot online. But how did you know you were putting them in the right place? How long did you leave them on at a time? I think I am pressing a nerve, my hands feel tingly. Any suggestions?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I needed this encouragement today. I’m 10 weeks into my 4th pregnancy and I get SICK! Sometimes it doesn’t go away for the whole pregnancy, so I’ve been trying all different things with hopes the nausea will be eased. This time around Morning Sickness Magic pills by Mommy’s Bliss have helped(they didn’t help with the last pregnancy though). They contain red raspberry leaves, ginger, folic acid and Vitamin B6.
The other thing that is helping this time around is orange juice. That is the ONLY thing I want to drink. I try to limit myself to 2-3 small glasses a day, and I add sparkling water to make it stretch and to give the bubbly feeling that eases my tummy. I’m being very careful to follow my cravings as well, and I think that is helping.
The last thing that has helped is a small cup of coffee (with real cream and a little stevia) in the morning. I’ve never allowed myself coffee during pregnancies before, but it was suggested to help with my headaches. It does help, and I’m not as nauseous in the morning when I have it. The bit of energy to get some chores done is a huge bonus too!
I hope my tips can help someone else, just as many other people’s tips have helped me.
The most important thing I can say is try everything until you find something that works. Each pregnancy has been different, and the worst one, nothing helped. But you really don’t know until you try, try, and try again!
There is just something about those citrus (and sparkling!) juices, isn’t there?
I’m glad you mentioned the Vit. B6. I have heard that is helpful for some women. I took that with one of my pregnancies, and wasn’t sure if it was helping or not. Thanks so much for your recommendation!
Blessings,
Michele
Great tips! I’ve been pretty blessed with both of my pregnancies … no morning sickness at all with our youngest and just slight morning sickness now and again with oldest. BUT, I do know ladies who have HORRIBLE morning sickness, so this is good info to pass on if they get pregnant again … OR when we get pregnant again, if I experience morning sickness.
These are great tips, Michele! I drank a lot of kombucha and coconut water kefir when I was nauseated – and it really helped. I had a hard time keeping actual food down, but with milk, kombucha, and coconut water, I knew that at least I wasn’t losing calories and nutrition.
And we use the Signing Time DVDs too – awesome, aren’t they? We found the whole set at our library. What a Godsend!
My midwife suggested a homeopathic remedy called Cocculus Indicus (I hope I have the name right!) to me. It worked wonders as I would get nauseated while flying in a small aircraft during my pregnancy. Being homeopathy, there are no known side effects and it is safe for pregnant or nursing mothers.
You know I was just reading about this in an herbal book this weekend. The author said that early in pregnancy it can be due to hormone fluctuations or possibly low stomach acid. So she recommended trying to increase your stomach acid.
That’s exactly what I had to do, Shannon. My test results showed signs of low stomach acid (common in people with celiac, as well as typical during pregnancy), so I worked with a nutritionist who gave me natural hydrochloric acid tablets.
But I thought that might be a bit beyond the typical morning sickness scope I was addressing in this post. But I’m so glad you brought it up!! Now the information is here for anyone who might want it.
Thank you!
Blessings,
Michele
Having recently encountered intense morning sickness with my third pregnancy, I turned to the “Seabands” you mention under acupressure. Within 30 seconds of putting them on I felt better, and had them on for about 6 weeks in the end! I took them off now and again so that their effectiveness didn’t wane too much, and they were a great investment for me.
Also, I loved plain yogurt, anything that tasted or smelled like vinegar, lemons, watermelon and grapes–those were the things that I knew would ease the nausea.
Such a blessing, even to be sick!!
Stephanie- I just received the seabands from a friend, though they didn’t come with instructions. I looked up info about the P6 spot online. But how did you know you were putting them in the right place? Did you leave them on non-stop or move them each day? I think I am pressing a nerve, my hands feel tingly. Any suggestions?
Ginger flavoured (with real ginger) Water Kefir Helps ease morning sickness a lot. It’s a probiotic drink that can easily be made at home and drink all through out the day.