Morning Sickness Home Remedies
Some 50 to 70 percent of American women will suffer from nausea or vomiting, or both, during the first three months (also known as the first trimester) of their pregnancies. The severity and even occurrence vary not only from woman to woman, but from pregnancy to pregnancy in the same individual.
Some women never have even the slightest touch of queasiness. Some are ill in the morning and recover by lunch. And some stay sick all day for days on end, wondering why it’s called “morning sickness” when it lasts 24 hours.
No one knows what causes morning sickness. It is less common among Eskimos and native African tribes than in Western civilizations. But today’s doctors emphasize it’s not psychological, as was once believed. “Morning sickness is not a psychological rejection of the pregnancy,” says Donald R. Coustan, M.D., professor and chair of obstetrics-gynecology at Brown University School of Medicine and chief of obstetrics-gynecology at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence. “It is not a symbolic attempt to vomit up the baby.”
Since hormones run amok during early pregnancy, researchers theorize that these abnormal hormone levels contribute somehow to the existence of morning sickness. A suspected culprit is human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), the hormone tested in home pregnancy kits, which hits an all-time high in those first months. But other hormones may play a role as well. High levels of progesterone, for example, result in smooth-muscle relaxation, slowing down the digestive process, says Cheryl Coleman, R.N., B.S.N., I.C.C.E., a childbirth educator at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and director of public relations for the International Childbirth Education Association.
“There are a lot of changes going on in the pregnant woman’s body,” points out Kermit E. Krantz, M.D., university distinguished professor, professor of gynecology and obstetrics, and professor of anatomy at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. “Your kidneys increase their activity by 100 percent. Your blood volume will increase by 50 percent.”
If you’re suffering from morning sickness, you probably don’t care what causes it. You just want relief. Time will eventually take care of it; the condition usually subsides after the third month. (Scant words of comfort.) While you’re waiting for the second trimester to arrive, however, here’s what the experts suggest you try for relief:
Don’t worry about crumbs in the sheets. Keep crackers by the bed. Eating a few low-sodium crackers as soon as you?wake up?and before you get out of bed?is the first line of defense against morning sickness.
Graze. Eat frequent, small meals. You may?want to eat five to six times a day. Sometimes, hunger pangs bring on the feelings of nausea. That’s because acids in the stomach have nothing to digest when there’s no food around.
Don’t drink and eat at the same time. In other words, drink your fluids between meals, instead of during meals, to avoid too much bulk in the stomach, says Krantz.
Fill up on fluids. You need at least eight glasses a day, says Krantz. “Avoiding dehydration is most important, especially in the summertime.”
Go for a liquid diet. You may find it easier on your tummy to emphasize liquids over solids, says Coustan. Get your nutrients from bouillon, juices, and other liquids.
Stick to bland foods. This isn’t the time to try that new Thai restaurant. Spicy foods just don’t cut it right now.
Choose complex carbohydrates. Pasta, bread, potatoes?the foods you think of as starches?are easier to digest and they’re soothing, says Coleman.
Avoid fatty foods. Fats are harder to digest than carbohydrates or proteins, explains Coleman.
Don’t sniff. Certain odors often trigger the feelings of nausea. “Pay attention to what these triggers are and avoid them,” suggests Coustan. “Let someone else do the cooking if that bothers you, for example.”
Avoid sudden moves. Don’t change your posture quickly. “Don’t sit up in bed too suddenly,” advises Krantz. “Get up easily.”
Take vitamin B6. A number of physicians recommend this vitamin for morning sickness because of its ability to fight nausea. Talk to your doctor before trying a supplement, however, and be sure not to exceed 25 milligrams of the vitamin each day.
Take a hike. OK, go for a walk outside every day. “It’s a positive thing you can do for yourself,” says Coleman. “And the exercise and fresh air may make you feel better.” Be sure to check with your doctor before trying anything more strenuous than a stroll, however.
Don’t forget to brush. If you do succumb to vomiting, take good care of your teeth and brush afterwards. Otherwise, the frequent contact with the harsh acids in what you throw up can eat away at tooth enamel.