Natural Help for Morning Sickness
So you found out that you are pregnant. For a lot of women the first sign of pregnancy is actually unpleasant–morning sickness. While the news may be joyful for you, morning sickness is no fun. But there are natural ways to lessen the effects of morning sickness so you can bask in the joy. In this post I off Natural Help for Morning Sickness.
My Story
I am the mother of 9 children. I have been pregnant in my 20s, 30s and 40s. I have definitely found that the age I am at has made a difference in how crummy I am feeling, but there are other factors as well.
What is morning sickness?
While there is no official definition for what causes morning sickness I have found that it is directly tied to my blood sugar level. When my blood sugar level dropped very low I would feel nauseous. This is also why many women tend to feel the effects of morning sickness in the morning, when their blood sugar is low from a night of not eating. But it also explains why if you are struggling to keep your blood sugar balanced during the day that morning sickness can turn into “all day” sickness.
What should I eat?
Complex carbs have always served me well. If you couple that with a health fat all the better. Think whole wheat toast (sprouted is even better) and peanut butter. Whole grain crackers and cheese, guacamole and baked chips. Whole fruits can also be good but beware if you are struggling with that other scrouge of pregnancy–hemorrhoids. The sugars in fruit can cause flare ups. A diet with a minimal amount of sugar is best to avoid hemorrhoids.
What should I drink?
Water is awesome. The majority of what you drink should be water. If you want more a low sugar drink is best (see above about hemorrhoids). There are many herbs that can be used to mix a delicious tea or stand alone.
- Chamomile–I like this best as a stand-alone. The flavor is beautifully delicate and soothing. It is also very easy to find in any grocery store. In addition to being very soothing to an upset digestive system and calming as a bedtime ritual. There is a saying that chamomile is good for “babies of all ages.” While you are growing your baby don’t neglect nourishing yourself.
- Red Raspberry–this is an herb long associated with pregnancy. It helps strengthen the uterus, is toning to tissue throughout the body and it tastes great, though a little tart if I am being honest. This can be found as a stand-alone tea (try health food stores for this one) or mixed into a great pregnancy tea. Check out my Nourishing Tea Blend.
- Nettle–like super charged spinach, this tea brings all sorts of green goodness, and honestly tastes like it. Unless you are really into a green taste you will want to mix this one.
What about Ginger?
Ginger is often recommended for stomach upsets, but I would advise caution. In each of my pregnancies I have also had heartburn. Ginger is very heating. It is actually designed to get the digestive fires going. So if you are already struggling with an overheated digestive system like heartburn you will want to steer clear of ginger.
What about Peppermint?
Peppermint is kind of the opposite of Ginger. Peppermint is very cooling. I would opt for peppermint but that is because my constitution tends to run more hot at least digestively. If you are feeling sluggish, chilled, clammy or are constipated steer clear of peppermint.
My go to Remedy
My go to is actually papaya enzyme. I by this at my local natural foods co-op. It is very easy to take for those sudden flare ups of nausea, and it also works well for heart-burn. Because it is basically a food you don’t have to worry about eating too much of it.
Of course you could also eat the fruit if you have access to it, but watch out for overdoing the sugar.
Closing Thoughts
With morning sickness being directly related to our digestive system care should be taken to eat high quality, natural foods with a minimum of sugar. Smaller meals more often is the best way to eat. If you really struggle with nausea in the morning, try having some whole grain crackers beside your bed to give you a boost before getting out of bed.
I hope you found these suggestions helpful. There is Natural Help for Morning Sickness.
