Today I would like to share with you a few tips against morning sickness. Luckily, I was only mildly affected myself, but I still tried a few things. Some of them worked quite well, which is why I would like to share them with you. Maybe you are going through this phase yourself and are grateful for every possibility to relieve the nausea. However, if you suffer from very severe nausea with vomiting, it is always advisable to go to the doctor!
Causes of morning sickness
Pregnancy is one of the best things a woman can experience, but nausea gravidarum can sometimes spoil the experience. According to Prof. Dr. Gerald Gitsch from Freiburg University Hospital, up to 75% of all pregnant women are affected by nausea and/or vomiting at the beginning. There are many reasons for this, especially the increase in oestrogen and the pregnancy hormone hCG are responsible (1). Another reason could also be that the increase in progesterone causes the upper stomach sphincter to relax and more stomach acid enters the oesophagus (2). Evolutionary physicians also suspect that morning sickness is a protective mechanism to protect the foetus from possible toxins in the mother’s food (3). Nausea usually occurs in the morning, but it can happen at any time of the day or night. It stops for most pregnant women after the „critical first 3 months“, but for others it lasts longer or even the whole pregnancy.
Because of the nausea, the diet can sometimes be very one-sided and unbalanced during the first 3 months. For this reason, it is highly recommended that if you are planning to become pregnant, you make sure you eat a healthy diet with sufficient nutrients, at least in the 6 months before conception. You can find out here that this doesn’t have to be complicated. This gives your body a good supply to draw on if, for example, you only have an appetite for cold berries or pretzels in the first few weeks 😉.
Top tips against morning sickness
- Personally, it helped me to keep my blood sugar level constant by eating a snack on a very regular basis. In my case, it was usually cold apples or berries, as well as pretzels and salty crackers – I simply had the most appetite for these. Often I would even eat a snack every hour!
- Essential oils in the grapefruit, orange and lemon varieties did me a lot of good! I either put a few drops of these on my wrist and smelled them when needed, or put them in the aroma diffuser. Alternatively, a flavoured water is also suitable, i.e. you simply add a few slices of lemon or orange to your water bottle). Mint and chamomile are also said to be effective (these can be taken as tea).
- Vitamin B6 has been shown in studies to significantly reduce morning sickness (4) (5). An over-the-counter tablet has also helped me here and there. However, a doctor should be consulted before taking higher doses or for longer periods of time!
- Studies have also shown a positive effect of ginger (5). The easiest way to take this is as ginger tea. Here, too, long-term intake in tablet form should be discussed with a doctor.
- Magnesium (e.g., in bananas or whole-grain products) can also contribute to relief (6).
- Although the studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture and acupressure for nausea during pregnancy are not entirely clear (7, 8), there are numerous positive reports.
- As always, it is important to reduce excessive stress as much as possible – it can also increase nausea.
- Personally, sour gummy bears helped me a lot (I never eat them)! Even a small amount was enough.
- The homeopathic preparation Nux vomica can also be helpful. However, you should contact an expert in homeopathy before taking it.
I hope that you found something helpful and I wish you that the nausea will soon be over and that you can enjoy your pregnancy to the full again. Do you have any other tips against morning sickness? Feel free to post them in the comments, maybe they’ll help one or two other mums-to-be.
Alina