Nobody knows what causes morning sickness and sadly there’s no one size fits all morning sickness remedy that works for everybody. Either way, nearly three-quarters of pregnant women have morning sickness at some point during their pregnancy. The symptoms often show up in the first trimester thanks to a raging cocktail of pregnancy hormones coursing through your veins. It is more common in first pregnancies but can also happen in subsequent pregnancies. The most common treatment for morning sickness is “suck it up, Buttercup” which is always nice advice to give along with eating leafy greens and deep breathing – easy for people to say when it isn’t them who's suffering from it.
Natural Morning Sickness Remedies:
Anything ginger
It sounds like this is the go-to herb to quell the barfs. Anything from ginger ale, ginger snaps, candied ginger to boiling fresh ginger in water with a bit of honey to make ginger tea. Sounds very hippyish which makes me think that last one might work. These ginger candies also got very high praise.
Taking a B6 supplement
25 milligrams of vitamin B6 (also called pyridoxine) three times a day, for three days - so 75mg per day - is supposed to reduce nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, although they don’t know why.
Sour stuff
When life hands you lemons in the form of morning sickness, make lemonade? For a fresh take on morning sickness remedies, lemons squeezed in water and lemonade popsicles seem to help some people. Sour Patch Kids got a lot of votes from readers.
Don’t get hungry & eat often
Eat all the time to keep low blood sugar at bay. Even keep something like crackers on your bedside to nibble on before you get up in the morning. Have a snack every hour or two, keeping the servings small. I like this one. Gum chewing was up there on everyone’s list too. A few people recommended Pür gum if you’re trying to avoid aspartame and sugar.
Sniff stuff
Some people really respond to aromatherapy. This expecting inhaler from Soothing Scents is nice because you can take a whiff whenever you need it. Sniffing lemons was recommended in a few places too, or you can find an essential oil that perks you up.
Take your prenatal vitamins with food to help them stay down
Even a cracker will do the trick. Taking them before you go to bed also helped lessen the barfs because you are sleeping when the queasy normally hits.
Avoid fried, fatty foods
Okay, they need to back the hell off with this one because they’re not even sure if it does anything which makes me think they’re just trying to get all preachy about what you should eat. That said, I’ve included it because it did come up a few times. Dumb.
Protein-rich snack before bed
This will help keep your blood sugar up during the night and might stave off a wave of 'ew' the next day.
Cider vinegar
Supposedly drinking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey in cold water before bed is helpful. Personally, I think this would *make* me barf.
Increase the iron-rich foods in your diet
Foods such as beef, sardines, eggs, dried fruit and green leafy vegetables.
The BRAT diet
Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast and tea - bland foods that are easy on the tummy, but more than just saltines. Potatoes and pretzels also got a nod as bland foods that people could keep down. And if nothing of substance will do, there’s always broth.
Peppermint tea
Peppermint tea is supposed to help and, if nothing else, your barf will be minty fresh. It contains ginger root, spearmint, peppermint, chamomile and lemon balm, plus, it’s naturally caffeine free and organic. Drinking tea also helps increase your daily fluids, which can be hard when you’re feeling crummy.
Anise or fennel seeds
Chewing on these soothes upset stomachs, making them a go-to morning sickness remedy for those who can stomach their strong flavor. I imagine these would also get stuck in your teeth but, if it works, I guess it’s better than perpetual puking.
The Bottom Line
Women don't need to suffer in silence from morning sickness, as there are plenty of pregnancy nausea remedies to try. That said, tell your doctor right away if you can't keep down any food or fluids for 24 hours, you're steadily losing weight, or you become dehydrated—these could be signs of severe morning sickness that needs treatment.
