Natural Remedies for Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy

Experts believe that between 50 and 80% of women experience morning sickness or some kind of nausea and/or sickness during pregnancy. Although it is commonly known as Morning Sickness, nausea can last throughout the day for many women. Morning sickness usually peaks around the 9th week of pregnancy and stops around the 20th week.

More and more women are turning to natural remedies to help with their morning sickness. The three most common natural remedies are ginger tea, acupressure wristbands and vitamin B6. Although these are natural remedies, a number of women complain of mild adverse reactions. The most common reaction is intolerability of the strong taste of ginger and irritation due to the wristbands.

It has been found that the following adjustments may help relive morning sickness:

- Try eating frequent, smaller meals so you never feel too hungry or too full.
- Avoid fried or fatty foods.
- Eat crackers, bread, toast, cereal and other bland foods nearby so you can snack throughout the day.
- Eat something from this list before you get out of bed in the morning.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially in between meals.
- Try and identify what triggers the nausea and avoid them.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture sessions, for example twice per week have been found to benefit those women with hyperemesis, a severe form of morning sickness the most.

Acupuncture wrist bands, also known as ‘sea bands’ work by stimulating the pericardium (p6) acupuncture point. This is a recognised Chinese medicine historically used to relieve nausea and usually works immediately. The wrist band consists of a plastic button that places pressure on the p6 point inside the wrist. They are cheap to buy, can be found online or in health food or natural remedy stores.

Ginger
Ginger is a popular, well known remedy for morning sickness. It has been used for this purpose and cooking for centuries. Ginger is generally recognised as ‘safe.’

Many health professionals recommend ginger for morning sickness and many medical trials have supported its use. Ginger can be taken in hot water to make ginger tea.

Many argue that there is not sufficient information regarding the safety of ginger, especially in pregnant women so do not recommend its use. Some suggest that ginger inhibits the enzyme thromboxane synthetase, and although studies have not confirmed this it is thought that this may possibly influence sex steroid differentiation in the foetus’s brain.

Another concern is that ginger can prolong bleeding time and interfere with platelet aggregation although studies formed in the first trimester found no notable difference in the number or miscarriages, stillbirths and malformations.

Peppermint Essential Oil
Nausea can be helped simply by the aroma of peppermint. It is advised to fill a large bowl with hot water and place two drops of peppermint into the bowl placed on a table near you. An aroma therapy diffuser can also be used.