What the blehhhh? How to Help Stop Morning Sickness Naturally

No one can really prepare you for what morning sickness is like and everyone suffers from it differently. For some its annoying nausea that passes as the day goes along and for others its overwhelming sickness that lasts all day or night!

When you think about it, it’s no wonder really – our bodies undergo massive changes to accommodate a new person being onboard and the dreaded morning sickness can be due to hormonal changes, vitamin deficiencies, strong smells, low blood sugar, lack of exercise, fatigue, constipation and stress.

This malady hits between the 6th and 12th weeks of pregnancy, however like everything to do with pregnancy there’s no hard and fast rules for these things and some cases last throughout the entire pregnancy.

Don’t despair though, there are natural morning sickness remedies, many containing organic ingredients that won’t harm you or the baby and might help.

• Eat something small when first waking up. Doctors suggest dry cracker biscuits and a small sip of mineral water or milk. An empty stomach can cause nausea first thing in the morning. There are pregnancy products too on the market containing chia seeds and ginger. These products are reputed to work much better than soda crackers, and the ginger & turmeric components may help calm down the stomach spasms.

• Increase your intake of iron and B-complex vitamins. You can also take zinc supplements that might assist with the nausea.
• Traditional morning sickness remedies include drinking herbal teas like raspberry leaf, peppermint or anise tea. Peppermint is a natural ingredient known to help control nausea and fatigue.
• Ginger is also reputed to calm down nausea. Ginger contains phenols. Gingerols and shogaols stimulate the stomach to contract rhythmically. Nausea is associated with irregular stomach contractions and ginger will sooth this irregularity. Use ginger in a tea, in capsule form, ginger candy and chews, made into cookies, crystallized or flat ginger ale.
• Chia seeds sprinkled on your morning oatmeal or as an ingredient in morning sickness cookies. Chia seeds are a complete protein. They provide calcium, protein and rich in boron. Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, iron, calcium, niacin and zinc are also part of chia seeds tremendous storehouse of nutrients.
• You can keep apple juice by your bed. Sip it throughout the night. The natural sugars in apple juice keep blood sugar stable.
• Get out of bed slowly, and then go for a walk, do some light exercises, and make sure you have plenty of fresh air. You can also wear motion sickness bands all the time.
• Eat five to six frequent meals every few hours throughout the day. Keep these meals a good balance of carbs and proteins. This maintains blood sugar. Low blood sugar leads to nausea and vomiting.
• Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water or coconut water. If you can’t tolerate any liquids, try natural juice popsicles.
• Try acupuncture treatments. These won’t harm either you or the baby and might be relaxing. 
• A very awesome and relaxing cure is a belly rub. Use one drop of peppermint essential oils, and three drops of chamomile essential oil in a carrier oil. Rub your belly, place warm, damp towels on your tummy, and relax. (Great if you have the flu rather than pregnancy, too).

While we often reassure ourselves that the awful symptoms of that nausea and morning sickness mean we have a healthy baby on the way, doesn’t make living with these symptoms any more comfortable or easy and in some cases ongoing, severe morning sickness can cause complications, so it is essential to find natural solutions and take care of yourself as much as you can, to help both yourself and your growing baby during this time.