Alternative Medicine for Morning Sickness

An estimated 50% to 80% of pregnant women suffer from nausea, most often in the morning, but sometimes throughout the day. This nausea, usually referred to as morning sickness, generally occurs early in a pregnancy.

Many pregnant women seek natural remedies for morning sickness. Finding the natural remedy for morning sickness that works for you may require some trial and error. Here are five natural remedies for morning sickness that have provided relief for some mothers-to-be.

Dietary Changes. Changes to how and what you eat early in your pregnancy may help to lessen your morning sickness symptoms. First, eat smaller, more frequent meals so that you always have a little something, but not too much, in your stomach. Second, avoid heavy, high-fat or fried foods. Third, eat bland foods, like crackers, bread, toast or dry cereal. Some women find that eating a few crackers or a handful of dry cereal before getting out of bed in the morning helps to settle their stomachs. Fourth, keep some crackers on hand so that you can nibble on them at the first sign of nausea. Fifth, avoid foods that trigger nausea. Many mothers-to-be develop severe aversions to certain foods. If you do, keep them out of your house and try to avoid them when you are away from home.

Water. Be sure to stay hydrated, especially if your nausea is accompanied by vomiting, which can cause dehydration. Drink plenty of water or other liquids throughout the day.

Acupuncture. Some women find that acupuncture helps to alleviate morning sickness symptoms. Check with your doctor before trying acupuncture and, if she okays it, look for an acupuncturist with experience working with pregnant women. A related natural technique is to wear an acupressure wristband or a sea band. These wristbands use acupressure pulse points to help to reduce nausea. The advantages of acupressure wristbands include that they are safe and easy to use, they don't involve any drugs and they have no side effects.

Ginger. A traditional natural remedy for morning sickness is ginger in almost any form, including ginger ale, ginger tea, ginger jam on toast, ginger snap cookies, crystallized ginger or ginger candy. Carry some ginger candy in your purse so that you can pop a piece in your mouth any time your stomach starts to feel queasy.

Vitamin B6. For many pregnant women, vitamin B6 helps to ease the symptoms of morning sickness. You can increase your intake of vitamin B6 by taking a supplement (talk to your obstetrician about this first) and/or by eating foods rich in this vitamin, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, peas and beans.

Sources:

Cathy Wong, altmedicine.about.com, Morning Sickness - Best Natural Morning Sickness Remedies

altmedicine.about.com, Morning sickness: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia