As seen in the plot of almost every sitcom, morning sickness may be one of the first clues your body gives you when you’re newly pregnant — but feeling wretched in the morning is hardly funny when it happens to you. This early pregnancy side effect may occur anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks into your pregnancy and could last all day long, according to the American Pregnancy Association. To get back on your feet (and get your head out of the toilet), figuring out how to manage this pregnancy symptom is a must.
For the most part, the medical experts agree that “morning sickness” is a misnomer. Anywhere from 70 to 85 percent of pregnant women experience nausea or vomiting during pregnancy for anywhere from two to six hours per day and often in the afternoon or evening. And an estimated 0.5 to 2 percent of women experience morning sickness so severe that it may cause a danger to mother and baby, often diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum, making it important to visit your doctor right away.
For the expectant moms who’d just like to keep some food down, one of these natural remedies might cure what ails ya, or at the very least, make you feel a little bit better.
1. Ginger
Pregnant ladies, get ready to make ginger your new best friend — a home remedy that new moms swear by and doctors endorse. Dr. Josh Axe, D.N.M., C.N.S., doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist and author of Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It, says, “Ginger has a long and safe track record in traditional medicine — healers have been using it for more than 2,000 years. Science is catching up to its longstanding health benefits too. Many preclinical and clinical studies show that ginger possesses natural nausea-reducing effects, particularly for pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. A study looking at ginger’s use in easing nausea from seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy-induced nausea found ginger performed better than placebo in all three areas.”
Dr. Axe recommends calming your stomach with his morning sickness-fighting tea. “Drinking ginger tea throughout the day can help ease morning sickness. You can buy organic ginger tea, but it’s easy to make your own too.” He explains, “To make it at home, cut ginger root into thin slices, and place them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain the ginger, and drink. It’s that easy.”
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Rosie Pope, star of Bravo’s Pregnant in Heels with four kids under the age of 10, tells SheKnows, “Natural ginger (if you can handle it) works well. Try it in a form you can take, from herbal tea to dried ginger or lollipops, but make sure it contains real ginger.”
2. Peppermint
Ginger may be one of the most popular at-home nausea remedies, but peppermint comes in a close second. Peppermint (in the candy or tea form) can reduce nausea and calm an upset stomach throughout the day, Dr. Ashe, D.O., M.D., medical director of Be Well Medical Group, explains.
3. Lemon
This may be one of the easiest DIY morning sickness remedies that you can tuck into your purse for later. According to Dr. Ashe, sniffing a fresh-cut lemon or adding it to your water may help to prevent the queasies. Likewise, Dr. Ashe recommends, “Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.”
Next up: Grapefruit
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