Get a group of pregnant mothers together, and ten to one they will start comparing their morning sickness symptoms and discussing various morning sickness remedies. That's because about eight out of every ten pregnant women are affected my nausea and vomiting to some degree. While many pregnant women only have to put up with this problem for a few weeks early in their pregnancies, others will continue to experience symptoms all the way up to the beginning of the third trimester of their pregnancy. As you can well imagine, these women are particularly interested in finding morning sickness remedies that will successfully relieve them of daily bouts of nausea and vomiting, which are even harder to manage for mothers-to-be who have other children to care for and / or who must go out to work every day. Below is a list of several natural remedies that are easily attainable, inexpensive and do not require a doctor's prescription.
The first of these remedies is a common spice that could already be sitting on your kitchen shelf: ginger. The anti-nauseous properties of ginger have made it a favorite of chemotherapy patients trying to reduce the nausea and sickness that are the after-effects of this treatment. Ground up and seeped in hot water, ginger can be drunk in tea form, but eating ginger candy is also one of the more effective natural morning sickness remedies. To ward off vomiting, nausea, queasiness and other unpleasant symptoms, keep a thermos bottle of ginger tea or a bag of ginger candy by you all day.
Any discussion of natural, non-prescription remedies must include modification of eating habits. Pregnant women have reported that they were successful in overcoming their nausea simply be changing their eating routine. Instead of three big meals a day, eat a number of smaller meals made up mainly of carbohydrates. When your stomach is not empty for long periods of time, you are less likely to experience morning sickness. Women who snack on salty or vinegar flavored potato chips in between meals also seem to have less of a problem. One explanation as to why salty snacks are one of the most prevalent and effective morning sickness remedies is that these foods reduce the saliva production of mothers-to-be. Women who are pregnant tend to produce more saliva than usual and this is thought to contribute to nausea and symptoms. If you intend to try this method to combat your morning sickness, remember to avoid eating chips containing Olestra such as most low-fat potato chips.
Perhaps the strongest of all natural morning sickness remedies is acupuncture. Numerous pregnant women have recently used this method to fight off nausea and other symptoms such as queasy stomachs and vomiting. There is no need to be apprehensive about this remedy. It does not involve needles or pricking. Simply purchasing a special doctor-recommended acupuncture band from your drug store or health food retailer to wear on your wrist can effectively alleviate almost all the effects of morning sickness. These acupuncture bands act upon particular acupuncture points in your wrist and are popular with people who experience nausea and other morning sickness-like symptoms when travelling in a moving vehicle (cars, boats etc). Aside from their low cost, acupuncture bands are one of the most favored natural morning sickness remedies tried by women because they have an almost instantaneous effect against nausea and vomiting.
Many pregnant women declare that peppermint is one of the best remedies around. You can use peppermint to reduce or eliminate nausea and queasiness in one of two ways. If you like the taste, you can simply suck on peppermint-flavored candies all day long. Since this is one of the more versatile morning sickness remedies, even women who dislike the taste of peppermint can use it to keep control their pregnancy nausea. Many mothers-to-be say that being in a room which smells of peppermint is enough to overcome their nausea. If the idea of eating peppermint does not appeal to you, buy peppermint oil from a health food or essential oils store. You won't need much; just a drop or two in a container of water will fill a room with peppermint scent - and reduce your symptoms. You can use this natural remedy against queasiness and nausea when you are out of the house as well. Before you go to work, for example, remember to take along a few Q-tip sticks, previously dipped in peppermint oil and sealed in plastic.
Your doctor has probably pointed out the importance of drinking lots of fluids during your pregnancy. He or she most likely warned you against the ill effects of dehydration both for expectant mothers and their unborn babies. However, drinking lots of water (or any other fluids) is also one of the simplest morning sickness remedies. The truth is that drinking abundant quantities of fluids increases your chances of avoiding nausea and vomiting.
If you try all the natural morning sickness remedies enumerated above, but none seem to be effective, then your symptoms are severe enough to warrant that you ask your healthcare provider about prescription medication. You may know that most doctors advise against prescription drugs for pregnant women. Nevertheless, certain drugs that can alleviate this problem are considered to be safe for use during pregnancy. Your physician may decide to write out a prescription for you if he or she feels that this is the only way to overcome a severe case of morning sickness.