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Print This PageSick of Being Sick?
If pregnancy nausea has got you down, these remedies, both mainstream and alternative, should help you feel better.
By Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.
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If you're suffering from morning (and, maybe, noon and night) sickness, you may be wondering why it happens and whether it serves a purpose. "Nausea and vomiting often are an indication that pregnancy hormones are elevated, which is a sign that the pregnancy is moving forward," says Laura Riley, M.D., medical director of labor and delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of You and Your Baby: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy (Meredith Books). "[But] that's not to say that women who don't get morning sickness are at risk for a miscarriage," Riley adds. About 25 percent of pregnant women who have healthy pregnancies never experience it, but for those who do, morning sickness usually lasts throughout the first trimester.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, when toxins overburden the liver, hindering its ability to process the high levels of pregnancy hormones, morning sickness can result. Imbalance in the liver can cause nausea and vomiting, explains Amelia Hirota, a Chinese herbalist and Doctor of Acupuncture at the Center for Balance in East Greenwich, R.I.
Regardless of its reasons for being, your odds of having morning sickness are greater if you experienced nausea as a side effect of birth control pills, suffer from motion sickness, have female relatives who endured morning sickness, or are pregnant with twins or more. The good news is that a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes, as well as some alternative approaches, can provide relief in most cases.
An Ounce of Prevention
To help avoid or minimize morning sickness, follow the "slow, steady" rule when eating. Instead of consuming three large meals a day, eat six small ones spread throughout the day, suggests Melinda Johnson, M.S., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. And never let yourself get hungry; dips and spikes in blood sugar may add to queasiness. This is also why many women feel nauseated in the morning: They've gone without food for quite a while. To avoid having an empty stomach, nibble on bland foods such as saltine crackers and dry toast, and keep a box of crackers at your bedside to munch on before getting up in the morning.
Some experts recommend passing up foods that have strong odors, as well as greasy or spicy foods. However, simply listening to your body is the best advice. "Eat what makes you feel better, or at least not worse," says Johnson. As long as you drink plenty of water and keep taking your prenatal vitamins, your baby will be fine.
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