Morning Sickness? 7 Tips For Dealing With Nausea During Pregnancy

Nausea and morning sickness are common during pregnancy.

Nausea may be a result of certain hormones, and it generally settles towards the middle of the pregnancy. The intensity can also vary from woman to woman.

Here are 7 natural tips to help you manage nausea with little to no side effects.

Ginger 

Ginger is often used as a home remedy to treat nausea during pregnancy.

According to the PubMed Central, ginger has compounds that are used in medicines due to their anti-nausea properties.

Ginger can also be used to curb the nausea symptoms during travelling or after a surgery or chemotherapy.

It typically doesn't have any side effects, however, you must limit your ginger intake if you suffer from low blood sugar levels, or low blood pressure.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture and acupressure are the Chinese ways of getting rid of vomiting and nausea. In acupuncture, thin needles are used on certain points of the body and pressure with the fingertips is used in acupressure.

According to the US NIH, both the techniques send signals to the spinal cord and nerve fibres in the brain which ease these symptoms and reduce it up to 25-75 percent.

Peppermint 

Peppermint when used in aromatherapy can help reduce nausea.

According to the US NIH, peppermint reduces nausea faster than any medicine or placebo.

It can also be used in inhalers as oil, or consumed by infusing in teas or in the form of capsules. The safest way, however, is to smell the peppermint oil.

Lemon 

The citrusy smell of lemon has shown to help pregnant women deal with nausea.

According to PubMed Central, lemon reduced nausea by 9 percent as compared to almond oil.

You can just cut a slice of lemon and smell it when you feel nauseous or use a scented candle, or essential oils with a lemon fragrance.

Practice Controlled Breathing

According to the US NIH, slow and deep breaths can go a long way in reducing nausea in pregnant women, or anyone after a surgery.

Take deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Controlled breathing when combined with aromatherapy can be effective in getting rid of nausea. Breathing exercises alone have shown a 63 percent reduction in nausea.

Use certain spices 

Fennel powder, cinnamon and cumin are the most common spices in India and can be easily found in your kitchen.

According to the US NIH, fennel powder can reduce nausea and vomiting, cinnamon can reduce the severity of nausea, and cumin extract can be beneficial for diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain and nausea.

Massage 

Massages can also help you get relieve nausea.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) has also proved to be effective and can be practised by continuous sequence of tensed and relaxed muscles.

Massages after chemotherapy has reduced the severity of nausea and massages in the lower arm and legs reduced nausea by 24 percent in people.

You can ask anyone to give you a light massage to get rid of nausea, to feel even better you can use the above mentioned essential oils.

(This article is for your general information only. Before trying out any remedy or treatment, FIT advises you to consult a qualified medical professional.)