The first half of my pregnancy with my daughter was Queasy City. When the morning sickness got going, it was like the walls of my stomach would just quiver like jello on a train. It was not a pleasant feeling, especially when it would go off and on ALL DAY. That low-level nausea is annoying at first, then distracting, then just exhausting. Some days I would barely eat, afraid that I would hurl or I was just tired of a wavy stomach.

But the smell of many meat took my nausea to new levels…and to the toilet. Needless to say, cut down a lot on meat and my husband, bless him, did a lot of the cooking. But Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law’s was horrible. We traveled just under 2000 miles so it wasn’t like I could just go home. The aroma of the turkey and ham and gravy that Angie was cooking–things I normally love–sent me retching in the bathroom. Angie, her sister and her mother spent the evening trying to help me out. I tried to nibble crackers, sipped tea, iced the back of my neck, elevated my feet, everything they’d ever hear of to calm my stomach. Nothing worked. I ended up holing up in the basement bathroom, as far away from the ‘fumes’ as I could get, alternately dry heaving, crying and napping on the floor.

Eventually, Angie’s Aunt Georgia came over. Thank you Aunt Georgia. She came downstairs with a handkerchief bulging with something and said “Hold this over your nose and mouth, honey”. “What is it,” I asked. “Just lemon peelings. Just breathe through it and see if that stops the smells.” So I did.

My stomach was still quivering, but I ventured out of the bathroom. At the base of the stairs I got a little meat whiff and the stomach started to roll over. I mashed the lemon scarf against my face, breathed slow, and…the stomach stopped rolling. Eventually, it even stopped quivering, and we got it down to periodic trembling. I could live with that.

I kept that scarf smushed to my face all evening (as I watched TV laying in the den–there was no way I was going to risk sitting at the table), until I convinced my husband it was in his best interest that we stay in a motel that night.

My daughter is now 6 years old, so it’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with morning sickness. But I thought of this story when talking to my cousin who is pregnant with her first and having the worst time with nausea. She’s tried the teas and crackers too. She even tried the lemon I suggested, but that didn’t help. When she told me she was desperate and actually considering medication like Zofran, for help.

I showed her a book I found some time ago called End Morning Sickness Now with natural remedies for morning sickness for her to try. We both are of the mind that medication is good and well, but as a last resort, during pregnancy at least. And she found a remedy that worked for her, one that neither of us heard of or would have thought to try. But out of respect to the author, I have to leave it in the book.

Some natural morning sickness remedies are old wives tales of nonsense, but many others do work. And there is a reason why natural cures work. Sometimes we know the chemistry and anatomy behind why they work. For instance, some studies show that citrus scents like lemon, send completely different signals down the olfactory tract, a direct connection for sending smells to the brain and sympathetic nerves, nerves that respond to things like stress. Sometimes we don’t know exactly why a remedy works, we just know that is works for many women.

If you are suffering from morning sickness, if you can, try natural remedies first. They are not harmful for the baby, usually don’t have side effects for you, and are mostly cheaper than any prescription.

Technorati Tags: early pregnancy symptom, First Trimester, Morning Sickness, morning sickness remedies, morning sickness remedy, natural remedies morning sickness, nausea, nausea pregnancy, pregnancy

When you are suffering from nausea or vomiting, you want relief. But you have to be careful. Some nausea remedies may be unsafe for your growing baby.

When trying remedies for morning sickness, start with natural remedies that are simple (and safely) with methods you can do at home. Check with your doctor is you are unsure, but many of these remedies are not only considered safe and are popular cures.

Habits

• Stay away from pungent smells and stong tastes like spicy food. The smell doesn’t have to be stinky to make you sick, just rich and full of aroma.
• Avoid lots of abrupt movement (a jerky, fast driver for instance) as that may may morning sickness worse.
• Get out of bed slowly in the morning.

Eating

• An empty stomach can aggrevate morning sickness.
• Eat light meals or graze during the day. Several light meals is better than 3 heavy ones.
• Keep a snack in your purse or glove compartment for an “emergency snack” so you don’t go hungry.

Good foods

• Foods that are less likely to irritate: crackers, ice, peppermint, broth, plain rice (white or brown), plain baked potato.
• Eat simple, healthy foods.

• Ginger and peppermint teas (without caffeine) tend to quell queasiness.

Cooking

• Cook with the windows open or turn on exhaust fans.
• Try cooking in the microwave as it will produce less odors.

Physical

• Try acupressure like a “acupressure” wrist bands (boat passengers sometimes use them for off sea sickness).

Look for more remedies in the ebook End Morning Sickness Now.

Technorati Tags: First Trimester, Morning Sickness, nausea pregnancy, queasy pregnancy

Pregnancy Pops You may also see them advertised as Preggie Pops or Queasy Drops. These help to ease nausea with natural ingredients that have a history of helping quell that queasy feeling the steady, slow swallowing doesn’t assult your stomach The flavors you want to try are Ginger - ginger root has been used by women worldwide for relief of morning sickness. Ginger root is not a naturally sweet root however, and you have to do something to it first, like boil it in water to make a tea, to use the root. Mints - natural peppermint or spearmint are also often used by women to stop the feeling of nausea. Sour Fruits - some women crave something tangy or sour like lemon to combat a queasy stomach.
Accupressure bands You might see these advertised as biobands, sea bands, or other names. The idea behind the band is based on the ancient Chinese principle of acupressure – effectively acupuncture without needles! Accupressure is a safe, drug-free, effective way to prevent and ease the nausea associated with morning sickness.The band is snug–not tight–and has a plastic node on it. You put the band on your wrists with the node on the inside. The band and node are applying continuous pressure on a particular point on the wrist (the P6 or Nei-Kuan point). It takes 4-5 minutes to become effective and continues to be effective as long as it is worn
Ginger Candy This is another quick and natural way to overcome your nausea. Candy made with real ginger (not flavoring, which is why most ginger ales won’t work) is a tasty way to taking in ginger, without drinking tea (and going to the bathroom) all day. The Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology reports  that ginger may reduce vomiting in almost 63 percent of pregnant women without the side effects associated with perscription anti-nausea drug (like Dramamine) and doesn’t have any negative effects on your pregnancy.

Technorati Tags: Morning Sickness