As a sister in Christ who has experienced the joys as well as the trials that can come “being with child,” I have longed to write to you with some practical advice and encouragement on dealing with morning sickness. If you have read, “Redeeming Childbirth” or glanced at the Table of Contents, you would have noticed the chapters entitled Kneeling Before the Porcelain Throne and The Unrest that Comes with Bed-rest.
These chapters are dedicated to encouraging women spiritually and emotionally, which I believe is the ultimate need and most effective “medication” for not just coping or surviving, but thriving in spite of the physical experiences that can so often discourage women and even lead them into depression. But there is also a need and an appropriateness for Titus 2 Practical Teaching. I am excited to share with you some of the most effective natural remedies and supplements used by many to offer relief from morning sickness.
Remember, that though the recommendations I am going to share here are natural and safe, I am not YOUR doctor. Before taking any medication or treatment, whether natural or not, I recommend you do research yourself to understand any potential side effects for both you and your baby. Consult your health care provider before taking any medications. Pray about it, God cares deeply about your health, both physically and spiritually.
We personally try to have a balanced approach to medicine. Trying to heal and remedy naturally first, then if that doesn’t work we weigh the consequences {cons} to the benefits {pros} and make our decision for treatment. By sharing natural remedies I am in no way pushing only natural treatment, but simply offering an older sister’s mentoring.
Top 10 Natural Morning Sickness Remedies & Practical Advice
1. Homeopathic Phosphorus 30c {Biorin 30c}
Always consult your Naturopathic Physician, Midwife, or Holistic Health Physician before taking this while pregnant.
Basic treatment instructions on pellet bottle will suffice.
How I wish I would have known about Biorin Phosphorus homeopathics my first four pregnancies! It wasn’t until my fifth pregnancy that I discovered this natural treatment. At first, I was very skeptical. I had tried everything… or so I thought. Even the strong medications from the hospital couldn’t keep me from vomiting. I had it more severe than anyone I knew. Sorry to be graphic, but FYI… with Luke, I went from vomiting 8-9 times a day to maybe 3-4 with this homeopathic gift from God! I truly felt that was what it was because it truly helped me more than anything I had yet tried.
**Important to note that these homeopathic pellets I am recommending do have a sugar base so women who are struggles with diabetes should definitely consult a doctor or refrain from using.
2. Ginger, Peppermint & Keeping Hydrated
The dangerous aspect to really bad morning sickness can be dehydration. During my first three pregnancies, I was much more disciplined at making it to my biweekly IV appointments to get re-hydrated. It was time-consuming, but I needed them. During my first pregnancy I was so dehydrated I passed out. My husband came home and found me, took me to the hospital where they automatically put me on an IV. The reality is that when you are sick you don’t feel like drinking but it is crucial you stay hydrated.
- Ginger (dehydrated ginger, ginger tea or ginger-ale, ginger capsules, tincture) helps many women. Another great way to incorporate it is by adding it to your cooking (try cooking with fresh ginger). I make homemade chicken stock in bulk for our family and add an entire root of ginger, freshly grated. Homemade broth will aid in keeping you hydrated as well as keeping your electrolytes up.
- Sipping on Peppermint Tea or Peppermint water. In the summer, I would fill a glass pitcher with water and put fresh peppermint leaves in it with ice for a refreshing twist. I couldn’t get enough of this in my last three pregnancies. Also, carrying peppermint leaves or peppermint candies in your purse might prove to help you get past the coffee isle in the grocery store or the poo-pie diaper at the friends house! 😉
- Club Soda Water with a Lime. This worked miracles with my second, third and forth pregnancies!
3. Herbal Tinctures & Kombucha
- Calm-a-tummy Wishgarden Morning Sickness Tincture
- Kombucha is also recommended by some midwives, although I would also recommend speaking with your care provider first. It is a fermented product, which contains yeast and you DO NOT want a yeast infection while you are pregnant, it is one of the main reason your urine is tested every prenatal appointment.
4. Vitamin B-6 & B-12 {Visit here for more info}
5. Wear Sea Bands– buy them anywhere
6. Have something beside your bed for morning.
Saltine crackers or nuts are a great choice to keep handy for mornings. Munch before even sitting up in bed. You need to get something in your stomach first thing! And no skipping meals because the toddlers are “STARVING.” Take care of mama and eat!
7. Eat many small meals throughout the day
Balancing blood sugars in your body by eating many small and frequent meals is extremely important. Many midwives suggest nibbling on a saltine cracker before even sitting up in bed. Protein in the early morning is essential for balancing your body and for some it can completely prevent even getting sick.
8. Be aware that smells are going to effect you and try using aromatherapy with essential oils.
Obviously, smells like dirty diapers are enough to send anyone to the porcelain throne, but you can’t avoid changing your toddlers diaper. Be prepared with something you do like the smell of. Put a diffuser next to the changing table or in the kitchen when you are cooking if the smell of cooking meat gets to you.
I love Bounce fabric softener laundry sheets, so I put them under my seat int he car to diffuse any weird odors that teenage boys create with their gym bags. I also put them in my pillow case so that I am not super critical of body odors early in the morning! 🙂 I also love the smell of lavender, so I keep a bottle of homemade essential oil spray for my bed linens and towels in the bathroom. Another good idea is to keep a bottle of peppermint essential oil and water in your purse to woft in front of my nose if needed at the grocery store. That coffee isle gets to me.
9. Get some fresh air.
I know you probably don’t feel like exercising or doing much at all. Believe me, I know how you feel! But you are at risk for becoming depressed my dear.
You need to get up, get going on your day, and a little fresh air might just be exactly what you need to help you do that. On those days when I was SUPER sick all I wanted to do was lay in bed with my puke bucket. I was, quite literally, a HOT MESS!
And if there is one thing I can tell you it is that you need to force yourself to get up, step outside, even if it is just for a moment, and catch your breathe. Breathe in the fresh air for a few minutes and you might just be surprised by how you feel afterward. Hop in the shower, diffuse some peppermint essential oils in the bathroom and you will feel 10Xs better, I promise!
10. If you don’t feel like being intimate with your husband because you feel sick– you are NOT alone in this. Here is a post specifically on this topic: When you don’t feel like being romantic!
Communicate clearly what you are experiencing with your husband. Make sure, no matter what you are NOT bottling this up inside your heart. Intimacy is God’s gift to marriage and you have got to be very intentional about talking with your husband about all of this! The enemy is on the prowl to attack marriage… he will try to use this to tempt both of you. If you are experiencing low self-esteem or image issues because of weight gain… I highly recommend sharing this with your husband as well and if you can’t… a sister, friend, mentor or counselor. I urge you sister… talk with you husband about your intimacy and how you are feeling, what your thoughts are, and what you need. Then, ask your husband and listen to his needs.
This post is a taste-test of the encouragement you will find in my book Redeeming Childbirth. Purchase Here!
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My Personal Story
Morning Sickness is not common to all women, there are those blessed women out there who never seem to experience any nausea or vomiting. However, for some, it is a regular occurrence which can make pregnancy hard to enjoy. For many others, it is a nuisance that arrives around four weeks gestation and lasts only until the end of the first trimester. There is no real reason known for why women do or do not get morning sickness. Some say it is hereditary, others say it is diet related or has to do with the gender of the baby; sadly no real conclusions have ever been made and no real preventative “cure” has been found.
I have been one of those women who personally gets sick every pregnancy, all for different durations. Vomiting between three and fourteen times a day. With a few of my pregnancies, I was sick almost from the day I conceived until just after delivering them. That is right, one last memorial purge. With others though, I only had nausea and once a day vomiting which subsided about the end of my second trimester. Either way though, those babies are worth it!
I guarantee that all throughout my day, I had a choice, a choice to allow how I was feeling to get the best of me, or just make the most of it. I didn’t always pass that test well, but I tried my best and leaned on God for strength. He continually reminded me that I was to shine my light for him.
Sometimes people ask me, in the most random places, like the grocery store, why we decided to have “so many kids” and then they assume that I had easy pregnancies. When I share with them the truth of what I experience their reaction is usually shock and confusion. Why would I continue to have children if I get so sick? Well, for me the answer is simple because having children isn’t about me.
Pregnancy isn’t about me, or doing what is comfortable and neither is motherhood.
I believe my morning sickness prepared me for parenting. Having morning sickness was hard and challenging and it refined me into a more patient mother. Apparently I needed a lot of refining in that area.
The sacrifice of a few months of extreme sickness was more than worth a whole lifetime for another soul, another child.
So sister, when you are feeling sick, try to take action and find relief. There are many things you can try. You should know ahead of time that not all the same remedies will work every day for every woman. Our bodies are different. And what works for some, may not work for you at all. But I also want to encourage you to choose to be strong in faith and look at this time as a season of refinement. You and I both know it is.
I would love to be praying for you through this. I have dedicated a special prayer journal just for you ladies here on the blog, those connected on Facebook! Please feel free to share your prayer requests… I am honored to be praying for you. This fulfills my heart to be interceding on your behalf. God has placed on my heart a desire to cry out for you so please tell me how I can!
Blessings on your health and pregnancy,
Angie
