Home Remedies For Morning Sickness In Pregnancy

Morning sickness. Just hearing these two words makes many pregnant women feel tired. Because they know what comes next. The nausea. The vomiting. The weakness. I have seen this in my own family. My sister had it very bad. My best friend had it for four months straight. So I am not writing this from a book. I am writing this from watching real women go through real days of sickness.

You are pregnant. That is a beautiful thing. But the first few months can feel very ugly. You feel sick when you wake up. You feel sick after eating. You feel sick when you smell food. Sometimes you feel sick for no reason at all. So what can you do at home? Many things. Let me tell you one by one. But I will not write like a doctor. I will write like a woman talking to another home remedies for morning sickness in pregnancy.

Eat Something Dry Before Moving Your Body In The Morning

This is the most important thing. Keep a small packet of plain biscuits near your bed. Not cream biscuits. Not chocolate biscuits. Plain ones. Salt crackers are good too.

When you open your eyes in the morning do not get up. Do not even sit up fast. Just turn your head to the side. Take one biscuit. Eat it slowly. Take another one. Eat it. Stay in that lying position for two three minutes. Then sit up slowly.

Why this works I cannot explain in big words. But your stomach becomes empty after sleeping the whole night. That empty feeling makes you sick. Giving your stomach something small and dry settles it down.

My cousin did this every single day for her first three months. She said without this she could not even stand.

Do not drink plain water when nausea is high

This sounds strange because everyone says drink water. But many women tell me plain water makes them throw up. Something about the taste. Something about the weight of water in the stomach.

So what to drink instead?

• Lemon water. Take a glass of cold water. Squeeze half lemon into it. Add a pinch of salt. Add one small spoon of sugar. Stir it. Drink very small sips.
• Coconut water is also very good. It is natural. It gives you energy. It does not have a strong smell.
• Buttermilk without too much salt also works. Just thin buttermilk. Not the spicy one.
• Do not drink anything very cold. Not ice cold. That shocks your stomach. Cool is fine. Ice is not fine.

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Ginger is good but do not go overboard

Everyone talks about ginger. It is true. Ginger helps nausea. But in pregnancy you cannot eat too much ginger. Too much can cause heat in your body. Some doctors say too much ginger is not safe.

So do this. Take one small piece of fresh ginger. Not big. Small. Wash it. Cut it into very thin pieces. Put those pieces in one cup of water. Boil the water. Let it boil for five minutes. Then turn off the stove. Cover it. Let it become warm. Then drink that water slowly. Do not add too much ginger. Do not drink more than two cups in a whole day. Some women chew a very small piece of raw ginger. That is also fine. But if your stomach starts burning then stop.

Never buy ginger capsules from the medical store and take them without asking your doctor. That is different. That is strong. That can be dangerous.

Mint can save you on bad days

Mint is gentle. Mint is safe. Mint does not have any strong action like ginger.

Take fresh mint leaves from the kitchen. Seven or eight leaves. Wash them nicely. Put them in hot water. Not boiling water. Just hot water. Let them sit for five minutes. Drink that water. You can also just chew two three mint leaves directly when you feel sudden nausea. Keep mint candies in your bag. When you are outside and nausea comes take one mint candy. Put it in your mouth. Do not chew it fast. Let it melt slowly. This has helped so many women I know. Simple thing. Works many times.

Stay away from the kitchen when someone is frying food

This is very real. Your nose becomes like a police officer in pregnancy. It catches every small smell. And the smell of frying oil or frying onions or frying garlic can make you run to the bathroom.

So do not stand in the kitchen when cooking is happening. Ask your husband or mother or mother in law to cook. Go to your room. Close the door. Keep the window open for fresh air.

If you live alone then cook simple things that do not need frying. Boil vegetables. Make soup. Eat curd rice. Eat fruits. You can eat proper food later when your body feels better.

Also tell your family not to wear strong perfumes or deodorants near you. Some smells that you liked before will now make you sick. That is normal.

Eat cold food when hot food makes you sick

Hot food releases smell. Smell triggers nausea. So try eating the same food but cold.

For example make curd rice and keep it in the fridge for some time. Eat it cold. Make vegetable sandwich and eat it without heating. Cut apples or pears into small pieces and keep them in the fridge. Eat them cold. Do not reheat food many times. Every time you reheat the smell becomes stronger. Some women find that cold food does not make them sick at all. Give this a try for two three days and see.

Do not eat big meals at one time

If you eat a full plate of rice or three four rotis at once your stomach will feel very full. A very full stomach pushes upward. That makes you feel like vomiting.

Instead eat very small amounts many times.

For example eat a banana at nine in the morning. Eat two biscuits at eleven. Eat a small bowl of curd at one. Eat a handful of roasted chana at three. Eat half a bowl of rice at six. Eat one roti at eight. Your stomach should never feel empty. Your stomach should never feel too full. Keep it somewhere in the middle. This one habit changes everything for many home remedies for morning sickness in pregnancy.

Drink small sips only

Do not take a full glass of water or juice or coconut water and drink it in one go. That fills your stomach fast. That makes you feel heavy. That heavy feeling leads to vomiting.

• Instead keep a small glass next to you. Take one sip. Wait for one minute. Take another sip. Keep doing this the whole day.
• You will drink the same amount of water. But your stomach will not feel full at any one time.
• This is a small trick. But it works.

Lie down the right way

When you feel very sick do not lie down flat on your back. That position lets stomach acid come up to your throat. That burning feeling makes everything worse.

• Take two pillows. Put one on top of the other. Lie down on that. Your head should be higher than your stomach.
• Also do not lie down right after eating. Wait for thirty minutes at least. Walk slowly in the room. Sit on a chair. Then lie down.
• If you lie down immediately after eating the food does not settle. It comes back up.

Do not eat foods that you once loved

This is strange but true. Your food likes and dislikes change completely in pregnancy. A food you loved before can now make you feel very sick. For example my sister loved eating dosa with onion chutney before pregnancy. In her first three months just the smell of dosa made her vomit. So do not force yourself to eat something just because it is healthy. If plain rice works for you then eat plain rice. If only bananas work then eat bananas. You can eat healthy variety later when the sickness period passes.

Listen to your body. Your body is not lying to you.

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Take help from people around you

Do not try to be strong alone. That is a mistake many women make. They think they have to manage everything themselves because pregnancy is their body.

No. Ask for help.

Ask your husband to bring you biscuits in the morning. Ask your mother to make cold lemon water for you. Ask your friend to sit with you when you feel very low.

Pregnancy is hard. Morning sickness is harder when you are alone. Let people help you.

When to go to the doctor?

I told you many home remedies. They work for normal morning sickness. But sometimes the sickness becomes too much. That is not normal. That needs doctor.

Go to the doctor immediately if you see these things.

You vomit more than four times in one day. You cannot keep even water down for twelve hours. Your urine becomes very dark yellow and very little comes out. You feel your heart beating very fast. You see blood when you vomit. You lose weight.

These are danger signs. Do not try home remedies at that point. Do not wait. Just go to the doctor.

A simple day plan for you

I am not giving you a strict routine. Every woman is different. But this is what worked for the women in my family. You can change it.

• Morning before getting up. Eat two plain biscuits while still in bed. Wait five minutes. Get up.
• After getting up. Drink small sips of cold lemon water with salt and sugar.
• Breakfast. One banana or small bowl of curd or two idlis.
• Mid morning. Coconut water. Two three roasted chana.
• Lunch. Plain khichdi with little ghee. Or rice with thin dal.
• Afternoon rest. Lie down with two pillows. Drink mint water.
• Evening. Cold apple pieces. Or cold pomegranate seeds.
• Dinner. One roti with curd. Or vegetable soup.
• Before sleeping. Small glass of cold milk. Add honey if you want.

This is just an example. If something from this makes you sick then remove it. Add something else that works for you.

Conclusion

Do not feel bad if nothing works perfectly for you. Some women try everything and still feel sick. That is also normal. Your body is different. Your pregnancy is different.

Morning sickness ends. It really does. For most women it ends by the fourth month. You just have to survive those first few months. Use whatever works. Even if it is a small thing. Even if it seems silly.

You are doing a big thing. You are making a baby. That is not easy. So be easy on yourself.