Home Remedies for Nausea During Pregnancy: The CRACKER Approach

Early-pregnancy nausea, also known as “morning sickness,” is quite frequent and perfectly acceptable. More than half of pregnant women experience some level of nausea or vomiting. The purpose of home remedies for nausea during pregnancy is to ease discomfort and enhance the health of the mother.

What is nausea?

Nausea is defined as stomach discomfort and the desire to vomit. The urge to vomit the stomach contents can be prompted by nausea. The disorder can frequently be prevented and has a wide range of reasons.

Nausea during pregnancy

It’s challenging to single out any one cause as a key contributor because morning sickness has so many different contributing factors. One of the causes is the HCG hormone, which plays a role in maintaining the fetus by being produced in large quantities. Other causes can be the elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone that delay food absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, a lack of vitamin B6, enhanced senses, notably the sense of smell, and increased digestive system sensitivity.

Symptoms of nausea

Generally speaking, nausea makes you feel sick to your stomach.

Symptoms of nausea and vomiting might be challenging to define. According to Stanford Health Care most people typically encounter:

• Feeling like you’re about to vomit
• Having no appetite
• Heavy perspiration
• Abdomen and respiratory muscles contracting repeatedly and rhythmically without your control 
• Abdomen ache
• Saliva accumulating in your mouth

Read more: Home Remedies for Heartburn During Pregnancy: The CHELSEA Approach

Best Home Remedies For Nausea During Pregnancy

There are numerous at-home remedies and treatment options for nausea during pregnancy. You can use this CRACKER approach at home to overcome nausea in pregnancy:

Consume Vitamin B6 supplements

The usage of vitamin B6 as a substitute for anti-nausea drugs is becoming more advised for pregnant women. According to several studies, vitamin B6 supplements, also known as pyridoxine, effectively lessen morning sickness during pregnancy. For this reason, many doctors advise using vitamin B6 tablets as the first line of defense against mild nausea when pregnant. Up to 200 mg of vitamin B6 per day is typically regarded as safe during pregnancy and has almost no negative effects. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to attempt this alternative therapy.

Relax your muscles

Muscle relaxation may help alleviate nausea. Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) is a method that some people have employed to attain this result. To attain both physical and mental relaxation, people must repeatedly contract and relax their muscles. The severity of nausea can be lessened with PMR, according to a recent review.

Add ginger to your diet

Ginger is a fantastic treatment for nausea brought on during pregnancy. It can be consumed in both dried form and a well as herbal tea. According to some research, it may even have the same potency as a major prescription medication used to alleviate nausea while having fewer negative effects. Ginger may work as a powerful substitute for anti-nausea drugs when taken daily. Hence you should add ginger to your daily diet to avoid nausea but remember not to use it in an excessive amount as it may alleviate acid reflux.

Consider aromatherapy

Another option that could perhaps aid with nausea relief is peppermint aromatherapy. One study examined its results in women who had just undergone a C-section for childbirth. When compared to individuals who received anti-nausea drugs, those who were exposed to the scent of peppermint reported much less nausea. In a different trial, peppermint aromatherapy successfully decreased nausea in 57% of instances. However, inhaling peppermint scent is completely safe and appears to be effective in roughly 50% of people.

Keep yourself hydrated

Dehydration may happen if you are unable to eat or drink owing to nausea. On the other hand, nausea is a sign of dehydration. If at all feasible, drink fluids all day long while you are feeling sick. If drinking plain water makes you uncomfortable, try decaf tea or water flavored with fresh fruit slices. The must is to consume six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily.

Eat a small portion of meals

Nausea can worsen if you don’t eat. Instead of three substantial meals each day, consider smaller, more frequent meals to avoid having an empty stomach. Try keeping some plain crackers, dry bread, or cereal next to your bed so you may consume a small quantity as soon as you wake up to help with morning sickness. Having small meals frequently during the day will help you relieve nausea.

Regular physical activity is a must to reduce nausea

Some people may find that doing yoga and aerobic activity helps to alleviate their nausea. Doing regular physical activity can help you relieve nausea. Hence try to engage yourself to exercise daily for at least 25-30 mins but do avoid vigorous activity.

Foods To Be Avoided That Can Worsen Nausea

Some foods can make you feel nauseous. When possible, try to avoid these. Following are the foods that should be avoided to overcome nausea during pregnancy

• Extremely sweet foods
• Foods that are too spicy
• Fried foods
• Fast foods
• Foods that are hot

Medication For Nausea During Pregnancy

To prevent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, medications mostly used are:

• Meclizine (Antivert)
• Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)
• Diphenhydramine

They have been utilized more frequently and are efficient. But remember:

DON’T DO ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN.

Conclusion

Nausea can occur in a variety of circumstances and can be extremely distressing. Without resorting to drugs, the natural remedies mentioned above can help alleviate nausea. Hence you should follow this CRACKER APPROACH  to overcome nausea during pregnancy.

Fatima Sarmad

I lead a team of professional nutritionists and dietitians. We provide our consulting services in different areas of nutrition.