Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

Written by Danielle

If you’ve ever been pregnant, no explanation is needed here. If not, or you’re one of the lucky few who have not experienced it, morning sickness is the phenomenon an expecting mother experiences with nausea, gagging, and vomiting.

Most with morning sickness experience it in the first trimester, and it wanes by the second trimester. Many women experience it in the morning, but it can happen throughout the day. If you feel severe morning sickness all day or cannot keep food down, you may have a more serious form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum.

Eighty percent of women experience nausea during pregnancy and half experience vomiting. So, it’s a good idea to prepare to combat this one.

Why Does Morning Sickness Occur?

Most blame morning sickness on the surge of hormones present in the first trimester, which levels off in the second trimester as the baby is making their own hormones. It also can be blamed on low blood sugar, which explains its occurrence in the morning hours before breakfast. Most cases of morning sickness can be resolved by eating a small meal upon waking.

Some scientists believe that morning sickness could indicate a nutrient deficiency or possibly even be a good thing that keeps a pregnant mother away from foods that could harm her pregnancy, as other mammals do not experience it. Others believe it may be due to poor liver function (like liver congestion) and even an H. pylori infection.

6 tips to manage morning sickness:

1. Be sure to eat small, protein-rich meals throughout the day and immediately upon waking.
2. Drink at least 8 cups of filtered water per day.
3. Ensure you have enough electrolytes and magnesium.
4. Support your liver with supplements like Earthley’s Liver Love or Black Liver Oil, and eat grass-fed liver.
5. Take a quality probiotic.
6. Add natural remedies when morning sickness strikes.

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

Blackberry Leaf

Blackberry leaf’s health benefits span from diabetes to diarrhea, gout to inflammation, and mouth rinses to nausea. If your morning sickness is coupled with nausea from blood sugar issues, blackberry leaf is your go-to. Sip on blackberry leaf teas and use tinctures like Earthley’s Digest-Ease.

Raspberry Leaf

Red raspberry leaf is great for pregnancy. It tones the uterus, eases labor pains, promotes milk production, and — you guessed it — helps with nausea. You can find many good red raspberry leaf teas in natural or conventional stores. I recommend Earthley’s Pregnancy Tea (or you can make your own Basic Pregnancy Tea). As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, load up!

Ginger

Ginger has been a go-to for morning sickness since women started needing it. Buy some raw ginger and make tea, add candied ginger to meals (or just to snack on), or grab some of Earthley’s Ginger Root Capsules. Sipping ginger tea, adding it to smoothies, or finding a ginger tincture, like Mama’s Tummy Relief from Earthley, is a good idea. Ginger is a blood thinner, so remember to stop/reduce dosage at the end of pregnancy, especially if you are at risk for excessive bleeding.

Fennel

Fennel seeds have been recommended by Eastern medicine to relieve nausea for centuries. Crush some fennel seeds and add to teas and smoothies, or add whole fennel to stir-fries and salads. It’s actually super tasty and refreshing. You can also try Earthley’s Diggest Support or Feel Better Fast. Another option is to make your own Fennel-Infused Apple Cider Vinegar.

Lemon

Lemon is great for general digestion, even nausea. Some find simply sniffing lemon or other citrus essential oils can temporarily relieve a wave of nausea, gagging, or vomiting. Alternatively, you can try drinking some fresh lemon water or making a Ginger-Lemon Electrolyte Drink.

How did you solve your morning sickness?