Expert Tips for Fighting Morning Sickness the Natural Way
We’ve seen the photos that make having a baby seem like it’s all pregnancy glow, glossy hair and an adorable baby bump, but when morning sickness comes around… Let’s just say there’s a lot less glowing happening. While doctors still haven’t found a magic cure-all, there are some things you can do to calm your nausea. We chatted with New York-based certified holistic health counselor and mom-to-be Brenna Ortner for her advice for combating morning sickness au naturale.
A handful of almonds isn’t just good for a quick, healthy snack. The protein found in the nuts also helps keep your blood sugar stable, according to Brenna. She recommends keeping a stash in your nightstand to eat right before falling asleep and first thing in the morning. “You’ll notice when your stomach is the emptiest, the nausea is the strongest,” Brenna says. “Protein helps fill the stomach for a longer period of time.”
On the flip side, foods that are high in sugar, highly processed or refined may make you feel worse. If you’re not feeling the plain ol’ dry roasted almonds, check out Brenna’s recipe for almond butter balls. Yum!
Say Hello to Your New BFFs
Popular among people with motion sickness, sea bands are also effective at relieving morning sickness because they press on the acupressure points in your wrists. “You may think these aren’t working until you take them off,” shares Brenna. “I don’t think I even washed them for an entire month because I couldn’t stand to be without them for even an hour!”
Likewise, Emotional Freedom Technique (otherwise known as EFT or tapping), can help out queasy stomach. EFT is like acupuncture, but without the needles. “This is a technique that combines pressing on acupressure points and modern psychology. The emotional side of just accepting morning sickness and letting it go was huge for me,” she says. “Tapping has also been proven to lower cortisol (the stress response), so instead of our mother hormone pregnenolone being used to pump out cortisol, it is freed up to balance out the hormones that are making us feel sick.”
Check Your Prenatal Vitamins
Brenna tells us that your daily vitamins might actually be making your morning sickness worse. “A few weeks into my pregnancy, I noticed that my prenatal vitamin was making me even sicker because it needed to be taken with food, and I wasn’t able to get much food down,” says Brenna. Brenna suggests Baby & Me Trimester I & II prenatal vitamins, which are designed specifically for the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
Above all else, Brenna says you shouldn’t forget to cut yourself some slack. “Be easy on yourself for only eating bagels and cream cheese and oranges for a week,” says Brenna. “The baby is just fine. This time will pass. Allow yourself to eat whatever makes you feel better without trying to be perfect.”
What are your tried and true remedies for curing morning sickness? Let us know in the comments!
