One of the most common pregnancy complaints is morning sickness. Or as most pregnant people would say...any-time-of-day sickness...as the symptoms of nausea can come up any time of day.
Fortunately this unpleasant experience resolves for most women (around 60%) by the end if their first trimester (13 weeks). For others, it may take a little bit longer.
Here are some strategies that you can use to help you manage nausea in pregnancy and a tasty homemade beverage that can help.
First is to identify the triggers that make nausea worst for YOU. Here are some common ones to consider:
- Is there a certain time of day when it's worse (morning, before dinner, before bed)?
- When you get too hungry or overeat?
- Strong odours?
- Getting out of bed too quickly?
- Feeling overtired?
- Eating too fast or eating imbalanced meals?
Second then is to find strategies that can help improved nausea for you. This again, is highly individual and takes some trial and error.
Here are some ideas to try that work for some women:
- Keep a snack at your bedside to nibble on before you get out of bed (like salted cashews or pumpkin seeds).
- Try salty, sour or cold foods.
- Ensure you have fat and protein with each meal.
- Eating small and frequent meals so you don't get overly hungry.
- Avoid drinking too much when you eat a meal.
- Consider supplementing with ginger, vitamin B6 and/or magnesium - all of which have been shown to reduce nausea in pregnancy.
There is an unfortunate lack of quality research on the use of herbs in pregnancy - which is why you'll see caution warning on most products. Ginger however, is one that HAS been extensively studied, used for centuries to reduce nausea and is considered safe and effective to use in pregnancy.
Here is how you can use ginger. You can try ginger tea, crystallized ginger (dried and sweetened), use a ginger supplement or try making your own ginger juice to create homemade tonics or teas.
How to make ginger juice.
I learned how to make ginger juice from Dr. Aviva Romm and have been making it in batches ever since! I find it really refreshing, delicious, ginger helps settle my gut and it physically feels warm inside my body, like it's working it's herbal magic.
You can use ginger juice in pregnancy and in your postpartum daily to reduce aches and pains, for immune support and to support your digestion.
To make ginger juice you can do it three different ways.
With a juicer.
Run raw ginger through your juicer.
Use 1-2 teaspoons of this in a glass of cool water or mug of hot water.
With a grater or microplane.
Grate ginger. Using cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer, you can squeeze and/or wring out the juice into a mason jar.
Use 1-2 teaspoons of this in a glass of cool water or mug of hot water.
With a blender.
In a high speed blender, put chunks of ginger and water. Use the ratio of approximately 3/4 of a cup of water to a palm size amount of ginger.
Blend until you see a mash or slurry of ginger.
Pour the mash into a fine mesh strainer and press to release the liquid using a spoon. Catch the juice in a small mason jar. Repeat until it's all strained.
Use 1-2 tablespoons of this more diluted juice in a glass of cool water or mug of hot water.
Store ginger juice in your fridge for up to five days or freeze in individual serving size portions for longer storage using an ice cube tray.
Simple Homemade Ginger Tonic Recipe
Recently I had a newly pregnant (and nauseous!) momma staying in my home.
During her visit, I was able to perfect my recipe for a homemade anti-nausea tonic to suit her sensitive taste buds. She gave it a thumbs up and we enjoyed it every day.
Experiment to suit your taste buds and preferences.
Ingredients:
1-2 teaspoons or tablespoons ginger juice (depending which juicing method you used above)
1 squeeze of lemon
1 teaspoon of raw local honey or maple syrup (optional)
Sparkling water
Ice cubes
Instructions:
Add above ingredients to a glass, stir and enjoy!