Estimated to be around 80–90% pregnant women have complaints morning sickness. When experiencing morning sickness, pregnant women may experience symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and no appetite. If pregnant women are experiencing it, let's see how to overcome it morning sickness naturally in the following article.
Even though there is a wordmorning', in fact, pregnant women can feel morning sickness throughout the day. The emergence of complaints of morning sickness is thought to be caused by increased pregnancy hormones human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estrogen.
In addition to hormonal changes, pregnant women are also more at risk of experiencing morning sickness if they lack vitamin B complex and folate intake, are pregnant with twins or daughters, and have a family history of morning sickness.
Complaints of nausea and vomiting due to morning sickness usually begin before the 9th week of pregnancy and end in the second trimester. However, there are also pregnant women who experience nausea throughout their pregnancy.
How to Control Morning Sickness
Most pregnant women who experience morning sickness do not require special medical treatment. However, if pregnant women feel uncomfortable, there are several steps you can take to deal with nausea during pregnancy.
The following are various ways to overcome morning sickness naturally that pregnant women can do:
1. Eat foods rich in vitamin B complex
Taking vitamin B complex and folate is thought to prevent and relieve symptoms of morning sickness. Intake of these nutrients can be obtained by eating meat, fish, eggs, potatoes, bananas, Moringa leaves, and spinach.
Apart from food, pregnant women can also fulfill their intake of vitamin B complex and folate by taking pregnancy supplements recommended by doctors.
2. Eating ginger
Ginger is believed to relieve morning sickness, either consumed directly or brewed as ginger tea. However, pregnant women are advised to consume no more than 3 grams or 3 teaspoons of ginger a day, yes. This is to prevent pregnant women from feeling pain and burning in the pit of their heart.
However, not all pregnant women are suitable for consuming ginger. There are some pregnant women who actually feel more nauseous when consuming ginger. So, pregnant women are advised to stay away from ginger if they are sensitive to the smell of ginger or the symptoms of morning sickness actually get worse after consuming ginger.
3. Using aromatherapy
A study shows that aromatherapy is effective for relieving nausea. When feeling nauseous due to morning sickness, pregnant women can try inhaling refreshing aromatherapy, such as the aroma of lemon, lime, or peppermint.
4. Consuming acidic food or drinks
To overcome morning sickness naturally, pregnant women can consume foods or drinks that taste sour, such as lemon water, mango, strawberries, or orange or lemon flavored candy.
5. Try massage therapy
Massage therapy can help pregnant women feel more relaxed and comfortable. In addition, massage in certain body parts is also believed to relieve nausea complaints.
To deal with morning sickness naturally with massage, pregnant women can try massaging the wrists, base of the thumbs, soles of the feet, and on the back. Pregnant women can also try hand and foot reflexology, to relieve morning sickness.
6. Change your diet
Changing diet is believed to help overcome morning sickness. Pregnant women can try the following diet:
- Eat small portions but often.
- Prioritize eating foods high in carbohydrates and protein, but low in fat, such as whole wheat bread, rice, yogurt, eggs, and fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid spicy and salty foods. Pregnant women also need to avoid strong-smelling foods, such as durian, if the smell of these foods can exacerbate symptoms morning sickness what pregnant women feel.
- Consume biscuits or dry bread as soon as you wake up and eat before you are hungry. Avoid leaving your stomach on an empty stomach as it can make nausea worse.
- Limit consumption of coffee and alcoholic beverages.
- Drink plenty of water at least 8-10 glasses per day.
The methods above are effective enough to relieve the symptoms of morning sickness. However, if the nausea and vomiting that pregnant women feel is so severe that they cannot eat or drink at all, you should consult a doctor. This condition could be caused by hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).
If you experience hyperemesis gravidarum, pregnant women need to get treatment from a doctor, because severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has the risk of causing dehydration which can harm the fetus and the pregnant woman herself.
