Morning Sickness: Prevention & Treatments

[hi_itsgwen]

I'll add this link to the discussion:
http://www.karenhurd.com/concern_morning_sickness.html

Another possible explanation for morning sickness is that the liver is dealing with large amounts of hormones that your body is producing to support the pregnancy through the first 12 or so weeks as the placenta matures.  The liver filters out oil based 'toxins' and waste, and hormones are oil based.  So lots more bile is being produced and must be moved thorugh the intestines.  This bile build up can cause indigestion, especially if there is constipation and the bile wastes are re-absorbed and recycled through again.

She suggests soluable protiens as a means of clearing out the excess bile.  Beans are an excellent source, and the one she recommends.  If you get tired of beans, applesauce also worked well for me.

[peetred]

I don't know if this has been said, but I just wanted to add that things such as crackers and juice WILL NOT keep your blood sugar stable for very long, if at all. I have hypoglycemia, so I know that you need to eat protein and foods that provide natural long term energy to keep your blood sugars stable. It's better to eat high power, high protein foods in small amounts throughout the day... Almonds, cold grilled chicken, yogurt, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc.

Also, I have also heard that natural progesterone cream is very helpful for some women. I am currently applying a small amount 3 times a day.

And the benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf tea or capsules is amazing, why not take it? I take it throughout pregnancy. It's supposed to help with morning sickness AND it will help your uterus contract and heal after labor. I bled for 12 weeks postpartum with my first son.. with my second I took RRL in the last trimester and only bled for a few weeks postpartum.

[beppyjo]

For those of you that used progesterone cream for morning sickness, did you find that it was a quick fix or that it has more of a cumulitive effect- gradually easing your symptoms?  I started on 40mg last week and am graduallly improving. My ND said to take it once daily but by the time I was getting within a few hrs of the 24 hr mark I would get really sick again. I have since divided the dose and take 20mg twice daily with better results. I guess I'm just wondering if I can hope for continued improvement?  TIA!

[YoopreMama]

I'll add this link to the discussion:
http://www.karenhurd.com/concern_morning_sickness.html

Another possible explanation for morning sickness is that the liver is dealing with large amounts of hormones that your body is producing to support the pregnancy through the first 12 or so weeks as the placenta matures.  The liver filters out oil based 'toxins' and waste, and hormones are oil based.  So lots more bile is being produced and must be moved thorugh the intestines.  This bile build up can cause indigestion, especially if there is constipation and the bile wastes are re-absorbed and recycled through again.

She suggests soluable protiens as a means of clearing out the excess bile.  Beans are an excellent source, and the one she recommends.  If you get tired of beans, applesauce also worked well for me.

This SO works.  Lentils are fast and yummy.

Lemon water in the AM helps, too.

[herbs girl]

I'll add this link to the discussion:
http://www.karenhurd.com/concern_morning_sickness.html

Another possible explanation for morning sickness is that the liver is dealing with large amounts of hormones that your body is producing to support the pregnancy through the first 12 or so weeks as the placenta matures.  The liver filters out oil based 'toxins' and waste, and hormones are oil based.  So lots more bile is being produced and must be moved thorugh the intestines.  This bile build up can cause indigestion, especially if there is constipation and the bile wastes are re-absorbed and recycled through again.

She suggests soluable protiens as a means of clearing out the excess bile.  Beans are an excellent source, and the one she recommends.  If you get tired of beans, applesauce also worked well for me.

This SO works.  Lentils are fast and yummy.

Lemon water in the AM helps, too.

Thanks for sharing! I always thought I would try this and eat tons of beans during the first 3 months if I ever have another baby!

[YoopreMama]

It works whenever one is feeling icky/sluggish/whatever and you want to move things on o.u.t.

[Roehrmomma]

It works whenever one is feeling icky/sluggish/whatever and you want to move things on o.u.t.

AMEN! It was my help after being woozy for weeks!
~Em

[healthyinOhio]

That really makes perfect sense why I had such horrible morning sickness with my first, but eating at Taco Bell made me feel better. Bean burritos!

[Roehrmomma]

At least fast food has some benefits   Sounds yummy right now HIO!
~Em

[prolifeguyswife]

I am SO miserable and need relief! I know the last past on this thread was from 2010, and I even posted with my third pregnancy in 2009, but now I have much worse, all-day-sickness, than I've ever had, and I'm 10 weeks pregnant with #4.

I just re-read the entire thread, and I'm trying ACV in water (I choked down a few ounces), peppermint tea, RRL tea, and I've ordered Tummy TuneUp - I'd totally forgotten about that one.

I don't know what beet kvass is, but I'm willing to try it! Is it something you buy or make at home?

I also am wondering if any new remedies have come up in the past year for anyone else. Thanks!

[RB]

I know what it's like to be pregnant and sick!     I love researching health and nutrition, and as I'm learning I'm finding out how our wheat has changed over the years.  It is causing people a lot of issues in many different ways, and you can't even trust the tests that are done to test for gluten sensitivity.   I would suggest for you to try going wheat or grain free, and see if that helps you.   A good book I recommend to read: Wheat Belly, William Davis, MD

I'm currently eating a GAPS/Paleo diet, and  of course I'm  hoping if I have another baby that me eating this way will help prevent me from getting so sick again. 



Best wishes,
  RB

[DHW]

Here is what Dr. Jonathan V. Wright recommends:

500-milligrams of vitamin C, taken at the same time as 10-15 milligrams of vitamin K1, once daily until symptoms improve
or
125 milligrams of ginger extract in capsule form four times a day.

[prolifeguyswife]

Well thank you! I didn't know about Vitamin C. If I can get it down and keep it down, I'll try it!

I was eating very, very healthy before I got pregnant, because I was just one month out from the Master Cleanse and still doing very little sugar, mostly veggies and a little organic meat. But once I got pregnant and so sick, I wasn't able to eat very much, and when I DO eat it's mostly carbs because that's all I can keep down. But I would like to try a G-Free diet once I can keep food down like a normal person. 

[RB]

I know it's hard when all you can keep down are certain foods, but those  foods may be causing you to feel worse.  If bone broth sounds good to you, maybe you could try sipping it throughout the day, as bone broth is so healing to the digestive system.  Hope you start feeling better soon! 

Blessings,
 Rhoda

[prolifeguyswife]

I tried the broth for several days, and it didn't help. Tummy Tune Up has not helped at all. I tried beans for almost a week and it didn't help.  I guess I have a stubborn case of morning sickness. It actually seems like it's getting worse instead of better at 11 1/2 weeks!

[herbs girl]

Have you tried bentonite clay?  1 tsp in water morning and evening is reported to take morning sickness down significantly.

-Beeyoutiful chlorophyll in water

-Stomach Aid from Mountain Meadow herbs

[Sewbusy]

"Another possible explanation for morning sickness is that the liver is dealing with large amounts of hormones that your body is producing to support the pregnancy through the first 12 or so weeks as the placenta matures.  The liver filters out oil based 'toxins' and waste, and hormones are oil based.  So lots more bile is being produced and must be moved thorugh the intestines.  This bile build up can cause indigestion, especially if there is constipation and the bile wastes are re-absorbed and recycled through again."

This makes so much sense!!! I have terrible morning sickness! 

I have found one thing that has brought A LOT of relief. I have problems with too much acid, serious gut problems, leaky gut, ulcers. Have done some healing for it but ultimately I need a gaps diet. SO in the mean time I need to survive this pregnancy. I knew baking soda would work if I could get it down. Tried drinking it with water and it came back up the moment it went down. Then DUH! I have a capsule maker. So I made baking soda capsules. I take 2 after each meal. I'm a little concerned about the amount of sodium so i am drinking lots of water. But Like I said, right now it's a matter of survival. I have been doing much better and have been able to get up little bits at a time.  I feel like a human again. Just thought I'd share in case it would help someone else.

[prolifeguyswife]

I wish I could do capsules! I'm 16 weeks tomorrow and my morning sickness is still awful all day. Im trying milk thistle because I was finally able to swallow a pill again. It's strange but it feels like my sickness got worse in the second trimester.

Sew busy, has the baking soda continued to work for you?

[Sewbusy]

Yes the baking soda is still working for me. I have been able to get up and do some stuff and haven't been fighting the urge to puke constantly. I AM SO THANKFUL!!!   I also found something in the natural med section at my grocery store called Nauzene. This helps as well. Tried sea bands. Didn't work. I eat constantly and am no doubt going to gain too much but it does help some with the nausea. I can't eat much meat as it makes me sick. I REALLY need to protein but just can't seem to handle it. SO I eat a lot of eggs. Chicken goes down better than beef and even though I love spaghetti and pizza my tummy gets made at me if I eat them! I think I'm allergic to pregnancy. Each time I hope I won't have morning sickness but #7 and still dealing with it. And I've done TONS of research. OH one other thing that might help is aloe vera. I was doing much better when I was taking it. Ran out. Hope to order some from Beeyoutiful this week.

[prolifeguyswife]

Sewbusy,  I was thinking about this, and it makes sense, because some online blogs claim that Zantac can offer relief. And my all day nausea has changed to a sour-stomach nausea, which could be due to too much acid.

However, when you do an alkalizing drink with baking soda, there are warnings that you have to make sure that the baking soda is completely dissolved in water so that it doesn't hurt your stomach lining. So if you are taking it in capsule form, wouldn't the concentrated baking soda cause damage to your stomach?

I wonder if a baking soda drink or lemon water would do the same thing?

[Sewbusy]

My stomach lining is already a mess. Right now my goal is to simply make it through this pregnancy. However, I do take it with a full glass of water (16oz or more). I drink not less than a gallon of water a day so I think it has plenty of water once capsule dissolves. I FEEL it working. And like I said, I have to get through this last pregnancy while taking care of 5 kids. I will be dealing with the stomach issues after baby is here. Lemon water is great because it helps clear toxins from the liver which often causes morning sickness so if you can stomach that then its a very good thing to do. Also taking LOTS of probiotics and aloe is helping some. I want to get Gut Guardian Supreme and see how much that helps. Have enough pills to take already so if I can get a whole lot more punch in one pill I will

[prolifeguyswife]

Just wanted to check in...almost 19 weeks and still so sick I can't get out of bed or take care of my family. Starting to feel like the nausea is less in my stomach and more stretching up my esophagus into my throat...like a sour stomach and sour throat combo. I have nausea when I wake up in the morning, and then it feels like I'm OK while I'm eating (although I have no appetite and I don't really like food right now), and OK for about half an hour after I eat, then I get hit pretty hard.

I am pretty sure I have tried every remedy on this thread. If anyone has something new, I'm game to try it out!

[boysmama]

Just going to list some remedies I know off hand in case there is one you have not tried. I'm sorry it's been so hard.

dandelion-tincture, tea, or capsules 3x a day at least, double the dose on the label
milk thistle or silymarin extract
beans, apples, pears or other sources of soluble fiber small serving 4-5x a day
beet root powder and Ltaurine
probiotics
digestive enzymes
B vitamins (completely food sourced/ferment product, some people are actually sickened by Supermoms and otherwise great vitamins)
Methyl B12
ginger
peppermint
seltzer or carbonated water
lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, kombucha throughout the day
peach leaf tea
frequent light meals
sufficient protein
homeopathic phosphorous drops or pellets

[mykidsmom]

Just wanted to check in...almost 19 weeks and still so sick I can't get out of bed or take care of my family. Starting to feel like the nausea is less in my stomach and more stretching up my esophagus into my throat...like a sour stomach and sour throat combo. I have nausea when I wake up in the morning, and then it feels like I'm OK while I'm eating (although I have no appetite and I don't really like food right now), and OK for about half an hour after I eat, then I get hit pretty hard.

I am pretty sure I have tried every remedy on this thread. If anyone has something new, I'm game to try it out!

I would really recommend you find an experienced homeopath that can help you find a homeopathic remedy.  I have several friends that have had morning sickness like yours this past year that have use h-pathic remedies very successfully. 

patti

[prolifeguyswife]

Thank you SO MUCH for replying. I can't find a naturopath or anyone to recommend homeopathics to me, so from my own research I've been taking sepia and nux vomicus. I think they may be helping a little.

Boysmama, I've tried almost everything on your list except for beet root powder and Ltaurine, dandelion-tincture, and peach tea, so DH is going to go buy some for me. I'm glad to have something new to try, thanks!

[boysmama]

That would be peach LEAF tea, not just the peach tea sold in the grocery store.

[Sewbusy]

Patti is right about the n-path. I went to one during one pregnancy and the stuff she gave me was like a miracle cure. I'm out and I can afford to go to her again. BUT she knew what she was talking about and was very helpful.

[prolifeguyswife]

I just wanted to update....I'm 29 weeks and still sick! I'm not vomiting nearly as much, but because I lost more than 5% of my pre-pregnancy weight I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidum, which explains why none of the natural remedies here worked.

I'm still struggling every day, and spend most of my time in bed because the nausea becomes unbearable if I am up and about too much. DH decided this is our last one for sure. 

The things that have helped me the most have been protein shakes when I can't keep any solids down, homeopathics (sepia and nux vomica), milk thistle, probiotics (tummy tune up with every meal), wild yam supplements, acupuncture, and b vitamins. Those did not cure it by any means, but sometimes take the edge off so it's not so bad.

I just want to warn the mamas looking for morning sickness relief - if you are so sick that you can't get out of bed or leave the house for weeks, or so sick that you lose more than 5% of your body weight, I think it's very important to seek a doctor's attention. An unfortunate side effect is that after months of severe illness it is very easy to become really depressed. I'm doing so much better now, but from about 12-24 weeks I was in a really bad place, physically and emotionally, and I think if I had gone to see a doctor sooner I would have been in a much better place.

I did end up with weekly or bi-weekly IVs, and in two very severe situations where I wasn't able to stop vomitting I got medication (phenergan), which helped (I did try Zofran once and it didn't help at all). So I think that for me, just twice, medicine had it's place.

Fortunately now I'm able to eat (not much, and I really hate food, but I can do it), and I'm about 8 pounds above my pre-preggo weight. Baby seems to be growing very well.