by Vicki Niedzielska

Created on: August 25, 2008   Last Updated: August 10, 2011

The magical experience of pregnancy brings with it plenty of discomforts which are somewhat less enjoyable than the discovery that you are expecting to welcome a new child into your family.

You are suddenly no longer advised to use almost all medicines and over the counter remedies for some of the irritating conditions you find yourself dealing with. Formerly a strong believer in the power of paracetamol to cure all problems, when I found myself pregnant I was faced with a novel dilemma: How to combat the uncomfortable symptoms and make it through 9 months with body and mind reasonably intact and at the same time relinquish my usual reliance on the powers of modern medicine.

It was during pregnancy that I developed an interest in some more natural treatments available, as well as an understanding of the role of modifying diet and exercise to alleviate some of the problems I experienced.

Morning Sickness

The most common, and dreaded, symptom of early pregnancy is morning sickness. Quite why it is called morning sickness is a mystery to almost all pregnant women, as the uncontrollable nausea and vomiting can and does strike at any time of the day or night. While there are pharmaceutical treatments available for morning sickness, doctors prescribe them only as an absolute last resort. There are several natural treatments which you can try, and you should try all of them until you find which works for you, as the most helpful is likely to be specific to each person, and even each pregnancy.

The most popular remedy is ginger, preferably taken as a tea. To make the tea, simply pour boiling water over a teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger root. You can also try ginger biscuits or pretty much anything with ginger in it that is not too sweet or high in fat, as these will probably make things worse. Some women swear that eating a plain ginger biscuit in the mornings before setting foot out of bed will make a huge difference. Sadly this didn't work for me, although I did persevere and munch my way through a fair few packets before concluding that they weren't really helping!

Another purported miracle cure is Apple Cider Vinegar (no other type!) mixed into a cup of warm water and drunk in the morning. The logic behind this is that the vinegar has a neutral PH level, and thus regulates the acidity levels in the stomach which can become unbalanced. Freshly squeezed lemon in hot water works for some, and increased intake of vitamin B6 and B12 are also thought to be beneficial.

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