by Brittney Steimle

Created on: September 05, 2009

There are many ways to ease the discomfort of nausea during pregnancy. Morning sickness, which can occur at anytime during the day or night, affects an estimated 50-90 percent of women during their pregnancies. There were several things that I found that assisted me in easing my nausea during pregnancy. The first thing was regularly eating small meals throughout the day. I realized I was more susceptible to a queasy tummy when it was empty. So I would nibble on saltine crackers first thing in the morning and then periodically throughout the day to assure that my stomach always had a little bit of food in it.

I also used a product called Sea-Bands. Sea-Bands are acupressure wrist bands that put continuous pressure on the medial pass on your forearms, which helps to control nausea and vomiting.

Ginger in many forms can also help prevent or ease nausea during pregnancy. Ginger tea can be made by grating ginger root and combining the gratings with boiling water. Allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes, strain the ginger, and then add honey and lemon juice to taste. Candied ginger is another option that may help. I also used ginger snaps and ginger ale.

Vitamin B6 has been shown to reduce cases of nausea from severe to moderate or even mild. When adding a supplement of B6 does not work it can be combined with Unisom, which is an over the counter sleep aid. My OB/GYN suggested that I take half of a Unisom tab and vitamin B6 in the evening before going to sleep as a way to combat nausea. This was a very successful treatment for my morning sickness. The active ingredient in Unisom is doxylamine, which was combined with vitamin B6 in the 1980's in an anti-nausea medication called Bendectin. This combination is safe for both the mother and the growing baby, but it is always recommended to consult your doctor before adding any supplement into your diet while pregnant.

Another solution to the nausea experienced during pregnancy that I found to be beneficial is eating protein. A small piece of cheese or a handful of nuts helped to ease my nausea also.

Nausea is one of the unpleasant pregnancy side effects than many women experience, but remember that it will get better over time and it is worth it when you get through it to the end result: your beautiful little one.

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