Are you one of the many mothers-to-be who is suffering with morning sickness? If so, you are not alone. In fact, statistics show that the majority of mothers have at least some symptom of mild nausea all the way to severe nausea and vomiting, known as hyperemesis. Here are some of the latest treatments to help reduce morning sickness symptoms.
Dietary Supplements or Adding Foods to Your Diet for Morning Sickness
Some mothers-to-be have found that adding lemons to their diet can help curb nausea. You might look for recipes for home-made lemonade to sip during the day.
Vitamin B6 has been shown to reduce symptoms of morning symptoms so try adding foods such as fortified cereal, potatoes including skin, bananas, roasted chicken/turkey breast, salmon, bell peppers, turnip greens and spinach. Interesting that vitamin B6 is also used to treat PMS symptoms so it clearly has a wealth of uses in reproductive health. Be sure to talk with your care provider if you are interested in adding a vitamin B6 supplement to your diet for safe dosages.
Acupuncture/Acupressure to Treat Morning Sickness
Researchers have found that when the specific acupuncture point PC6 (located under your wrist) is stimulated, there was a reduction in the symptoms of hyperemesis or severe nausea and vomiting. The stimulation of this point can also be done using acupressure and electronic stimulation using a motion sickness band. One of the most effective brands for stimulation of this acupressure/acupuncture point is known as the Relief Band.
Medication to Manage Morning Sickness
Some care providers may prescribe various types of medications to counteract the symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Two of the most common medications used are Zofran and Reglan. Though both of these medications are effective, experts are cautious about their safety for use on pregnant women.
Zofran is used commonly to treat the symptoms of nausea associated with chemotherapy, however there are few studies on the effect of Zofran during pregnancy and no studies on humans. Another downside is that it is very expensive. One tablet of Zofran costs about $20.
Reglan is becoming more popular as a treatment for morning sickness and new research indicates that it is both effective and safe. Over 3,500 mothers took Reglan for a short time and there was no significant increase in the number of birth defects, preterm labor, low birthweight or fetal death. Although experts caution that taking Reglan for long periods of time can increase complications. One serious side effect of taking this medication for longer than 12 weeks is developing uncontrollable movements of the face, limbs or tongue that do not go away even after the person has stopped taking the medication.
For most mothers, morning sickness is temporary (lasting not much longer than the first trimester) and manageable if they use some of these effective methods.
Brenda Lane - Brenda Lane is a published author, Lamaze certified childbirth educator, DONA certified birth doula and approved birth doula trainer.
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