Morning sickness remedies that REALLY work

Are there any morning sickness remedies that work?

Nausea can affect up to 80 per cent of pregnant women and about half of these mamas-to-be will then actually vomit or retch. For some women these can last the first 12 weeks or sometimes beyond and even into the last trimester.

These remedies are ones  that lots of women have found helpful, even if the science isn’t there to support it!

Acupressure

This one is a popular morning sickness remedy. The acupressure point of interest here is located on the inside of the wrist about three finger widths (a woman’s own finger widths to be exact) above the wrist crease, between the tendons.

Studies in support of acupressure for morning sickness are a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. Some women reported that they did feel better, others found it didn’t help. Bottom line – no side effects and it certainly can’t hurt!

Ginger

For women who like ginger anyway, this is a terrifically popular remedy for morning sickness. Studies showed results that are a little more positive than for many other complementary therapies.

However, before we get too excited, the studies tend to be small and really poorly conducted, and no standardised formula of ginger is used. So, drawing any kind of conclusion can be difficult. But try Ginger Tea or a ginger biscuit - many pregnant women with morning sickness swear by it.

Vitamin B6

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, seems to be the go-to vitamin to relieve morning sickness. There are 
two studies comparing vitamin B6 to a placebo for morning sickness, and the results look good for the nausea – but not for tackling vomiting.

The studies were small and not robust enough to be conclusive, but at the same time, B6 is considered to be safe and lots of patients swear by its success rate.

Medications

Antihistamines are the oldest drugs used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. Check with your GP or care provider before you take any medication to ease  morning sickness.

Feeling constantly nauseous, even without actually throwing up, is miserable and you can end up malnourished 
if all you can keep down are dry crackers and flat lemonade.