Since nausea has been such a persistent feature of my pregnancy so far, I've collected a lot of remedies. I thought we could start a thread with the remedies that have actually worked for us. That way we can share and find it all in one place!
By "work," I don't mean cure or magically remove all discomfort, but the things that take the edge off or give temporary relief. Of course, if you have a cure, I'm sure we'd all love to hear it!
Here are mine:
1. Acupuncture. It doesn't always last, but I'll take the 2 or 3 good days it gives me each time.
2. Sea bands. They seem to take the edge off. I used to wear them all the time except for when I was sleeping. Now I put them on when I feel the slightest wave of nausea coming on.
3. Qigong that focuses on the liver, spleen, and gallbladder. When I can bring myself to get up and do the movements, I almost always feel better. There's a really excellent series of videos and tutorials here: http://longwhitecloudqigong.com/online-courses/qigong-foundation-practices/ To focus on a specific organ, I just do more repetitions of the movement that targets its meridian. I have found that it's not helpful in the midst of a blood sugar crash (duh, what was I thinking??), but it's really good as a preventative or on a general nausea day.
4. Eating all the time. Sometimes hourly. I have to eat small meals that focus on complex carbs and protein. I have more gas and bloating this way, not to mention loose stools, but it keeps the nausea way down.
5. Recognizing nausea as a sign of hunger/low blood sugar and eating as soon as the first sign of queasiness shows up.
6. Being adequately hydrated, but never in dramatic gulps.
7. Ginger chews. My favorite brand is Reed's, except for how the paper sticks to the candy. If you think you can't handle these, try eating them in tiny bites. They are REALLY gummy and it can be too much if you're not crazy about the taste. But they are like magic once they hit your tummy.
8. There's this qigong pose that works really well for acute nausea. It's just a low squat against a wall. Put your back to the wall and let your body slide down with your feet flat on the floor until your butt is almost touching the ground (it may even touch the ground) in a deep squat. You can keep your head resting against the wall. Stay there and breathe evenly (not deeply if you can't) and relax until the wave subsides. It's amazing. The world really should know.
9. Staying completely away from refined carbs like white flour and sugar. Not using much sweetener or even overdoing fruit. It causes a blood sugar crash later.
10. Meditation. There's a really good meditation here, if you can get past the other lady's really loud voice. Be careful, because at the end of the meditation, as soon as she says, "How do you feel?" the other lady will start talking really loud and kill your relaxation.
11. Taking a slow walk outside. With a snack. Especially where you can see the color green.
12. Distractions, but don't overdo it. A little distraction, especially something that makes me feel happy or light, is really helpful. Sometimes I even dance really slowly and smoothly (no bouncing!). I love talking to my pet turtle. Little distractions like that help a lot.
13. Rest. Along the lines of not overdoing it, sometimes distraction and activity help, but sometimes they're exhausting. I've slept on the floor of my office before and have been so glad I did it.
14. British television, solitaire, Yahtzee. They are the perfect amount of distraction without being all in your face about it.
15. I almost forgot B6! I take 20-25mg each day. It takes the edge off big time.
Now I want to hear yours!!
By "work," I don't mean cure or magically remove all discomfort, but the things that take the edge off or give temporary relief. Of course, if you have a cure, I'm sure we'd all love to hear it!
Here are mine:
1. Acupuncture. It doesn't always last, but I'll take the 2 or 3 good days it gives me each time.
2. Sea bands. They seem to take the edge off. I used to wear them all the time except for when I was sleeping. Now I put them on when I feel the slightest wave of nausea coming on.
3. Qigong that focuses on the liver, spleen, and gallbladder. When I can bring myself to get up and do the movements, I almost always feel better. There's a really excellent series of videos and tutorials here: http://longwhitecloudqigong.com/online-courses/qigong-foundation-practices/ To focus on a specific organ, I just do more repetitions of the movement that targets its meridian. I have found that it's not helpful in the midst of a blood sugar crash (duh, what was I thinking??), but it's really good as a preventative or on a general nausea day.
4. Eating all the time. Sometimes hourly. I have to eat small meals that focus on complex carbs and protein. I have more gas and bloating this way, not to mention loose stools, but it keeps the nausea way down.
5. Recognizing nausea as a sign of hunger/low blood sugar and eating as soon as the first sign of queasiness shows up.
6. Being adequately hydrated, but never in dramatic gulps.
7. Ginger chews. My favorite brand is Reed's, except for how the paper sticks to the candy. If you think you can't handle these, try eating them in tiny bites. They are REALLY gummy and it can be too much if you're not crazy about the taste. But they are like magic once they hit your tummy.
8. There's this qigong pose that works really well for acute nausea. It's just a low squat against a wall. Put your back to the wall and let your body slide down with your feet flat on the floor until your butt is almost touching the ground (it may even touch the ground) in a deep squat. You can keep your head resting against the wall. Stay there and breathe evenly (not deeply if you can't) and relax until the wave subsides. It's amazing. The world really should know.
9. Staying completely away from refined carbs like white flour and sugar. Not using much sweetener or even overdoing fruit. It causes a blood sugar crash later.
10. Meditation. There's a really good meditation here, if you can get past the other lady's really loud voice. Be careful, because at the end of the meditation, as soon as she says, "How do you feel?" the other lady will start talking really loud and kill your relaxation.
11. Taking a slow walk outside. With a snack. Especially where you can see the color green.
12. Distractions, but don't overdo it. A little distraction, especially something that makes me feel happy or light, is really helpful. Sometimes I even dance really slowly and smoothly (no bouncing!). I love talking to my pet turtle. Little distractions like that help a lot.
13. Rest. Along the lines of not overdoing it, sometimes distraction and activity help, but sometimes they're exhausting. I've slept on the floor of my office before and have been so glad I did it.
14. British television, solitaire, Yahtzee. They are the perfect amount of distraction without being all in your face about it.
15. I almost forgot B6! I take 20-25mg each day. It takes the edge off big time.
Now I want to hear yours!!
