Remedies to help relieve pregnancy symptoms
Being pregnant is a wonderful experience but it also has its set of minor discomforts. If you’re dealing with specific pregnancy symptoms, here are our suggested remedies.
(Note: This does not, however, serve as medical advice. Always consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding your pregnancy.)
Morning sickness:
- Drink ginger tea, peppermint tea or ginger beer.
- Eat dry toast, dry biscuits or ginger biscuits.
- Eat small but several meals spaced out during the day. It is best to not leave your stomach empty.
- Suck on energy sweets or peppermints.
- Take small sips of cold water throughout the day. It is important to keep yourself hydrated.
- Consume cold food or food at room temperature instead of hot food.
- Take Vitamin B6 supplements.
- Reduce the intake of spicy/rich/fatty foods.
- Try using aromatherapy to ease your nausea — oils such as ginger, grapefruit or peppermint, added to an oil burner, are a good choice. Take note though, that you should always consult a qualified aromatherapist before using any aromatherapy oils while you’re pregnant.
Bloating:
- Identify the type of food that bothers you and temporarily reduce their intake.
- Focus on your breathing, especially if you are prone to hyperventilating. People who are prone to hyperventilating tend to swallow more air when they’re excited or anxious.
- Eat slowly and take your time to chew.
- Avoid talking while you are eating.
- Avoid carbonated drinks.
- Drink from a cup or glass, not from a bottle or through a straw.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
- Sit up straight when you’re eating or drinking, even if you’re just having a small snack.
- Exercise. Try taking a brisk walk after meals to help your sluggish digestive tract.
Heartburn:
- Sleep with your head and shoulders propped up with a wedge pillow. This will allow gravity to work for you and it will help keep your stomach acids in your stomach.
- Don’t eat large meals or meals that are laden with fat. They take longer to digest and will stay in your stomach longer, possibly aggravating heartburn.
- Eat more often, especially if you are eating smaller meals.
- Don’t drink while eating. Drinking fluids during a meal will add to the volume in the stomach, which can add to your problems with heartburn.
- Don’t eat anything for at least 3 hours before going to bed.
Stretch marks:
- Drink lots of water. Hydration is important for your overall health and well-being as well as that of your growing baby, and it is critical to healthy skin.
- Eat zinc-rich food such as nuts or fish.
- Eat protein-rich food such as eggs or bean curd.
- Take your vitamins. This is one more way to ensure a proper nutritional state, which is critical for your overall health and well-being, as well as a healthy baby and beautiful skin.
- Massage the areas where you have stretch marks — or want to prevent stretch marks from appearing — with a body brush or washcloth. This will help increase circulation to the area.
- Developing stretch marks on your breasts while you’re pregnant is a common occurrence, so be sure to wear a supportive maternity bra to give additional support to your breasts.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below.
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