Many of my patients ask about which medications are safe for morning sickness during pregnancy. Though many over the counter nausea relief treatments could be dangerous for a developing baby, there are a few that are both safe and effective. After recommending these to women who are fed up with nausea every morning and even throughout the day, I often suggest a much more natural remedy. Studies show that ginger is an extremely effective nausea suppressant and stomach neutralizer.
We all remember sipping ginger ale when we were home sick with a stomach virus as kids. That’s because even the small amount of ginger in the sugary soda is enough to help calm the stomach down and reduce that queasy feeling. If your nausea is interfering with your regular schedule, try getting approximately 1,000mg every day. It doesn’t matter how you get it, so find whichever method works best for you. Ginger soda, ginger capsules, ginger tea, and ginger oil are all great ways to extract the benefits of the root during your pregnancy.
If you’ve tried adding ginger to your diet and you still struggle with regular vomiting, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider about it as soon as possible. Even if you’re dealing with it just fine, frequent vomiting can have serious side effects. It could cause dehydration, a decay of the enamel on your teeth, and a wearing away of the lining in your esophagus. All of these problems, when prevalent during pregnancy, could negatively affect the rest of your and your baby’s life.
While it seems impossible for a root as common as ginger to have a positive effect, try increasing your intake before resorting to over the counter nausea relief. Even medications that have been approved for pregnancy by doctors are not always fully understood, so it’s best to avoid them when possible. However, ginger is completely natural, so it should be the first choice for any woman looking to keep her pregnancy as natural as possible. As long as you don’t go overboard with sugary sodas or ginger snacks, there is no harm in trying this natural remedy for your morning sickness.
– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.