5 At-Home Remedies for the Most Common Pregnancy Symptoms

1. Morning Sickness

When just getting out of bed in the morning makes you feel nauseous, you probably have morning sickness. There isn’t one cause of morning sickness, and the severity of the nausea will vary from woman to woman.

You may experience morning sickness early on in pregnancy due to the increased hormones in your body or low blood sugar. You might also make morning sickness worse if you are over tired, experiencing emotional stress, or are pregnant with multiples!

Morning sickness could feel like a sick stomach, acid reflux, or cause you to vomit. Thankfully, morning sickness tends to ease up at the start of the second trimester. Still, there are a few ways you can make your symptoms ease up:

•  Saltine crackers.
• Drink more water.
• Ginger or peppermint candies.
• Aromatherapy.
• We can help! Van Every Family Chiropractic’s providers are skilled in prenatal and maternal care and often help ease common pregnancy symptoms like indigestion, nausea, and constipation.

2. Heartburn

You know that burning feeling in your chest like you’re breathing in fire? That’s heartburn. It’s a form of indigestion that results in an unpleasant burning sensation in your chest.

Your new pregnancy hormones help relax everything in your body – from joints and ligaments to muscles and internal organs. Right now, these hormones are relaxing the valve between your esophagus and your stomach, which allows stomach acid to leak into your esophagus.

When you’re not pregnant, heartburn typically happens after eating, while laying down, or when you bend over. When you do become pregnant, this discomfort can come at any time.

The best help for heartburn during your first trimester will come from your diet:

•  Eat smaller meals, more frequently.
• Avoid citrusy foods, like oranges.
• Avoid spicy foods, like wasabi or chili peppers.
• Avoid fried foods (anything breaded and cooked in oil).
• Tums® (check with your doctor before you try this method).
• We can help! Talk to us about how chiropractic adjustments can lessen your troubles with indigestion and heartburn.

3. Food Aversions

Let us know if this has happened to you yet.

You’re in the kitchen preparing one of your favorite breakfasts: scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. As the bacon sizzles and the eggs cook, you imagine how you’ll feel eating your meal.

You think back to all of those wonderful times you’ve enjoyed this breakfast. How the egg texture feels when it’s cooked just right, how the bacon tastes, and how you use your toast to make a sandwich.

Suddenly, you’re overcome with disgust. The smell isn’t right, the texture of these foods feels gross, and you’d rather never see eggs and bacon again.

What went wrong?!

Foods that you normally enjoy just don’t sound appealing anymore, right? In fact, some of your favorite foods may downright gross you out now.

Your pregnancy hormones make your body go through a lot of changes. Certain tastes, smells, and textures will be different for you for the rest of your pregnancy. Don’t worry, if you suddenly don’t like eggs, you’ll be able to eat them again once your symptoms ease up.

Sadly, it could take until the end of your pregnancy to enjoy these foods again. This is only temporary. Until then, try to find things you can eat:

• Try new restaurants, and order things you know you can handle
• Make something new for dinner
• Ask your family or friends what their favorite dishes are, and try them
• We can help! Make an appointment with us today or give us a call to talk about how chiropractic care can ease side effects caused by hormonal changes.

4. Constipation

Everyone poops, so there’s no need to be shy talking about this next unfortunate pregnancy symptom. If you’re having trouble going, you could be constipated.

You’ll know if you’re constipated if you can relate with one of the following:

• Your stools are lumpy or hard
• You’re straining to have a bowel movement
• It’s difficult to completely pass all of your stools
• Feeling like there is a blockage that’s preventing you from passing stools

The progesterone your body is producing now relaxes the organs, muscles, and ligaments around your pelvis – including your bowels. If constipation becomes too great, you may even develop hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins in the rectum.

There are a few natural treatments you can do to help soften your stools and reduce hemorrhoids:

• Eat more fiber
• Drink more water
• Use wet towelettes with Witch Hazel in the bathroom
• We can help! Our chiropractors specialize in prenatal and maternal care.

5. Headaches

Ladies, no matter how much you may want to blame that persistent pain in between your eyes on your partner, it’s most likely not their fault. (Kidding!)

Dull or aching head pain is quite common during pregnancy. The severity of headaches vary. Symptoms could range from a persistent pain in the head that’s manageable, to feelings of vertigo, feelings of “tightness” in the head, nausea, and even vomiting.

As with any symptoms, these headaches are most likely caused by your pregnancy hormones. You may have more sensitivity to light, noises, smells, and certain foods. Two big factors in headaches during pregnancy are your blood sugar levels, and how much rest you’re getting. To help ease the pain, try a couple of these methods:

• Drink more water
• Take naps when you can
• Practice relaxation methods like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing
• Get a massage
• We can help! Give us a call; we can create a customized care plan together to help you with your symptoms for the rest of your pregnancy.