Many women, especially first-time mothers, experience nausea and vomiting in the second and third month of pregnancy, and not just in the mornings; symptoms usually wear off by 14-16 weeks, although a few women go on to develop 'hyperemesis', severe vomiting which causes fluid and chemical imbalances and may require hospital treatment.
As a first resort, try the self-help measures below; if these do not help, try one of the homeopathic remedies given below or see your homeopath. If you are vomiting most of your meals, see your medical doctor; anti-vomiting drugs are available, but there is increasing reluctance to prescribe them.
Specific remedies to be taken 2-hourly for up to 3 days
- Nausea worse in morning, vomiting small amounts of food with mucus in them Nux 30c
- Non-stop nausea, everything vomited up, liquids and solids Ipecac. 30c
- Nausea in evening, wearing off at night Pulsatilla 30c
- Nausea a few hours after eating, suddenly vomiting everything Ferrum 30c
- Vomit full of milky mucus, especially if temperament is melancholy, irritable, and weepy Sepia 30c
- Breasts hard and swollen Conium 30c
- Heartburn, keeping nausea at bay by constant eating, getting up at night to eat, aversion to meat and fat, cabbage aggravates symptoms Petroleum 30c
- Diarrhoea, burning sensation in abdomen, feeling restless and exhausted Arsenicum 30c
- Aversion to bread, fat and slippery foods, craving for salt, feeling very thirsty Natrum mur. 30c
- If none of the above remedies seem appropriate Sulphur 30c
Self-help: Eat small, frequent meals, avoiding greasy foods, and get plenty of rest. If you feel sick in the mornings, a dry biscuit before you get up might help. Using fresh ginger in cooking can also help. An acupressure device called a Seaband, worn around the wrist may also be effective. |