Vitamin B6 and Morning Sickness - Six Tips for Preventing Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is the most common complaint of pregnant women. Causing nausea and vomiting, morning sickness actually can occur at any time of day or night. It usually starts during the first month of pregnancy and continues until the third or fourth month, but some women have morning sickness throughout pregnancy.

Why would nature give pregnant women morning sickness? The advantage of rejecting all but the simplest foods while the unborn child is an embryo is protecting the embryo from any potential toxins in contaminated food. When the embryo has become a fetus, genetic damage from chemicals is less likely, and chemicals in food (even natural chemicals in food, such as vitamin A) are less of a danger. Morning sickness does not do any kind of harm to the baby, as long as the mother is able eat regularly at some time during the day.

Vitamin B6 is commonly used natural remedy for morning sickness. It is not necessary to use an exceptionally high dose of vitamin B6 to get results. Most women who take 30 mg of B6 a day report that nausea goes away after a few weeks. Of course, it could be that they were going to get over morning sickness anyway, but this dosage of B6 is safe for both mother and unborn child, and it usually does give relief from nausea.

The natural remedy for vomiting caused by morning sickness is ginger. The spice can be added to beverages such as lemonade or apple juice, or women can take 1 or 2 capsules of dried ginger in the morning.

Like B6, ginger has no harmful effects on the baby. It can prevent certain parasitic infections, especially those transmitted by raw fish. It's best for pregnant women to take both remedies for maximum relief. There is also an acupressure method of controlling morning sickness symptoms.

Pressing on the "Inner Gate Point" on the wrist helps relieve nausea and vomiting fast. To find this point, place your hand on a flat surface, such as a table in front of you while you are seated, palm up. Place three fingers of your other hand on your wrist as a kind of ruler to measure the distance from the fold your wrist to the Inner Gate Point, and gently press. Rubbing the acupressure point is fine.

Acupressure wrist bands are made for preventing nausea and vomiting, but most women find the benefit stops after a day or two. Actually rubbing the acupressure point, however, keeps on providing relief throughout pregnancy.

Other helpful tips include:

1. Start your day by eating a few crackers to keep stomach acid from coming up should you vomit.

2. Eat smaller meals more often to make sure you get enough nourishment.

3. Try to avoid kitchen odors when you feel nauseous. Your brain can associate the food odor with feeling nauseous and make you feel nauseous the next time you sense the odor.

4. Take vitamin B6 (and other prenatal vitamins) at night, so you'll keep more of them down and have more B6 in your system when you wake up.

5. Broth, ginger ale, and soda crackers can relieve nausea.

6. Avoid second-hand cigar, cigarette, and tobacco smoke.

Morning sickness usually isn't something that is treated with medication. There are times it is very important to see a doctor. If you vomit up something that looks like coffee grounds, you should see a doctor immediately. And you should also seek professional prenatal care if you lose more than 1 kg (2 pounds) in a week, or if morning sickness continues beyond the fourth month of your pregnancy.

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