Morning Sickness

Early in pregnancy, morning sickness—nausea and vomiting in the early morning, immediately or soon after waking up—is quite common. This condition is due to aggravation of pitta and is especially common among pitta individuals. It usually occurs from approximately the sixth to the tenth week of pregnancy.

Some medical researchers have said that the level of estrogen in the blood rises during pregnancy. Estrogen is pittagenic. The higher estrogen level in the blood triggers pitta in the stomach and increases acid secretion, so that the stomach becomes more acidic. In the early morning, when the stomach is empty and acidic, morning sickness can occur.

Also, certain odors can trigger nausea and vomiting at any time of the

day or night, but sensitivity to smell is greatest in the morning. During pregnancy, a woman’s sense of smell becomes unusually sensitive. The reason is interesting. According to Ayurveda, the earth element is particularly prominent during pregnancy, because the fetus is building and growing and the earth element is responsible for solidity and structure. The earth element is also associated with the sense of smell. (In Ayurveda, the senses are related to the elements like this: Space = touch; Air = hearing, Fire = sight; Water = taste, Earth = smell.)

Ayurvedic literature talks poetically about morning sickness, saying that it is common among women whose babies will develop a copious head of hair after birth.

START THE DAY WITH A LITTLE FOOD. Believe it or not, the first thing to do upon waking up in the morning is to put something in your stomach. Have a little light food. You might try some crackers with a slightly salty taste. Salt is generally pitta-provoking, but a small quantity of salt stimulates salivary secretion and helps to reduce pitta. Fresh lime juice is also helpful, with a little salt and sugar.

EAT OFTEN. If you are troubled by morning sickness, eat small frequent meals, as many as five or six in a day. An empty stomach has more acid secretion, and irritation and nausea easily follow.

COCONUT WATER. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a cup of coconut water (the natural juice inside a fresh coconut), and take a sip every 15 minutes to settle your stomach.

EFFECTIVE HERBAL REMEDY. The following herbal formula is effective for settling morning sickness:

shatavari 5 parts
shanka bhasma ⅛ part
kama dudha ⅛ part

Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture with lime juice or lemon juice in the early morning and at bedtime to reduce acid secretion in the stomach and relieve nausea.

TRY ALMONDS. Soak 10 raw (unroasted) almonds overnight, and next morning peel off the skin and eat them. In addition to providing a high-quality protein, almonds are a good source of calcium. Pregnant mothers need both. And they settle the stomach.

WALK IT OFF. Sometimes walking in the fresh morning air helps with morning sickness, because fresh cool air reduces pitta. It also helps to relieve stress. It sometimes happens that a pitta woman, working for a demanding boss and coming home to a criticizing husband, develops some unresolved anger. Stress builds up in the solar plexus and manifests as morning sickness. It is important for her to reduce her stress level by doing some early morning walking or other appropriate exercise.

MINIMASSAGE. In the morning, before taking a shower, warm up 3 to 5 ounces of sesame oil (for vata constitutions), coconut oil (for pittas) or sunflower oil (for kaphas), and rub it over your body for 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to get some on your scalp and feet. Then take a nice warm shower. This soothing oil massage (called abhyanga) will minimize stress and help with morning sickness.

MILK WITH ROSE WATER. Buy some rose essence or rose water. When you are feeling nauseated, put 1 drop in a cupful of milk, boil the milk, and then drink it warm. (You can just as well use 5 fresh rose petals from your garden to boil in the milk.) This will help to eliminate the nausea. As a preventive measure, taking a cup of this rose milk with a teaspoon of ghee at bedtime will pacify pitta and help to control morning sickness.

DRINK A LOT. Vomiting can lead to dehydration, so you need to drink extra liquid to compensate. Better still, make some homemade dextrosaline by adding 2 teaspoons sugar, the juice of ½ lime, and a pinch of salt to 1 pint of water. Drink 1 cup every 2 hours to eliminate dehydration and help the nausea and vomiting subside.

PEACOCK FEATHER ASH. This remedy might sound strange, but it is quite effective. Ayurvedic literature says that morning sickness can be remedied by using peacock feather ash. Burn a peacock feather in such a way that you can collect the ash. The smell of the burning feather is quite awful, so someone else should burn the feather, not the pregnant woman. Take just a pinch of the powdery ash with a teaspoon of honey. This can immediately stop morning sickness.

EFFECTIVE HERBAL FORMULA. No matter what your constitutional type is, this formula will be beneficial for you:

shatavari 5 parts
kama dudha ⅛ part
shanka bhasma ⅛ part
moti bhasma ⅛ part

Take ½ teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day with ghee. Or, if you don’t want to use ghee, use warm water. Sometimes during pregnancy women may not feel like taking ghee.