Home remedies to combat nausea & uneasiness in the first trimester

A cousin of mine who recently delivered a healthy 3.5 kg baby boy had a rough first trimester. She struggled with nausea & food aversions. The only food that gave her some comfort was sweets be it cookies, cakes, ice creams, chocolates. What is surprising is the fact that she never had a sweet tooth before pregnancy, she was always someone who ate in moderation and steered clear of too many sweets.

I have been lucky to sail through my first trimester. In fact till recently I never had any trouble with nausea, it’s only now (at 11 weeks) that I get a queasy or uneasy feeling at times. But nothing that makes me want to avoid food or skip eating all together or make me want to eat only one type of food (sweets in the case of my cousin)

In fact when I do feel uneasy, I usually have some Anardana or meetha aam papad, both bought from the Chandan stall at Infinity 2. They have a small little stall on the lower ground floor and stock some amazing Churans, sukha paan and other stuff.

One thing that I have struggled with is a slowed digestion process causing bloating, burping and flatulence (embarrassing). Mom confirmed that digestion process does slow down during pregnancy, making one feel uneasy, bloated, causing flatulence and acidity. Hence a heavy greasy meal is a complete no no for me. I prefer to eat small meals that are lighter on the stomach and easy to digest.

I relied on some home remedies to help me tide over the above issues:

-Ajwain and kale namak ka pani- a pinch of black salt and ajwain (carom seeds) mixed in 1/4th cup cold water. It provides instant relief against indigestion & uneasiness
-I sit in Vajrasana (posture used in hatha form of yoga) for some time (4 to 5 minutes) as it speeds up the digestion process. This requires one to sit back on folded legs, place buttocks on calves and heels and both big toes to touch. The hands should be placed on the thigh and back straight. You may want to check with your doctor before you try this in case you are new to Yoga.

Source: https://mobileyogaworkout.wordpress.com/

-Another yummy remedy that helps me tide over the uneasy feeling and beat the heat is Paani Puri ka paani. I know one has to be careful with Paani puri preparations at shops because you can never be too sure of the water they are using for the paani puri & you definitely don’t want to fall sick. So I choose to make my own version at home:

o 1 spoon of MDH paani puri masala

o 1 spoon of Mapro Aam panna concentrate (the sweetness of the aam panna concentrate counters the spice of the paani puri masala, giving the finished product a nice tang)

o A pinch of black salt

o A pinch of aamchur powder

Add the above to a glass of chilled water & mix well. I usually top it off with some ice. It’s my life saver on the lousiest of days :)

-I also have a glass of chilled Namkeen lassi with lunch everyday as it has a nice cooling effect

-To combat late night or early morning acidity, I try and sleep with a thicker pillow under my head it helps prevent the acid reflux). Even then if I wake up with acidity, I sip some chilled milk, which usually does the trick for me

-If everything else fails and I still have acidity, I have a teaspoon of Digene (I keep the bottle in the fridge, the cool liquid seems to work faster on me)

They say the second and third trimester is comparatively easier when it comes to issues like nausea and uneasiness. So here’s hoping for a smooth ride all along