Best Tea For Morning Sickness: Tried & Tested During Pregnancy
What is Morning Sickness?
Morning sickness is the term that’s often used to describe the nausea and sickness that women experience in the first trimester of pregnancy. The sickness happens due to the huge shift in pregnancy hormones. Don't be fooled by the misleading name - it is not isolated to the morning and lots of women experience sickness all day long. It’s important we distinguish sickness from hyperemesis gravidarum also known as HG, which is severe sickness in pregnancy that does not ease. This condition can lead to severe dehydration and malnutrition and needs treatment from your care provider.
How Tea Helps with Morning Sickness
The most important thing to note when it comes to advice around tea and sickness is that this does not replace any anti sickness medication or clinical care. For way too long, women have been fobbed off with teas and such alone, but there’s a real shift now in awareness of sickness in pregnancy. So these are our recommendations, BUT in addition to other methods.
Ginger, peppermint and lemon are all ingredients that are known to have anti sickness properties and to ease digestive issues. Tea can be really helpful as it is a form of hydration, but it’s also an easier way to get these helpful ingredients into you when you’re struggling to keep food down.
Best Teas for Morning Sickness Relief
We personally love the HotTea Mama teas. They’re specifically designed for pregnancy and postpartum, and so many of my clients have used them and reported amazing results.
So let’s get into each type of tea and how it works.
Ginger Tea: Renowned for anti-nausea properties
Ginger is one of the most popular natural remedies for nausea, including morning sickness. It contains compounds (like gingerol) that help relax the digestive system and reduce nausea, and antiemetic properties that help to calm the stomach and reduce the feeling of queasiness. You can brew fresh ginger slices in hot water or use ginger tea bags. Many people find that sipping ginger tea throughout the day helps manage nausea.
Peppermint Tea: Known for its cooling and calming effects
Peppermint is another soothing herb that can help with nausea and digestive discomfort. It has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, which can reduce bloating, cramping and nausea. It also has a refreshing scent that may help reduce the sensitivity to smells, which can sometimes trigger nausea. Drinking a warm cup of peppermint tea can help soothe your stomach and relieve nausea.
Lemon Tea: Refreshes and helps settle the stomach
Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, has calming properties and is often used to ease digestive issues. It can help relax the stomach and ease symptoms of nausea. The mild lemon scent also has a refreshing effect that can help alleviate queasiness. Steep fresh or dried lemon balm leaves in hot water to make a gentle, soothing tea. You can always combine lemon balm with any of the other teas listed as well.
Chamomile Tea: Eases nausea and promotes relaxation
Chamomile is known for its calming effects and is often used to promote relaxation and reduce stress. While chamomile is generally soothing, it can also help calm the digestive system and reduce the feeling of nausea. It’s particularly helpful if morning sickness is exacerbated by anxiety or stress. A warm cup of chamomile tea before bed or after meals can be helpful.
Other Remedies to Pair with Tea
It goes without saying that we can’t survive off tea alone. Whilst we really cannot stress the importance of working with your care provider to get the right medications and treatment for any ongoing severe sickness, there are a couple of other tips that you can try at home.
Always try to eat a carb-based snack before you get out of bed and keep up your water intake. Have dried cereal bars or salty crisps in your bag and have them if you sick throughout the day. Sea sickness bands can be helpful and can be worn at all times as well.