Whether a stomach bug or temporary bout of food poisoning, having an upset stomach during pregnancy can be especially uncomfortable. 

Although you may feel very sick, vomiting and diarrhea are important defense mechanisms, enabling your body to rid itself of harmful substances like toxins and germs. Therefore, it is best to allow most simple cases to run their course without suppressing your symptoms.

Make sure to get plenty of rest, to enable yourself to heal.

Home Remedies for Stomach Bug and Food Poisoning

FOOD AND DRINK

The main concern with stomach bug and food poisoning is excessive loss of body fluids resulting in serious dehydration, which in pregnancy can increase the chance of premature labor. When an acute bout of vomiting and/or diarrhea occurs, the first thing you need to do is let your irritated gastrointestinal tract heal by avoiding all food for 12-24 hours. But, try to keep hydrated by drinking frequent sips of filtered, spring or well water, or other clear liquid every hour or two (¼ cup water every 15-30 minutes is the minimum).

After 12 hours or when your symptoms have calmed down a bit, try taking clear fluids in sips or spoonfuls as frequently as you can tolerate. The ideal is to drink a total of at least at least 64 ounces of fluids daily, and you may need more if you have been dehydrated. Avoid oily liquids and milk at this time, which irritate the intestinal tract and interfere with its healing.

Better choices include:

• Filtered, spring or well water

• Electrolyte infused Smart Water

• Pure coconut water

• Diluted fruit juice

• Herbal teas with honey (like ginger, peppermint or chamomile)

• Miso, bone or vegetable broth

• Chicken or any other low fat non-dairy soup stock

• Rice or barley water (drink the water used to cook barley or brown rice)

• Frozen fruit or fruit juice popsicles

• Recharge or organic Gatorade electrolyte drinks (avoid the standard chemical-laden Gatorade)

• A homemade electrolyte concoction:

  • Combine ⅛-¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp calcium/magnesium powder, 1-2 Tbsp honey, 1 qt spring or pure coconut water, and juice of 1 fresh lemon or lime to taste.

• Drink a cup slowly every 1-2 hours. Even if you vomit it up, you will still get some.

After 24 hours of only liquids and as the symptoms improve, advance to a bland diet for the next day or two in addition to frequent fluids. Good food choices include bananas, applesauce, white basmati rice, dry white toast, white rice cakes or crackers, hot rice or wheat cereal cooked in water sweetened with pure maple syrup or honey, and mashed potatoes with a little salt.

Continue to avoid fats and dairy products (other than organic live culture yogurt), spicy or sugary food, caffeine and alcohol. An oil that actually helps relieve diarrhea is made from flax seed but you may prefer to take it as directed in capsule form. For now, stay away from high-fiber foods, like most raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Wait 48 hours after your symptoms resolve before eating these foods and returning to your normal diet. An upset digestive tract, like any other injury, needs time to heal. 

For any type of dysentery, eat unripe green bananas and basmati rice with plain yogurt for optimal gut health. Also eat fresh papaya with a FEW seeds, as they contain substances which kill many types of causative organisms responsible for intestinal infections. However, don’t ingest more than 1 Tbsp of the seeds daily in pregnancy. 

HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS

Reputable brands include Innate Response, Wish Garden, Gaia, Herb Pharm, Wise Woman Herbals, Pure Encapsulations and Eclectic Institute, or any of those in my online holistic apothecary.

As with any infection, eat a bulb of garlic once per day. You can bake the cloves in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, or cut it up raw and swallow a few cloves as pills, but you are more likely to tolerate taking New Chapter’s Garlicforce. This product is a wonderfully effective and very mild tasting encapsulated supercritical extract of garlic. 

You can also try Gaia’s Echinacea Supreme herbal tincture, 1-2 dropperfuls every few hours daily in juice. This will help kill germs like viruses and strengthen your immune system.

Drink a strong red raspberry leaf tea, or even better, make your own infusion of red raspberry leaf by immersing one ounce dried herb in one quart boiling water, brew for ½ hour, strain in a glass canning jar, and drink ½ - 1 cup up to every 30 minutes to 1 hour, according to the severity of your diarrhea. Add fresh mint, juice of lemon or lime and honey to taste.

Take Klaire labs probiotics twice daily for at least a few weeks to help resolve the diarrhea and replace healthy intestinal flora.

Slippery Elm is reputed to be the best herbal remedy for soothing and healing inflammation of the bowel and/or acid reflux irritation commonly felt after vomiting. Take capsules 3 times daily, suck on lozenges, or make your own paste by combining the powdered form with a few spoonfuls of honey-sweetened water, applesauce or hot cereal.

Ginger is great for relieving nausea. Try:

• Making ginger tea by boiling a tiny piece or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger root in 1 cup of water for 5-15 minutes. Strain into your glass canning jar, add honey and/or lemon to taste, and sip up to 2 cups throughout the day. 

• Drinking all natural ginger ale.

• Taking Ginger Honey tonic, 1-2 spoonfuls as often as needed plain, in tea or sparkling water.

• Sucking on ice cubes of ginger tea.

• Ginger hard candy, chewables or candied ginger slices. 

• Taking Ginger root powder in capsules, 250 mg up to 4 times per day (if no history of 2 or more miscarriages).

Dr. Andrew Weil recommends Blackberry root bark as a good herbal remedy for diarrhea. Take 1 tsp of the tincture every 2-4 hours, or make your own infusion by steeping a handful of the dried herb in 1 quart boiling water for 20 minutes, straining in your glass mason jar, and drinking a cup every 2-4 hours. He also advises carob powder, which is very soothing on irritated intestines after diarrhea. Mix 1 Tbsp with applesauce and honey for taste, and eat on an empty stomach 1-½ hours before or 3 hours after eating. If you have a lot of painful abdominal cramping, take opium tincture, 10-15 drops in a small amount of water every 3-4 hours for no more than 2 days. But take care, as it can be quite sedating.

For diarrhea, Bentonite Clay that is safe for ingesting, is studied to bind and rid the body of toxins and irritants, which provides effective relief of acute bouts of diarrhea. Take 1-2 Tbsp dissolved in distilled water 2-3 times daily for a few days. Another impressive complementary remedy is activated charcoal taken as directed on the bottle. It is said to be safe in pregnancy up to 50 grams 3 times daily for no more than a week. 

The essential oils of Chamomile, Peppermint or Geranium may be diluted and massaged into your abdomen to bring relief. Or, place a few drops in your essential oil diffuser, or glass spray bottle of water and spray it near you periodically.

Dr. Aviva Romm, in The Natural Pregnancy Book, recommends taking 2 capsules of goldenseal after the first trimester, every 4 hours for no more than 24 hours in cases of more severe dysentery. Stop if you feel your uterus contracting more than usual. She also writes about a wonderfully effective Japanese treatment of topical salt packs if you feel a round of vomiting approaching or if you have been vomiting frequently. To prepare:

1. Heat ½ cup sea salt in a pan for 3 minutes.

2. Put the salt in a pillowcase or cloth bag.

3. Fold into a rectangular pad or small square, and wrap in a towel if too hot.

4. Apply directly to your stomach (not belly).

Always remember to wash your hands with soap after going to the bathroom, and use separate towels until you are well again.

Homeopathic remedies are remarkably effective and safe in treating common ailments like a stomach bug in pregnancy. You can consult with a classical homeopath, or refer to books like Homeopathy For Pregnancy, Birth and Your Baby’s First Year by Miranda Castro for a remedy most specific to your symptoms. The remedy that works best for me is Arsenicum. Others report much success with Weleeda’s homeopathic combination Nausin (7–10 drops four times per day) especially for nausea. 

Do not take any medications (even the over-the counter-ones) without consulting with your practitioner, as many are not safe to use in pregnancy, slow your body’s attempt to heal yourself or mask important symptoms and give a false sense of reassurance.

If you need more personal guidance, schedule a consultation with me. If you are feeling overwhelmed, or do not even know what questions to ask, I can help you!

Contact your practitioner if these suggestions do not help and there is NO IMPROVEMENT in 24-36 hours, especially if:

• Diarrhea and/or vomiting is incessant and you cannot keep anything down. 

• You have severe abdominal pain.

• Your temperature is over 101.

• The vomiting material or stools is unusual (bloody, black tarry, grey, white or resemble coffee grounds).

• There is yellowing of your skin or eyes.

• You experience dark colored urine.

• You have unusual fatigue for more than a few days and your discomfort is in the right upper part of your abdomen.

• There is evidence of dehydration - your mouth is without saliva and your eyes are without tears, your eyes appear sunken and your normal skin texture is lost (if you pinch up some skin and it does not immediately snap back into place), and/or urination has reduced or stopped.

• Your symptoms occurred after an injury or ingestion of a drug or poison.

• Other family members or close contacts have been diagnosed with hepatitis.

• You suspect a bacterial or parasitic infection (like Shigella, for example).

• You experience regular uterine cramping or hardening, a new pattern of lower abdominal or back ache or pressure, vaginal bleeding or leaking of amniotic fluid.

• Your baby is not moving as much as usual.

• You are worried that something isn’t right.