Steps to Handling Nausea During Pregnancy
Morning sickness.
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP).
Emesis gravidarum.
Whatever you call it, it's not pleasant, but apparently it comes with the territory.
Estimates vary, but as many as 85 percent of expectant mothers can expect to suffer from at least mild nausea during pregnancy or commonly referred to as morning sickness.
Most will find that the problem goes away after about 12 weeks.
But in the meantime, while waiting for this phase to pass, there are a lot of steps expectant moms can take to get through it as comfortably as possible.
Not surprisingly, given that the problem lies largely in the stomach and digestive system, most of the classic treatments focus on diet and nutrition.
A lot of familiar advice for dealing with any kind of nausea applies equally well to pregnancy nausea.
Eating bland foods is a classic recommendation, along with avoiding greasy, fatty and spicy that can be challenging to the stomach at the best of times.
Proteins and complex carbohydrates are also recommended to fight queasiness.
Peanut butter, crackers, yogurt, apples, bananas, toast, potatoes, rice, rice crackers, nuts, cheese, dried fruits, pretzels, granola have all been found tolerable and helpful for many people.
A lot of these food items are ideal for snacking-and snacking or grazing is another of the primary strategies for managing nausea.
During pregnancy the digestive system slows down, so it's much easier to get too much food intake-more than the system can handle.
This can quickly lead to bloating and nausea, and ultimately vomiting.
It's also bad to let the stomach get too empty, since gastric acids with nothing to work on are also upsetting.
So the key during pregnancy is to try to keep the stomach somewhat full all the time by having small meals or snacking throughout the day and evening.
It's particularly recommended to keep something at the bedside and have a few bites before rising in the morning, since after a night's fast the system is particularly vulnerable.
(This is presumably why morning sickness got its common name.
) Another piece of advice worth trying is not to drink and eat at the same time-or at least minimizing the combination.
This is standard advice for patients whose stomach capacity has been drastically reduced through weight-loss surgery, so it makes sense that it could apply to the reduced stomach tolerance of pregnancy as well.
However, it is very important to get as much liquid as possible in the diet to offset the depletion caused by vomiting.
Food in the stomach is not the only or even the most common trigger for nausea during pregnancy.
A pregnant woman's whole olfactory system often becomes highly sensitized, so that the mere smell of food can cause trouble.
Someone else may need to take over cooking duties for a while, or take-out meals may be another solution.
Since food smells stronger when it is hot, cold or room-temperature dishes may be more appealing and tolerable.
Other aromas can also be upsetting-colognes, air fresheners, smoke, etc.
Open windows and fresh air can help, along with simply eliminating and avoiding the offensive items.
Getting enough rest is another key to coping with NVP.
Vomiting is both debilitating and exhausting, as anyone who has had the flu can attest.
But being tired and physically stressed makes you even more vulnerable to nausea.
If nausea makes it impossible to sleep through the night, periodic daytime rest periods and naps can help compensate for the interruptions.
Slowing down in general and trying to cut back on stress can make a big difference.
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP).
Emesis gravidarum.
Whatever you call it, it's not pleasant, but apparently it comes with the territory.
Estimates vary, but as many as 85 percent of expectant mothers can expect to suffer from at least mild nausea during pregnancy or commonly referred to as morning sickness.
Most will find that the problem goes away after about 12 weeks.
But in the meantime, while waiting for this phase to pass, there are a lot of steps expectant moms can take to get through it as comfortably as possible.
Not surprisingly, given that the problem lies largely in the stomach and digestive system, most of the classic treatments focus on diet and nutrition.
A lot of familiar advice for dealing with any kind of nausea applies equally well to pregnancy nausea.
Eating bland foods is a classic recommendation, along with avoiding greasy, fatty and spicy that can be challenging to the stomach at the best of times.
Proteins and complex carbohydrates are also recommended to fight queasiness.
Peanut butter, crackers, yogurt, apples, bananas, toast, potatoes, rice, rice crackers, nuts, cheese, dried fruits, pretzels, granola have all been found tolerable and helpful for many people.
A lot of these food items are ideal for snacking-and snacking or grazing is another of the primary strategies for managing nausea.
During pregnancy the digestive system slows down, so it's much easier to get too much food intake-more than the system can handle.
This can quickly lead to bloating and nausea, and ultimately vomiting.
It's also bad to let the stomach get too empty, since gastric acids with nothing to work on are also upsetting.
So the key during pregnancy is to try to keep the stomach somewhat full all the time by having small meals or snacking throughout the day and evening.
It's particularly recommended to keep something at the bedside and have a few bites before rising in the morning, since after a night's fast the system is particularly vulnerable.
(This is presumably why morning sickness got its common name.
) Another piece of advice worth trying is not to drink and eat at the same time-or at least minimizing the combination.
This is standard advice for patients whose stomach capacity has been drastically reduced through weight-loss surgery, so it makes sense that it could apply to the reduced stomach tolerance of pregnancy as well.
However, it is very important to get as much liquid as possible in the diet to offset the depletion caused by vomiting.
Food in the stomach is not the only or even the most common trigger for nausea during pregnancy.
A pregnant woman's whole olfactory system often becomes highly sensitized, so that the mere smell of food can cause trouble.
Someone else may need to take over cooking duties for a while, or take-out meals may be another solution.
Since food smells stronger when it is hot, cold or room-temperature dishes may be more appealing and tolerable.
Other aromas can also be upsetting-colognes, air fresheners, smoke, etc.
Open windows and fresh air can help, along with simply eliminating and avoiding the offensive items.
Getting enough rest is another key to coping with NVP.
Vomiting is both debilitating and exhausting, as anyone who has had the flu can attest.
But being tired and physically stressed makes you even more vulnerable to nausea.
If nausea makes it impossible to sleep through the night, periodic daytime rest periods and naps can help compensate for the interruptions.
Slowing down in general and trying to cut back on stress can make a big difference.