Nausea in Pregnancy

Often when I meet women at their first prenatal visit one of their main questions and concerns is how to deal with feeling constant nausea. Nausea in pregnancy is common, in fact 85% of women experience nausea at some time during their pregnancy. More than half of these women will also have vomiting. Since each woman is different and each pregnancy is different, the severity will vary.

Women ask what causes nausea? To date nobody has determined the exact cause of nausea in pregnancy, it is believed that it’s a combination of the many physical changes taking place in the body, especially the higher levels of hormones during early pregnancy.

Nausea usually starts between 5 and 6 weeks of pregnancy. Although common in the morning, “morning sickness” can actually last all day, or even be worse in the evening. For 80% of sufferers, nausea gradually lessens, with more and more nausea-free days, until it ceases completely around the 12th week – although physical or emotional stresses can causes temporary relapses. The other 20% of sufferers will have nausea for a longer period of time, some even until the end of pregnancy.

Nausea, especially if severe, can be emotionally draining. Many women find that it interferes with usual daily activities, making it necessary to find ways to cope. But the large majority of the time nausea isn’t physically harmful to mom or baby. If you were healthy before you started pregnancy, your body and your baby will draw on your nutritional reserves.

Here are some suggestions that many women have found helpful to help cope with nausea in pregnancy.

When you first wake up, eat a snack, and then rest for 15 minutes before getting out of bed.

Smelling citrus fruit – oranges and lemons – can help. Eating citrus also helps your body to efficiently absorb iron.

Avoid spicy, fatty and fried foods

The smells of coffee and red meat are often triggers.

Don’t let dehydration make your nausea worse: drink at least 2 litres a day.

Don’t take supplements on an empty stomach.

Being tired makes nausea worse. In the first trimester it’s normal to need more sleep, so go to bed early.

Try 25mg of Vitamin B6, up to 6 per day.

The iron in daily vitamins can make nausea worse. Take vitamins with food or just before bed. If this doesn’t help, then decrease or stop taking daily vitamins until your nausea is gone. Vitamins are supposed to fill the nutrient gaps in your diet – if you eat worse because of increased nausea, then they are not helping. Continue to take folic acid alone on a daily basis.

Take 250 mg capsules up to four times a day, or 5-6 cups of fluid per day. Try ginger ale, ginger beer, ginger tea, candied ginger or ginger-lemonade.

Try SeaBands, available at drugstores, designed to offset motion sickness by stimulating acupressure points in the wrist.

Diclectin is a medication considered safe for treating nausea in pregnancy. It is a combination of Vitamin B6 and an antihistamine. It can have uncomfortable side effects such as dry mouth or sleepiness, so it’s usually only for serious nausea. Ask your midwife for more info and/or a prescription.

Hope some of these ideas will help you!

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