Pregnant in the forest

10 Tips to Help Improve Nausea in Pregnancy

Original Article Published on www.gynogroupie.com

Nausea during pregnancy is very common, affecting more than 50% of pregnant women. Though commonly called ‘Morning Sickness’, the symptoms can occur at any time of the day. Nausea of pregnancy usually improves by 14-16 weeks but can continue throughout the pregnancy for some women. Nausea during pregnancy is usually not harmful to your developing baby but may become more problematic when associated with consistent vomiting and weight loss.

The cause of Nausea in Pregnancy is not well understood. It may be caused by the elevated hormone levels of pregnancy and their effect on slowing overall gut motility. The GI tract is normally constantly moving food and stomach acid from the stomach, through the GI tract. The effect of slower gut motility can result in a feeling of nausea after eating a large (your standard sized) meal, where food isn’t moving out of the stomach at the same rate. With slower gut motility, stomach acids aren’t moving out of the area at a normal rate either, potentially also causing a feeling of nausea when we go 3-4 hours without eating.

As much as it may seem like not eating, because of nausea, feels like the thing you may want to do, feeding your system (causing your stomach and stomach acids to have to churn) is more of the answer for nausea. Smaller, more frequent meals is what is recommended. Although this feeling of ‘grazing’ for eating (small, frequent meals, instead of a large meal with long breaks between eating) may feel unnatural to some, it may help to relieve nausea.

Here are some other tips that may help:

  1. Eat meals slowly and in small amounts every 1-2 hours to avoid a full stomach
  2. Avoid long periods of time without eating, as the buildup of stomach acids may also increase the feeling of nausea
  3. Take in a snack before getting out of bed in the morning
  4. Take in fluids in small amounts, between meals
  5. Try fluids that are cold, clear and carbonated or sour (ginger ale, lemonade, pop sickles)
  6. Try small sips of liquids taken in by a straw
  7. Try a morning snack before brushing your teeth
  8. Avoid smells that bother you
  9. Try bland foods, like the ‘BRAT’ diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast)
  10. Try ginger supplements like ginger ale made with real ginger, ginger teas, or ginger capsules

Find more helpful information on Nausea of Pregnancy at the ACOG/FAQs here: www.acog.org

 


About Suzanne Hall, MD

Suzy Hall

 

 

Suzanne Hall, MD (@drsuzyyhall) is an Ob/Gyn physician serving Metro Detroit for nearly 20 years.  Along with her clinical expertise, thorough and friendly patient communication has always been her priority.   To that end, her interest in social media and blogging for Women’s Reproductive Health concerns came naturally.  She is creator and founder of GynoGroupie.com, a fun new blog where Ob/Gyn physicians share ‘Simple Answers’ to common female health concerns.  Her dedication to providing innovative and interactive approaches to patient education have been recognized and honored by her peers.

  • Eastside Gynecology Obstetrics, PC
  • Offices located in Roseville, Macomb, Grosse Pointe, Rochester MI

To learn more about Dr. Hall, visit EastSideGynob.com

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