What To Do When You Feel Nausea During Pregnancy

Swelling In The Feet And Legs During Pregnancy

I’m pregnant and feel nauseous and sick. What can I do?

Pressure from your growing uterus on the blood vessels carrying blood from the lower body causes fluid buildup. The result is swelling in the legs and feet.

Additional weight during pregnancy can also make your feet bigger. Plus, pregnancy hormones loosen your ligaments and muscles so your pelvic joints open up to get ready for childbirth. This affects your whole body, even your feet. Call your doctor if any swelling is more than mild or if it suddenly gets worse.

Recommendations:

  • Try not to stay on your feet for long periods of time. Avoid standing in one place.
  • Drink plenty of fluids .
  • Avoid foods high in salt .
  • Elevate your legs and feet while sitting. Avoid crossing your legs.
  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing; tight clothing can slow circulation and increase fluid retention.
  • Soak your feet in cool water.
  • Keep moving. Exercise your legs to keep fluid from building up.
  • Don’t wear tight shoes; choose supportive shoes with low, wide heels.
  • Keep your diet rich in protein; too little protein can cause fluid retention.
  • Notify your health care provider if your hands or face swell. This may be a warning sign of preeclampsia.
  • Rest on your side during the day to help increase blood flow to your kidneys.

Continued

How To Relieve Pregnancy Nausea

To start, you can make some simple lifestyle changes to help reduce your nausea such as:

  • Eat smaller, more frequent meals: “Eating every two hours just a small amount can be easier on the stomach,” says Wautlet. To feel full from these smaller meals, she adds that high-protein, nutrient-dense foods will help. But you should avoid foods with smells or spices that may trigger your nausea.
  • Exercise: “Getting about 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, even just walking, can be a really good thing,” Wautlet says. While the exact cause is not clear, a small 2009 study and a small 2011 study, both published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, suggest that pregnant women who exercise in their first trimester are less likely to have nausea in their second trimester.

If your nausea is severe, there are some things you can take that may reduce your symptoms.;

Is There A Cure For Morning Sickness

No, there is no surefire way of stopping morning sickness. But there are some things that may give you some relief. These ideas have not been scientifically proven to work but they have helped some women, so you might like to try them out:

  • Eat little and often. Try eating six small meals a day instead of three big meals.
  • Rest. When you are tired the sickness can get worse.
  • Avoid foods with lots of sugar or saturated fats such as sweets, chocolate and red meat.
  • Carbohydrates things like bread, rice, potatoes and pasta can be easier to eat when youre feeling nauseous.
  • If possible, keep away from triggers food or smells that make you feel sick.
  • Have a small snack before getting up in the morning something like dry toast or crackers.
  • Try foods or drinks that have ginger in them. You could try ginger biscuits, crystallised ginger or ginger herbal tea.
  • Try wearing acupressure bands throughout the day. You can buy elastic acupressure wristbands from most pharmacies. These bands have a plastic button that presses on the acupressure point on the wrist and it may help relieve the nausea.

Don’t Miss: Does Birth Control 100 Prevent Pregnancy

Mornings Sickness And Miscarriage Risk

Although morning sickness is uncomfortable and painful, it does not put the baby at risk and does not increase the risk of miscarriage. In fact, many doctors think it is a good sign that your pregnancy is progressing well, with the placenta producing hormones to sustain the pregnancy.

One study from the National Institutes of Health found that women with a pregnancy confirmed by an hCG test with morning sickness had a reduced risk of pregnancy loss.

Sometimes pregnant women worry that if you’ve had morning sickness and it suddenly ends, it could be a sign of a miscarriage. Usually, that is not the case. But it does make morning sickness more challenging.

Just because some of your pregnancy symptoms have disappeared, even early in the;first trimester, does;not mean you have had a miscarriage. It is true that;fading pregnancy symptoms;can occur with a miscarriage, but symptoms can fluctuate or disappear early in a viable pregnancy as well.

Nausea Help During Pregnancy

Pin on Natural Home Remedies

Treatment for and prevention of nausea during pregnancy is truly synonymous in regards to everyday self-care and home remedies. The following suggestions are beneficial to try as soon as you find out you are pregnant or if you are already pregnant and just looking for some relief. Look at the steps below, and explore our guide to managing morning sickness.

To help prevent and treat nausea during pregnancy, try:

Also Check: Can You Feel If Your Pregnant

What Medications Are Available To Treat Morning Sickness

Your healthcare provider may recommend taking vitamin B6 and doxylamine. Doxylamine is also used as a sleep aid and to treat hay fever or other allergies. Both products are available over-the-counter and dont need a prescription. However, there is a pill that contains the combination of these 2 products. It is available by prescription only and is known by the trade name Diclegis®. Unlike the separate over-the-counter products, Diclegis® is a slow-release single pill. This may be more convenient or helpful for women who have trouble taking many pills per day.

Medications to prevent nausea can also be prescribed. If these drugs dont help, other drug classes can be tried including antihistamines and anticholinergics. You and your healthcare provider will decide which medications work best for you.

When Does Morning Sickness Start

If youre one of the many pregnant women who experience morning sickness, you may start feeling nauseous somewhere around the sixth week of your pregnancy, typically two weeks after your first missed period. Symptoms can appear gradually, or seem to happen overnight. Morning sickness can range from a mild aversion to certain smells or foods, to persistent nausea and vomiting in severe cases.

Don’t Miss: Can You Have Postpartum Depression During Pregnancy

Keep Your Mouth Squeaky Clean

Regular brushing helps keep your mouth fresh and reduces queasiness in the future. It also decreases the risk of damage to teeth from vomiting.

Brush your teeth or rinse your mouth;after each meal and after bouts of vomiting once your tummy has settled a bit. If your usual toothpaste contributes to nausea , ask your dentist to recommend another option or a good rinse. Or use plain water.;

Can You Feel Pregnant After 5 Days

5 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms: MORNING SICKNESS Remedies For Morning Sickness

Some women may notice symptoms as early as 5 DPO, although they wont know for certain that they are pregnant until much later. Early signs and symptoms include implantation bleeding or cramps, which can occur 5 6 days after the sperm fertilizes the egg. Other early symptoms include breast tenderness and mood changes.

Also Check: What To Expect When 10 Weeks Pregnant

What Causes Chills During Pregnancy

There are several reasons a woman might have chills with no fever during pregnancy:

If you have chills and a fever, it could be a sign of an infection. Complications may include:

  • Urinary tract infection
  • Upper respiratory infection
  • Gastrointestinal virus

Pregnancy chills accompanied by a fever could also signal more serious medical conditions that affect only pregnant women, such as preeclampsia or chorioamnionitis. However, it merits mentioning that those are less likely. Still, since they are a possibility, any potential infection should be evaluated by your health care provider.

When Does A Pregnant Woman Usually Start Vomiting

When Does A Woman Usually Start Vomiting? Pregnant women start feeling nauseous from around 4-6 weeks into their pregnancy, sometimes even before they test positive for pregnancy. This condition slowly becomes worse as the pregnancy progresses. Majority of the women get relief from these symptoms from around 14-16 weeks into the pregnancy.

Also Check: What Is True About Teen Pregnancy And Parenting

Abdominal Pain Or Discomfort

Sharp, shooting pains on either side of your stomach may result from the stretching tissue supporting your growing uterus. These pains may also travel down your thigh and into your leg.

Recommendations:

  • Change your position or activity until you are comfortable; avoid sharp turns or movements.
  • If you have a sudden pain in your abdomen, bend forward to the point of pain to relieve tension and relax the tissue.
  • Apply a hot water bottle or heating pad to your back, or take a warm bath or shower.
  • Try a massage.

How To Treat Vomiting And Nausea During Pregnancy

How To Deal With Morning Sickness Symptoms â EliasHIM.com ...

In order to deal with these issues and relieve symptoms,;its important to implement certain changes in your eating habits.;For example:

  • Eat smaller meals several times throughout the day. In other words, rather than eating 3 large meals per day, cut down the portion size and eat 5 or 6 times throughout the day. The objective is to keep the stomach from becoming completely empty at any point.
  • Dont wait until youre hungry to eat.
  • Eat light foods that are easy to digest.;For example, rice, bananas, apples, toast, cereal, etc.
  • Avoid heavy foods and those that are greasy or spicy.
  • Chew your food well and sit down after eating, before you lie down.
  • Eat a light snack before getting out of bed in the morning, such as a few salty crackers.
  • Dont drink a lot of liquid at once, rather, drink small amounts frequently throughout the day.
  • Drink carbonated drinks;or lightly sweetened drinks, as these tend to be more tolerable.
  • Stay away from coffee,;as well as tobacco and alcohol.
  • Avoid strong and unpleasant smells.

Recommended Reading: Can You Donate Plasma While Pregnant

What To Do If You Feel Sick All The Time

For moderate cases, described as strong or persistent symptoms that interfere with a womans quality of life or ability to take care of herself, doctors may recommend vitamin B6 supplements. Pregnancy depletes water-soluble vitamins such as B6 more quickly, so taking a supplement or loading up on food sources that contain B6, such as egg yolks, yogurt and whole grains, may help alleviate morning sickness. Work with your doctor to get the appropriate dose, says Johnson. The general recommendation if youre pregnant is 1.9 milligrams a day, while the therapeutic level can be up to 25 milligrams three times a day.

According to Johnson, relieving morning sickness often requires trial and error. Pregnancies are as unique as babies, so keep trying different remedies, she says.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Talk To Your Doctor About Medication

Experts note that its difficult to give specific criteria for exactly when a woman might want to try medications rather than just using home treatments. If your morning sickness is severe enough that youre losing weight, youre dehydrated or you have other concerning symptoms, you should definitely speak with your provider.

But if you try lifestyle and diet changes and you still feel like you need additional relief, thats also a valid reason for using medication. It doesnt require malnutrition or dehydration to justify medications, said Dr. Simhan. Nearly all morning sickness meds require a prescription, and regardless of what you take, you should talk with your doctor first. Here are some of the options they might discuss with you:

  • Diclegis – This is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription drug for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Its most common side effect is drowsiness. Diclegis is actually a combination of vitamin B6 and the antihistamine doxylamine . Its possible to buy vitamin B6 and Unisom and take them together without a prescription, but make sure to speak with your doctor first.

  • Other medications, such as Zofran, Phenergan, Compazine and Reglan, are commonly prescribed off-label in the United States for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. These medications all have potential side effects, which you should discuss with your provider.

You May Like: What Should I Take If I M Trying To Get Pregnant

What Are The Risks Of Morning Sickness

You may have an increased risk of developing morning sickness if:

  • this is your first pregnancy, you are having a girl, or more than 1 baby
  • have had a previous pregnancy with nausea and vomiting
  • have a family history of morning sickness
  • have a history of motion sickness or have had nausea while using contraceptives that contain oestrogen

Other risk factors include:

  • obesity
  • stress

An enlarged placenta is also a known risk factor for morning sickness. The placenta is the organ that attaches the mother to her unborn baby and provides the baby with food and oxygen. The placenta can become enlarged in multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets, or during a molar pregnancy, where the fertilisation of the egg goes wrong and leads to an abnormal growth of cells inside the womb.

What Causes Morning Sickness

Tips to Naturally Treat First Trimester Nausea

The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown. Changing hormones may play a part including:

  • increased oestrogen levels changes in levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen during the early stages of pregnancy may cause short-term nausea and vomiting
  • increased human chorionic gonadotrophin levels a hormone the body begins to produce after conception
  • increased progesterone levels progesterone helps prepare the womb for pregnancy and protects the womb lining. As progesterone production increases this may affect the firmness in the lower oesophagus affecting the valve into the stomach causing nausea

A lack of vitamin B6 in the diet is thought to be another possible cause.

Read Also: What Causes Spotting In Early Pregnancy

Should I See My Doctor About My Morning Sickness

If youre throwing up more than two to three times a day and arent able to keep anything down, you may have hyperemesis gravidarum , a form of severe morning sickness. Some cases can be treated with pressure-point wristbands, like those worn to prevent motion sickness. In other cases you might need medication, bed rest or intravenous fluids to help reduce or eliminate symptoms.

Many women wait to take action when it comes to severe morning nausea because theyve been told its normal. Thats why its important to know the signs of HG. Talk to your doctor right away if you are vomiting so much that you:

  • Become persistently dehydrated

Eat Small Amounts Often

It can be hard to eat a healthy diet when you are not feeling well.;Don’t worry if your diet isnt the healthiest when you are sick.

Aim to eat little and often throughout the day.;Eat enough to keep your energy levels up and prevent weight loss.

Things you can do

  • Nibble your favourite foods every 2 hours – long gaps without food will make nausea worse.
  • Dry and plain foods are easiest to tolerate, such as dry toast, biscuits, crackers, pasta, rice, dry cereal and cereal bars.
  • Bring some dry crackers to bed with you to eat when you wake.;Wait about 15-20 minutes before slowly getting up after eating the crackers.
  • Keep your meals simple.
  • Have easy-to-prepare foods in the house, such as beans or ready made meals.
  • Eat foods that have lots of energy in a small amount, such as nuts, cheese, hummus, full-fat yogurt, avocado.
  • Eat more when you are hungry do not wait for mealtimes.

Recommended Reading: How Soon Should You See An Obgyn When Pregnant

Is Feeling Sick During Pregnancy Normal

Around three fourths of pregnant women feel nauseated in their first trimester with around half experiencing vomiting as well. This often begins around 6 weeks but can start as early as 4, getting worse throughout the following months. Many feel relief around week 14 but may still feel a bit queasy from time to time. Symptoms may occasionally return throughout their pregnancy and some find that their sickness remains right up until delivery.

The term morning sickness is often used to describe feeling sick during pregnancy but is not particularly accurate. It;was originally used because many women found their nausea to be worse in the morning, but these symptoms can occur at any time throughout the day and some women find that they feel ill all day long. The intensity of this nausea will also vary.

What Causes Morning Sickness Anyway

Morning Sickness: What Does Morning Sickness Feel Like in ...

No one really knows. Scientists debate whether it serves some kind of evolutionary purposeperhaps reducing womens likelihood of consuming spoiled food during pregnancyor whether its simply an unpleasant side effect of increasing hormone levels.

It seems that levels of the hormone hCG play some role in morning sickness; hCG increases exponentially during the first few weeks of pregnancy and peaks between weeks 8 10, which coincides with the time when morning sickness is typically at its most severe. And conditions which cause higher than average levels of hCG, like Downs Syndrome, molar pregnancies, and twins often cause more severe morning sickness.

However, there is a lot of variation in hCG levels in healthy pregnancies, and hCG levels do not reliably predict who gets morning sickness, who doesnt, and how severe it is.

While no one understands exactly how, biologically, hCG might contribute to feeling nauseous, one thing that seems clear is that lack of symptoms does not;cause a miscarriage. How do we know? Well, for one thing, treating morning sickness does not lead to worse pregnancy outcomes. Actually, the opposite is true: women who treat their morning sickness tend to have better outcomes than those who do notnot because treatment improves outcomes, but because if morning sickness is severe enough to require treatment, it usually signals a healthy pregnancy.

Don’t Miss: Can You Get Lasik Eye Surgery While Pregnant

Related Posts

Recent Stories