How to Handle Nausea During Your Pregnancy

One of the aspects of pregnancy that most women dread is morning sickness, or nausea during pregnancy. On the plus side, nausea is usually a sign that the mother's body is producing an adequate amount of hormones, leading to less of a chance of a having a miscarriage. On the negative side, there’s the seemingly never-ending, inconvenient and sometimes dangerous nausea and vomiting.

Nausea during pregnancy is most prevalent during the first trimester when hormone levels are rising. When hormone levels stop climbing, the nausea stops for most women. Other women, however, experience nausea and vomiting throughout their entire pregnancy. Medical science still hasn't quite figured out why some women are more susceptible to morning sickness than others, or why some women are more susceptible during some pregnancies than others.

Nausea during pregnancy is inconvenient. Fortunately, you can now buy products that make it more discreet to throw up in less-than-private places. In addition, pregnancy seems to give you a sixth sense when it comes to locating bath rooms, and other women are also usually quite willing to let pregnant women cut in front of them when there are lines for the bathroom. Of course, it’s hard to see the bright side of all this when you’re spending every morning getting sick!

But besides being inconvenient, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can sometimes be dangerous. Serious nausea and vomiting during pregnancy result in a condition known as hyperemesis, which is typically diagnosed when a woman has lost at least 10% of her body weight because of nausea and vomiting. If you experience significant nausea and vomiting, you can become dehydrated and your electrolytes balance may get out of whack – which can be dangerous for your baby. The usual treatment for this is a combination of anti-nausea medications and intravenous fluids to replace the fluids you have lost.

In addition, there are a number of ways to handle nausea during pregnancy. No one method works for every mother to be – some methods work better than others and some methods work for a while then stop working. Keep trying to find something that works for you, and talk to your doctor if nausea and vomiting are becoming particularly problematic. There are several prescription medications that have been successfully used to treat nausea during pregnancy, Phenergan being one of the most common.

The old standard advice of saltine crackers and ginger ale is still valid, as the saltiness of the crackers helps to settle the stomach for some women. On the other hand, some women find that potato chips work better, so feel free to indulge! In addition, although ginger ale contains only minimal amounts of ginger, ginger is a well known anti-nausea remedy. Some studies suggest that ingesting large amounts of ginger during pregnancy can cause problems, so you may want to be cautious. For some women, just the scent of ginger can be calming, as can the scent of fresh lemons.

Some women find that bland foods are soothing, while other women find they have less problems with spicy foods. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find a woman who will report throwing up dry toast and plain oatmeal, but being able to easily eat spicy Chinese food without any problems. See what kinds of foods sound appealing to you and give them a try. In addition, most women find that if they eat frequent, small meals throughout the day, they feel better and have less nausea.

If you aren’t able to get control of your morning sickness with food choices alone, know that some women find that wearing acupressure anti-nausea wrist bands helps. Lying on your right side when you lie down also helps your stomach empty more quickly and may help reduce your nausea symptoms.

Finally, if nausea and vomiting are a particular problem for you, keep trying things until you find something that works. And be patient – chances are your nausea will pass around 12 to 14 weeks and will be only a faint memory by the time your baby arrives.