Pregnancy Nausea

You're sailing along on your early pregnancy adventure - just a touch of tenderness around the nipples, a little urinary frequency and a few blue veins across your chest, but nothing you can't handle. Until one day, you wake with a strange, icky feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Could it be seasickness? Sure, does feel like it. That, or the worst hangover you've ever had. Welcome to morning sickness - and chances are, you'll be feeling this queasiness for the next few weeks.

The good news: For the vast majority of expectant moms, morning sickness doesn't typically linger much beyond week 12 to week 14 of pregnancy. That said, a few women continue to experience symptoms into the second trimester, and a very few, particularly those expecting multiples, may suffer some well into the third. Even better news: Though morning sickness might make you feel lousy, it’s not harming your baby. 

Eat often:

The idea is to keep your belly a little bit filled all the time. Think of it as the Goldilocks rule - don't overfill your belly, but don't let it get completely empty. Eat six mini-meals throughout the day rather than three large ones - again, when your tummy's empty, you’re more likely to feel nauseous. Plus, smaller meals are easier to digest and less likely to trigger the queasies and heartburn, another classic pregnancy symptom. And don’t leave your house without a healthy stash of snacks that your tummy can handle, like dried fruit and nuts, granola bars, dry cereal, whole grain crackers or soy chips.

Drink up: 

Right now, getting enough fluids is more important than getting enough solids, particularly if vomiting is leaving you high, dry and dehydrated. Can’t stand water? Try sucking on Popsicles. Some women find that drinking and eating at the same sitting puts too much strain on their digestive tract; if this is true for you, try taking your fluids between meals. If liquids are easier to slurp down when you’re green, drink your vitamins and nutrients with soups, smoothies and shakes. Many women say that icy cold fluids and foods are easier to get down, too. If you find fluids make you queasier, eat solids with a high-water content, like fruits and veggies, especially melons and citrus fruits. Both electrolyte water and coconut water may be especially helpful if you're vomiting a lot

Rest and de-stress: 

Both can help minimize queasiness. Try classic stress-reduction techniques, like meditation and visualization, or prenatal yoga, and try to hit the sack for as many hours as you can clock every night.

Try alternative remedies: 

There are a wide variety of complementary medical approaches, such as acupuncture, acupressure, biofeedback or hypnosis, that can help minimize the symptoms of morning sickness - and they’re all worth a try.

Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal that explores clinical, medical, social and economic aspects of female reproductive health and medication worldwide.

Authors can submit manuscript as an e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at https://www.imedpub.com/submissions/womens-health-reproductive-medicine.html

Media Contact
John Kimberly
Associate Managing Editor
Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine
Email: womenshealth@emedscholar.com