Some people call it morning sickness, and others call it all day sickness. While not a universally experienced pregnancy symptom, it is definitely one of the most frequent unpleasant symptoms people have during pregnancy. Most women who experience nausea during pregnancy have an improvement in their symptoms after the first trimester, but for others, the nausea lasts the whole nine months. Although women experience their nausea during pregnancy differently, these tips to manage nausea can work for most people.
This article will focus on the more common nausea that women have during pregnancy. Hyperemesis gravidarum, which some consider to be merely worse nausea, is actually a completely separate experience and requires a different set of interventions.
Managing Nausea During Pregnancy
Understand the cognitive piece. Because of the chronicity of nausea during pregnancy, it is helpful to have realistic cognitive framework of what the nausea entails. Many women find it helpful to compartmentalize their nausea. This can involve understanding the times of day when their nausea is worse, knowing that it will get better, and being aware of their real limits when they are nauseous. This can give you hope that you will feel better and provide yourself some compassion about your limitations.
Get help from your healthcare provider. Let your OBGYN or midwife know about your symptoms. Sometimes they can recommend over-the-counter or prescription medication that can help with nausea. Even if their remedies are not too helpful, they can provide you with much needed emotional support for your suffering.
Try some home remedies. Some women find ginger and peppermint to be helpful for nausea. Try ginger or peppermint tea or candied pieces of ginger. Most ginger ales have very small amounts of ginger, so that drink is not the best option.
Avoid getting dehydrated. Although many people don't want to eat or drink while they are nauseous, it is still important to drink water. Staying hydrated won't prevent the usual nausea during pregnancy, but getting dehydrated will often worsen nausea, and that can be prevented.
Eat what you think you'll tolerate. Especially when nausea tends to be worse in the first trimester, you don't have to worry too much about having an optimally varied diet. Stick to the foods you tend to tolerate well. During the times of day that you are feeling better, try some of those foods you avoid when you are nauseous.
For many pregnant women, nausea does not completely go away. That is why we talk about managing it rather than getting it to go away. These tips for managing nausea help with the actual symptoms of nausea and also the emotional distress that nausea causes.
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