Many pregnant women experience that they feel unwell during pregnancy. Nausea during pregnancy often begins around one month into the pregnancy and passes around the third month. For some, however, nausea continues throughout pregnancy.
In addition to nausea, it is also common to vomit when pregnant. Even if this is difficult, it does not harm you either when you are pregnant or the fetus. The reason for feeling unwell during pregnancy is changes in the hormone balance. These changes affect different women in different ways. If you are tired, stressed, or empty in your stomach, you often feel worse.
Is it normal to be nauseous when you are pregnant?
It is very common to feel unwell during the first part of pregnancy. However, how much is highly individual. Many people only feel nausea in the morning, so-called morning sickness, while others are plagued by violent nausea and vomiting.
It often starts around weeks 4 to 9. For most pregnant women, nausea then stops between weeks 12 to 14. A few have problems up to five months into the pregnancy. Sometimes nausea returns in the last month of pregnancy. Some women also experience that nausea getting worse with heartburn.
Do all pregnant women feel bad?
No, not everyone feels bad. About one-third experience periods of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, which means that two-thirds of all pregnant women do not experience nausea or vomiting to any great extent.
Why do you get nausea when you are pregnant?
The reason why you get nausea when you are pregnant is not completely clear. However, it is believed that it is due to hormonal influences or imbalances in blood sugar. Other possible causes are stress and overload.
How to relieve nausea?
Nausea during pregnancy can crack anyone. It can be extra awful at the beginning of pregnancy before you have been told that you are pregnant. It can be a constant struggle against the vomiting reflex that often takes place in silence. Here are some tips that can relieve your nausea during pregnancy:
- Eat small amounts of food. The nausea often gets worse when the stomach is empty. Therefore, eat smaller portions, but more often. Every two or three hours can help.
- Breakfast in Bed. The nausea is often worst in the morning. It can then help to have something lying at the edge of the bed, for example a salty biscuit or a banana. Eat this immediately when you wake up before the body has started. It can also help to eat something small just before bedtime.
- Avoid irritating foods. Fatty foods, spicy or smoked foods can make you feel worse. Also avoid fruits and vegetables that are sour. Fried food can also make nausea worse.
- Eat mild foods. Feel free to eat whole meal bread, rice, and potatoes. You often feel better if you eat snacks with a lot of carbohydrates. Yogurt, bread, and cereals can feel good. Also choose cooked food, instead of fried, as this is gentler on the stomach.
- Sleep well. it can be difficult to sleep from time to time during pregnancy. Fatigue and lack of sleep can however contribute to the increase in nausea. Therefore, try to get your night’s sleep and feel free to rest for a while in the middle of the day.
- Drink a lot. If you feel unwell, and especially if you vomit, it is important that you drink a lot. Preferably water, bubble water or milk. However, avoid alcohol, coffee, and tea. Also try putting a slice of lemon in the water you drink.
- Be still after meals. Do not lie down immediately after a meal, as this may make the nausea worse. Instead, sit up after meals so that gravity helps you keep your food down. Move slowly and avoid rapid movements and heavy lifting.
- Avoid irritating odors. Sometimes the nausea gets worse from certain smells. If you know what triggers your nausea, avoid these odors, and also ask people around you to do the same.
- Exercise regularly. Fresh air and exercise can reduce your nausea. Feel free to go on a little trip every day. It can also help you whet your appetite.
- Other tips may be to wait with the toothbrushing, as it may trigger a vomiting. Avoid smoking, which in addition to harming you and the baby, also reduces appetite.
For was advised to eat ginger as it was considered to reduce and counteract nausea. Recent findings, however, suggest that high doses of ginger may lead to miscarriage.
Taste and smell cause nausea when you are pregnant
Some pregnant women react to smells and taste that they never thought were disgusting during pregnancy. A faint smell of things such as food, coffee scent, or perfume may be enough, and the vomiting reflex can be started.
You may also experience a metallic taste in your mouth during pregnancy. This often passes around the middle of pregnancy. To counteract the problems, you can try adding a little lemon to the water, sucking on some lemon candies, or drinking lemonade.
If you cannot keep the food
Some women experience that they are barely allowed to keep any food at all during pregnancy. Normally this is nothing to worry about, as the body is very good at prioritizing. First, the child gets what the child needs, and then you get what is left.
As long as there are not several days when you cannot keep the food or do not get enough fluids in you, you do not have to worry. Eat what you can to eat, even if it feels monotonous. Consult your healthcare provider if you feel unsure.
Are nausea and vomiting dangerous?
Normally, nausea or vomiting when pregnant is not dangerous. If you vomit a lot, however, you lose too much fluid, salt, and nutrition, which can be harmful to you and the fetus. If you feel faint, cannot urinate, have a dry mouth and cracked lips, contact your healthcare provider. The treatment of dehydration consists of giving fluid.
When to seek help for nausea?
If you have done everything you can to relieve nausea during pregnancy, you may need to seek medical attention. There are also some other symptoms that you should look out for. Seek medical attention if you experience any of the following:
- If you vomit more than 3-4 times a day.
- If you lose weight.
- If you vomit blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
- If you lose more fluid than you can hold. These are signs of dehydration: fainting, less urine, dark and foul-smelling urine, or inability to urinate, dry mouth and dry, chapped lips.
- If you are worried about your condition or think there is something seriously wrong.
More about: Pregnancy symptoms
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