Nausea

There are many hormonal changes taking place at this time and some, but by no means all, pregnant women complain of nausea during the first trimester of their pregnancies.

The nausea, commonly referred to as “morning sickness,” can occur at any time of the day, though it does seem to be more common in the morning, and usually ends by the end of third month. It may, however, return late in the pregnancy when there is increased pressure by the fetus on other abdominal organs, particularly the stomach.

There are a few simple steps you can take to relieve the nausea and increase your comfort. Eat small, simple, frequent meals. Avoid fried and greasy foods. Cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach which are hard to digest, should also be avoided. Do not avoid eating – this will make any nausea worse. If you have problems in the morning, try eating dry diet such as a few crackers or dry toast. Stay in the bed for fifteen or twenty minutes, and rise slowly. You should then be able to have a normal breakfast in half an hour. At other times during the day, simply lying down for a few minutes can help. Other women find that nausea can be prevented if they lie down for fifteen minutes after each meal. Acupressure, motion sickness bands and ginger have also been suggested as alternative treatments for nausea. Check with your healthcare professional before taking ginger or anti-nausea medication.

If you are less than six months pregnant, you can take a folic acid supplement rather than your multivitamin containing folic acid because folic acid alone is likely to upset your stomach and it is very important that you have sufficient folic acid early in your pregnancy.