Pregnancy sickness advice

(The health information that follows is intended as a guide only and in no way is a substitute for calling your Doctor or Nurse when you have any concerns about your health)

 

Pregnancy sickness advice

Nausea and vomiting commonly develop by a 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. It is usually at its worst at around 9 weeks and typically improves by 16-18 weeks (around the time your placenta is fully formed).  Although it is commonly termed morning sickness, 80% of women feel sick throughout the entire day.

The treatment of nausea in pregnancy is designed to try and make you feel better and allow you to drink enough so that you do not lose weight or develop deficiencies of essential vitamins and nutrients.  You may need to trial a lot of these different pieces of advice or combinations of a few of them over a period of weeks before finding what helps you.

Dietry changes

You should try eating before you feel hungry to avoid an empty stomach as this tends to worsen sickness. It is important to have a lot of small snacks that are high in protein and carbohydrate and low in fat in order to avoid the stomach too full or too empty eg 6 small meals. Drink cold clear and carbonated or sour fluids eg ginger ale, lemonade in between meals.

Avoiding triggers

You need to avoid odours, tastes and other activities that trigger nausea. Examples of triggers include eg Spicy foods/ stuffy rooms/ heat and humidity/ noise/ visual or physical motion/ excessive exercise/ excessive fatigue/ spicy foods and foods high in fat.

Avoid lying down after meals and some people find brushing their teeth after eating may help.

Vitamin B6

This is available in the most pregnancy multivitamins (eg pregnacare which also has vitamin D which is also necessary throughout all of your pregnancy- in addition it has folic acid which is necessary from at least 1month prior to conception until 14 weeks of pregnancy)

Complimentary therapies

Accupressure and acupuncture

Acupressure wrist bands seem to help a lot of women and like acupuncture have no known harmful side effects

Sometimes anti sickness tablets are advised but it is best to talk to your Doctor about this.

Some people develop extreme vomiting in pregnancy and this is called hyperemesis gravidarum. This necessitates admission to Hospital.

You need to see your Doctor if

You vomit every day or vomit again and again throughout the day

If you are losing weight

Have pain or cramps in your belly

You think you are dehydrated eg not urinating very much, dark yellow urine or feeling dizzy when you stand up

Or if you are generally concerned that things don’t feel right

If these things are happening you might need to get a drip in through a needle into your veins in Hospital and some anti sickness medications.

Call us at Collins Medical Practice if you have any concerns regarding any of the issues discussed above.