Nausea During Pregnancy

Nausea during pregnancy, colloquially known as morning sickness, is a very common early pregnancy symptom.

When I was pregnant there were times when I would think, “Oh my God, why do I have to have this terrible nausea during pregnancy!” My pregnancy was the most beautiful thing that has happened to me, but it seemed that I had to suffer to get what I wanted most in my life, my baby. Luckily my baby is well worth the all of the discomforts of pregnancy.

During pregnancy you will experience many changes that you have not felt before. Your baby is worth more than any discomfort, and you know that. Therefore, what remains is to learn to live with these symptoms and try to minimize them as much as possible.

Why is there nausea and vomiting during pregnancy?

Experts say that nausea and vomiting affect between 50 to 70% of all pregnancies, some way or another. They also say that nausea and vomiting is caused by hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy, although this is not fully known with certainty.

Normally nausea during pregnancy comes during mornings and is for this reason it’s commonly called “morning sickness,” but it may come at any time of the day.

How long will morning sickness last?

If you start feeling nausea and vomiting early in your pregnancy, it will likely continue until the end of the first trimester. I hope you are in that 30% of women who have no symptoms at all, or maybe very mild symptoms.

Most women have nausea during pregnancy until the end of the third month of pregnancy, although up to 20% of women continue to have these symptoms throughout the whole pregnancy.

How can I avoid having nausea during pregnancy?

The discomforts caused by nausea and vomiting can be reduced with some natural help. The following are some remedies for alleviating morning sickness:

Put some dry food close to your bed, for example: cookies, cereal, or toast, and before getting out of bed in the morning, eat some of this food.
Eat small meals more often. Waiting too long between meals can lead to more nausea.
Drink liquids between meals to avoid feeling too full.
If you feel nausea between meals, drink small amounts of juice or carbonated beverages.
Avoid greasy foods. They will definitely cause nausea during pregnancy. These include butter, mayonnaise, cupcakes, chips, salad, bacon, and fried foods.
Avoid strong odors. For example: a friend of mine told me that when she was pregnant, she had to take her dog to the vet. The smell of the dog inside her car was so terrible that she could not stand it and she started vomiting.
Don’t brush your teeth immediately after eating because this can cause vomiting.
Try to keep an open window in the room where you sleep, if possible, in order to have fresh air. This helps you breathe, preventing nausea and vomiting.

If your discomfort with nausea during pregnancy is much higher, you should consult your doctor in order to prescribe you some medicine. Personally I prefer to avoiding nausea with natural remedies, but doctors are another option when the discomfort is really severe.

Is nausea or too much vomiting dangerous?

Vomiting in general, and even worst, severe vomiting is definitely dangerous in any circumstance because it causes lose of liquid and dehydration as a result. Go to your doctor if you have severe vomiting. Your doctor may do a urine test (ketone test) and give you a remedy.

In most cases nausea and vomiting aren’t harmful for you and your baby. However, keep an eye on the severity of vomiting.

Finally, if nausea and vomiting are a particular problem for you, keep trying things until you find something that works. Remember that at the end of those nine months, your baby will be waiting to give you a huge hug.