Vomiting or morning sickness during pregnancy

Nausea during pregnancy can be controlled to a large extent by making some simple changes in diet and daily life.

Nausea or vomiting is a very common problem during pregnancy. Most of the pregnant women have this problem. This is usually not a serious problem. Nausea and vomiting can be easily controlled by following some home remedies.

When can nausea occur during pregnancy?

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is called 'morning sickness' in English. Although the name is morning or morning, you can actually have nausea at any time of the day.

This problem usually occurs in the very early stages of pregnancy (between 4 and 7 weeks). In most cases, nausea subsides on its own within 12 to 14 weeks. However, some may experience nausea or vomiting after this period—even throughout pregnancy.

Many people experience nausea and vomiting soon after conception, so many people think that this may be a sign of pregnancy. However, not all pregnant women experience vomiting problems. That is also very normal. There is nothing to worry about.

Treatment of nausea during pregnancy

Home Remedies to Reduce Vomiting

There is no specific treatment to reduce nausea or vomiting of pregnancy. Because every pregnancy is different from each other. So it is not the case that everyone's problem will be cured with the same treatment. However, this problem can be controlled to a large extent by making some simple changes in diet and daily life. That's why—

1. Eat foods containing ginger: Various studies have found that ginger plays an effective role in reducing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.  One study even found ginger to be as effective as a medication (pyridoxine or vitamin B6) in relieving nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

You can chew raw ginger. You can mix chopped ginger with onion-pepper while eating salad or chickpeas. Apart from this, you can make ginger tea with just ginger slices in hot water.

2. Stick to eating habits: Some simple eating habits can help reduce your nausea—

• Starting work on an empty stomach may cause nausea. So you can eat something light (like: some biscuits or some fruit) as soon as you wake up.
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• After 1-2 hours you can eat small amount of food. This reduces the possibility of empty stomach.
• Avoid foods with extra oil and fat or too spicy. It is better to eat less too sweet or sour food.
• Try to eat easily digestible foods. Easy-to-digest foods with less oil and less spices can be very beneficial in reducing your nausea. For example: rice, toast, bananas, tea and dry food.
• Try to eat more protein rich foods. Studies have shown that protein foods facilitate the movement of food in the stomach As a result, it can help reduce vomiting. Along with fish, meat, eggs and dairy products, nuts are also a good source of protein.
• Avoid drinking water or drinks at least half an hour before and after meals. Sometimes drinking water with food can cause overfilling of the stomach and vomiting.
• Cold water, drinks, or sour fruit juices can often help reduce nausea.
• Avoid lying down and resting after eating Taking a light walk for a while after eating helps in better digestion of food.

3. Avoid things that trigger nausea: Many people may find that their sense of smell is more acute after pregnancy. Smells that you may not have been able to detect or notice before may now come to your nose. Increased nausea may be associated with heightened sense of smell during pregnancy . So avoid unpleasant smells as much as possible.

Avoid certain foods, perfumes or anything that smells bad as much as possible. Cooking in a closed room can sometimes make raw food smell bad. In that case, cooking can be done by opening the window. If the smell of hot food is unpleasant, you can cool the food a little and then eat it. Enlist the help of other family members to dispose of the garbage.

Along with different smells, heat, humidity, closed environments, flashing lights or loud noises can aggravate your nausea. Avoid any of these that cause problems for you.

4. Consume more water and liquids: During pregnancy, one should consume plenty of water and liquids. These can help reduce nausea.

A healthy pregnant woman needs to drink an average of 2-3 liters of water per day. In terms of cups or glasses, you should drink a total of 8-12 glasses of water throughout the day. But if the doctor has given any special advice in this regard then follow it.

In addition, water and liquid foods (eg: rice starch and orsaline) also help to meet the need for water lost from the body due to vomiting. Drink small amounts of liquid every time you are able to eat after vomiting to avoid dehydration . Buy orsaline from the pharmacy and try to make saline as per the instructions of the packet and eat it little by little. Consult a doctor if you have any questions about this.

5. Get enough rest: Being tired can increase the tendency to nausea. So take care of adequate sleep and rest.

6. Acupuncture therapy or acupressure bands: Pressure is applied to a specific spot on the wrist using an acupressure band. Acupuncture therapy or the use of acupressure bands has been shown in some studies to reduce nausea in many people. So you can try acupuncture. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has not yet been conclusively proven. More research is needed on this.

Special information

During vomiting, the acid in the stomach comes out with the vomit. Frequent vomiting during pregnancy exposes the teeth to this acid repeatedly. It can cause tooth damage. As a result, various problems can occur in your teeth and gums.

So rinse well with water every time you vomit. Also, wait at least an hour after vomiting without brushing your teeth. Because the teeth are a little weak after vomiting. Brushing too soon can damage the teeth.

Gargling with baking soda instead of plain water can help neutralize acid in the mouth. An easy way to make this mixture at home is to mix a spoonful of baking soda in a cup of water and rinse well with this water. It can be beneficial in maintaining good dental health.

Medicines to reduce nausea

You can take some medicines if the vomiting problem does not subside even after following the home remedies properly. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is used to reduce nausea during pregnancy. It can help reduce nausea of ​​pregnancy. The World Health Organization recommends taking this medicine to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Vitamin B6 is an over the counter medicine. You can buy it from the pharmacy and consume it safely. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about this.

Along with vitamins, your doctor may prescribe a medicine called doxylamine to reduce nausea. This antihistamine drug is considered safe for pregnancy. It can be taken separately, or combined with pyridoxine. However, it cannot be consumed without a doctor's advice.

If these medicines do not work, the doctor may suggest you to take certain medicines for vomiting. There are many types of anti-emetics available at the pharmacy These are usually recommended as tablets. However, if all kinds of food and drink cause vomiting, then vomiting medicine can be given as a suppository or injection.

Note that it is not known for sure if all types of anti-emetics are safe for pregnancy Therefore, any anti-emetic medication should not be taken without a doctor's advice. It may harm the unborn child.

When to go to the doctor?

If vomiting is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, contact a doctor immediately—

• If blood is vomited
• If the color of urine is very dark or if no urine has been passed for more than 8 hours
• If you vomit everything you eat or drink within 24 hours
• If the body feels very weak
• If you feel faint when turning your head or standing up
• If you have stomach pain
• If you have a fever
• If you have a headache
• Pain during urination
• If you lose weight

These can be signs of dehydration, urinary tract infection or a more serious illness. Hospitalization may be required in some cases.

When you go to the doctor, he will do a physical examination, measure your blood pressure and suggest some tests. For example: blood test, urine test and abdominal ultrasonogram.

You may be given intravenous saline if you are admitted to hospital. Also, anti-emetics and other vitamins may be injected into your body. Many people feel better after such treatment and can return home quickly.

Hyperemesis gravidarum

In some cases the nausea and vomiting problem of pregnancy can take a severe form. This fatal condition is medically called 'hyperemesis gravidarum'. In this case, there is vomiting many times throughout the day. A pregnant woman cannot keep any food or water in her stomach. 3 out of every 100 pregnant women may experience severe vomiting. 

If you suffer from this complication, you may suffer from dehydration and malnutrition. Even body weight may decrease. Losing the balance of salt, alkali and acid in the body can create various serious health risks. In this case, specialized treatment may be required and sometimes hospitalization may be required.

Who is more prone to morning sickness?

The following areas may increase the risk of nausea or vomiting during pregnancy.

If your—

• Twins, that is, two or more children in the womb
• Nausea in a previous pregnancy
• Have motion sickness, i.e. nausea or vomiting when riding in a car
• Migraines are a problem
• Mother, sister or others in the family have a history of nausea during pregnancy
• A history of nausea from taking estrogen-containing birth control pills prior to conception 
• You are pregnant for the first time
• Being overweight (BMI over 30).
• Having to go through some kind of stress or anxiety
• The sense of smell becomes more intense during pregnancy

What causes nausea?

Hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy are believed to be one of the causes of nausea. Apart from this, some other diseases can also cause nausea. For example –

• Stomach ulcer
• Food poisoning
• Thyroid disease
• Gallbladder disease. Eg: Gallbladder stones
• Kidney infection. Without proper treatment, urinary tract infections can spread to the kidneys and cause nausea or vomiting

General inquiries

Can nausea during pregnancy harm the baby?Nausea or vomiting is a very common symptom during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester . It is generally unlikely to harm the pregnant mother or the unborn child Rather, some studies have associated nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy with a reduced risk of miscarriage. So nausea of ​​pregnancy is usually nothing to worry too much about.
However, if there is excessive vomiting or hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy, the baby may be born with less than normal weight. So if nausea or vomiting during pregnancy interferes with your normal life or if you are worried about it, talk to your doctor. You can discuss this during pregnancy checkup.