Nausea is an unfortunate side effect of pregnancy. For most, it occurs during the first trimester, but for some, it can last the entire pregnancy. There are, however, some things that you can do to decrease your nausea.
Mint
Mint can reduce nausea in some people who are pregnant. You can try a small piece of candy to see if that will help your queasy stomach. You want to be careful about how much sugar you consume during pregnancy, however. For this reason, small sucking candies like lifesavers might be a better alternative than larger chocolate candies.
Acupressure armbands
Many pharmacies sell motion sickness armbands. They are small bands that you wear around your wrist. There is no medication in them; instead there is a small ball, which when worn correctly pushes against a pressure point and is said to reduce nausea. They make them for motion sickness, but they may work for the nausea of pregnancy as well. They are very inexpensive and can often also be found in big stores such as Target.
Eat frequently, but smaller meals
Some moms-to-be will find their nausea exacerbated when they are hungry. Likewise eating a huge meal might be a lot for your stomach to take during this turbulent time. For this reason, it may be helpful to eat smaller items constantly throughout the day. Try to avoid getting too hungry and don’t overstuff yourself at a meal.
Eat stomach-settling foods
Some foods are easier to take, such as dry toast and crackers. Your nausea may be much more likely to be exacerbated if you wolf down an entire pizza (no matter how much you are craving it). You will want to stay away from fatty, unhealthy foods as much as possible.
Medicine
If your nausea is truly debilitating, you can ask your physician for a prescription medication to help. Some people have such bad cases, that this is the only thing that can help them. This is most indicated for someone who is not only nauseous but who is vomiting so much that they are having difficulty gaining the recommended amount of weight.
Nausea is an unfortunate part of pregnancy for most women, but there are things you can do to help. Sometimes the best thing is to try to distract yourself, and you may even be able to forget about it for a little while. Mint, acupressure armbands, eating frequent and small meals, eating stomach-settling foods and medicine can all help with the discomfort of nausea.
