What can help nausea during pregnancy?

Among the challenges of pregnancy, very few are more famous than nausea. Vomiting is a common occurrence at the beginning of the nine-month period, and the whole ordeal is also known under the name morning sickness.

If you’ve just recently found out the good news, you may be wondering if there’s something you can do to avoid or at least diminish vomiting during pregnancy. It’s certainly not something one enjoys, so every little bit can go a long way in helping you feel better.

Don’t worry because we are going to show you how to treat nausea in pregnancy in the rest of this text so that you can have much more pleasant mornings and enjoy the blissful state more.

 Let’s get started!

What is nausea?

First, we need to define the problem. What is nausea? Well, generally speaking, nausea is the feeling one gets when one needs to vomit. It is, of course, not exclusively related to pregnancies as nausea can be associated with problems like seasickness, dizziness, fever, too much alcohol or some problem in the digestive tract. We’ve probably all felt this at least once in our lives.

So, the fact that you’re vomiting doesn’t immediately mean you’re pregnant. Simply, for one reason or another, your body feels that it needs to eject something that you ingested.

As a matter of fact, the most common reason one vomits is either stomach flu or food poisoning.

However, this feeling also afflicts about three quarters of pregnant women, and this is most probably due to the changes in their hormone levels.

Symptoms

Symptoms of nausea are probably best described by taking a look at motion sickness. Think of what it’s like to be seasick or suffer from car sickness, and you’ll start to get the picture. Light-headedness is almost always there as is headache, but increased amounts of saliva are also often present.

There are some other symptoms that can appear during pregnancy, though. For example, pregnant women can develop an intolerance for some foods or even smells because they immediately give them a feeling of nausea.

Nausea can also appear after you’ve eaten a meal, and in some cases, it can be followed by a strong feeling of hunger

Nausea in pregnancy

Let’s now focus more on just the nausea that hits women during pregnancy. We first have to address the name “morning sickness” here, a term that is often used to describe this problem.

You see, while there certainly are many instances in which this feeling does appear in the morning, this does by no means limit nausea to that particular time of day. In fact, you can get this feeling pretty much around the clock when you’re pregnant. So, don’t let the name mislead you.

When does nausea in pregnancy start?

We’ve already mentioned that nausea in pregnancy is something that comes up relatively quickly after a child is conceived. In fact, it is one of the most notable features of the first trimester.

Morning sickness will usually start in the second month of pregnancy, somewhere around week six, but by the beginning of the fourth month, it should more or less be a thing of the past.

It should also be noted that the start of morning sickness and vomiting in pregnancy coincides with a spike in HCG hormones. These are produced by the placenta and can be detected in urine, which means they are definitive proof of pregnancy.

Risk factors

Nausea in pregnancy per se doesn’t pose a risk to you or your baby. However, there is something called hyperemesis gravidarum, a much stronger form of morning sickness that is characterized by much more nausea and vomiting. This can lead to a significant loss of weight and low blood pressure, so it’s important to report problems like this to your doctor.

Additionally, there are known risk factors that increase the probability of nausea during pregnancy. These include:

• Susceptibility to motion sickness
• Obesity
• Exposure to stress
• First Pregnancy
• Genetical predisposition (morning sickness runs in the family)
• You're pregnant with two or more babies

Treatment and prevention

So, what can you do about nausea during pregnancy? Is there some kind of treatment for morning sickness?

Well, there are some ways to combat this. For example, our Bump Candle is ideal for pregnant women because it contains lemon essential oil, an ingredient that helps control the nausea that comes with morning sickness. Just light one if you don’t feel well or as a form of prevention and vomiting won’t be such a problem anymore.

Speaking of prevention, there are some things you can do to avoid this problem altogether. Rest and relaxation can be of great help, and if you have an aromatherapy candle nearby, use one and enjoy a quiet moment. Just try to get one with an essential oil that helps with nausea.

Another big factor is your diet. You should drink a lot of fluids and eat carbohydrates while avoiding fatty food. Ginger can be pretty powerful when it comes to preventing nausea, and you should generally plan smaller but more frequent meals if possible. Obviously, try to avoid the things whose smell makes you sick.

Conclusion

Nausea during pregnancy, commonly often referred to as morning sickness, is something that affects a majority of pregnant women.

The main cause of this is considered to be the change in hormone levels at the beginning of every pregnancy, but whether or not somebody will have to deal with this can depend on things such as genetics, how many babies a woman is going to have, how susceptible she is to motion sickness, etc.

Cradle & Tonic offers completely natural products that can help fight the feeling of nausea, but you can also try and prevent it with a healthy diet. In most cases, this is not something that can threaten you or your baby, although a severe form of morning sickens with a lot of vomiting will require medical attention.

FAQ

What is nausea and vomiting in pregnancy?

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, commonly known as morning sickness, is something that affects about 75% of pregnant women. Usually, the cause of this is thought to be the change in women’s hormone levels.

This condition appears in the first trimester of the pregnancy and is not something that can harm the woman or the baby unless the woman experiences it in a severe form with prolonged bouts of nausea and vomiting. A healthy diet may help prevent or at least alleviate symptoms.

Could I have the symptoms of early pregnancy and not be pregnant?

Yes. Nausea can be associated with a wide variety of conditions, from fever and motion sickness to migraines and food poisoning. As a matter of fact, food poisoning and stomach flu are the most common causes of nausea.

If, however, you notice that some smells cause you to be nauseous and that you’re feeling like this on a regular basis, the chances of you being pregnant will rise. In any case, the best course of action is to visit your doctor if you’re not certain what is causing you to feel ill.

What if my morning sickness is really bad?

If you’re experiencing a strong case of morning sickness, with a strong feeling of nausea and a lot of vomiting, you should consult your doctor because this may be a case of hyperemesis gravidarum. This condition can cause low blood pressure, loss of weight and several other problems, and it could stay with the patient for longer than just the first trimester of the pregnancy. Seeking medical help is therefore very much recommended.