Nausea
Nausea or 'morning sickness' is common in pregnancy. Most women will have passed the stage of experiencing regular nausea by about 12-to-15 weeks, however some women will experience nausea throughout their pregnancy.
If you find that nausea is significantly impacting your ability to eat and drink, or that you are losing weight, it is very important that you talk to your doctor or midwife.
Tips for Dealing with Nausea
Fluids are vital as dehydration and thirst make nausea much, much worse.
- Sip at water - wetting your lips can be enough if this is all you can manage. Sucking on ice cubes or lemonade iceblocks can also help.
- Some women find they they feel more comfortable with drinking when they know how much they have had to drink - measuring out your fluid requirements into bottles at the start of the day and storing them in the fridge can be very reassuring.
- You might find you tolerate cold, warm or hot liquids better - experiment to see what you tolerate best.
- Some women find that ginger can help. You can try ginger beer, ginger tea or ginger ale.
- Foods that contain a high water content also count. Examples include: soup, broth, jelly and fruit.
Eating small amounts of food often is easier than eating large meals. Some suggestions for well tolerated foods include:
- Plain, dry crackers (grainy crackers are the best)
- Bread or toast, either plain or with a savoury topping, like peanut butter, Marmite or Vegemite
- Plain pop corn
- Pasta or noodles, either plain or with a simple sauce (e.g. a plain tomato sauce)
- Vegetable sticks - carrot and celery (wash well)
- Apple slices
- Nuts
- Mashed potato
- Soup or broth
Eat at the time of the day that is easier for you. Some women find eating a few crackers about 15 minutes before they get out of bed can help with managing nausea in the morning.
- Avoid strong flavours, e.g. curry and spice
- Avoid strong smells
- Rest as much as you are able to
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