How to Prevent Nausea During Pregnancy

Getting over the nausea means you can relax.

During the first trimester of pregnancy (and sometimes into the second and even the third), many women will experience feelings of nausea as their hormone levels change. While nausea in itself is unpleasant, the real problem is when it leads to a decreased appetite so the mom-to-be does not manage to get the nutrition her developing baby needs. In order to regain your appetite, it is important to try to prevent or treat pregnancy nausea. While not every method here may work for you, you need to keep experimenting until you find something that does work so you can get back to eating right for the two of you.

Instructions

1. Add a teaspoonful of ginger to a morning cup of tea. Ginger is a folk remedy for preventing or curing nausea, and many women also report great success in controlling their nausea by drinking ginger ale, eating ginger snaps or sucking on ginger-flavored hard candies.

2. Wear an anti-nausea band around your wrist. These wrist bands use acupuncture principles to control the nausea that results from seasickness; they also can work to help stop pregnancy-related nausea.

3. Try a different brand of prenatal vitamins. It is important that you get adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, but some vitamins may be more nausea-inducing than others. See if you can find a timed-release formula or change the time of day you take your pill, perhaps swallowing one right before you go to bed so you can (hopefully) sleep through any nausea.

4. Eat a few crackers or another high-carbohydrate food before you get out of bed in the morning. Take things very slowly until the carbs have a chance to kick in and raise your blood sugar.

5. Avoid any foods that seem to trigger your nausea. Greasy or fatty foods are best avoided, but make sure you get adequate protein, about 80 to 100 grams per day.

6. Check with your doctor to see whether it would be OK for you to try a vitamin B-6 supplement. A 50-mg supplement may help to control morning sickness, but it is important to clear any type of supplement you may take with your ob-gyn during your pregnancy.

Tips & Warnings

• Eating before you feel hungry can help prevent nausea. An empty stomach can make nausea more intense.

• Smelling a lemon or sucking on lemon candies can help keep nausea at bay.

• If the nausea becomes so severe it's debilitating or if you are unable to keep any food down, consult your doctor.

References

• The Mayo Clinic: Tips for Dealing with Pregnancy Nausea

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Preggie Pops