Not feeling well?
You are not alone! Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 80% of pregnant women. It is most common from weeks 9-14 but can last longer for some women. Our midwives recommend trying the following remedies to help cope with your symptoms.
What can you do?
Adjust your Diet
First, start with small sips of water, coconut water or electrolyte replacement drinks. Try starting your day with dry, bland toast or crackers and then when you are able to, add in protein. Good protein options include:
- Nuts, seeds, peanut or almond butter
- Dairy products including milk, yogurt or cheese
- Protein powders or shakes
Also, try sipping bubbly beverages like seltzer water or ginger ale throughout the day.
Adjust your schedule
Along with adjusting what you eat, you can try adjusting when you eat. Try eating smaller more frequent meals or snacks throughout the day. Remember, taking your prenatal vitamin is important, so you may want to take it at the end of the day if you are nauseous in the morning. If you cannot tolerate it, switch to a chewable gummy that contains folic acid.
Natural Treatments
If you are trying to avoid medication and feel that is appropriate for you, there are some more natural remedies that have been shown to help. These include the following:
- Ginger candy, ginger capsules or ginger tea made from fresh ginger
- Sea Bands which relieve nausea naturally by using accupressure at a point on your wrist or try placing pressure on your PC6 point yourself
- Papaya Digestive Enzymes can be found at a health food store and contain pepsin that helps break down foods more easily
- Peppermint gum or roll peppermint essential oils onto your skin
Over the Counter Treatments
If the more natural route isn’t working for you, feel free to pick up some over the counter products at the pharmacy including vitamin B6 and Unisom. Please let your midwife know at your appointment if you are using these products. Here are the recommended doses:
- 25-50 mg Vitamin B6
- If Vitamin B6 alone is not helpful, take in combination with Unisom (12.5-25mg doxylamine succinate) at bedtime
Avoid Triggers
There are certain environments or substances that can trigger nausea and vomiting in many women. If possible, try to avoid your specific triggers such as the ones below.
- Stuffy rooms or strong, unpleasant smells that trigger your nausea
- Marijuana/THC containing products have not been shown to be safe in pregnancy and can be a trigger for nausea
- Excessively greasy, spicy, or sugary foods.
If the above methods are not helpful to you and you are concerned about the severity of your nausea and vomiting, please contact your healthcare provider. Your provider may be able to call in a prescription-strength medication. If you are a patient of Southwest Midwives, feel free to call our office at 970-247-553. Always let your provider know if you are experiencing any of the symptoms below.
- Signs of dehydration, including infrequent urination, dark-colored urine, or dizziness with standing
- Unable to keep down any food or drinks for more than 12 hours
- Fever or diarrhea in addition to nausea and vomiting
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash