How to cope with nausea during pregnancy?

We must bear in mind that both hunger and stomach heaviness influence the onset of nausea, so we must make frequent and light meals

When a woman becomes pregnant she suffers many changes in the body and numerous symptoms related to these changes. One of the most typical and troublesome symptoms of the first trimester are nausea and vomiting.

This symptom usually appears, almost always, in the morning just when you get up . Perhaps, drinks and foods that you liked before, now can cause you to want to vomit. However, this bad taste usually disappears when the pregnancy ends.

They tend to decrease from the third month, although in some cases they remain throughout the pregnancy . As we have said, it is usual to be morning, but there are women who suffer throughout the day.

Causes of nausea in pregnancy

The causes of nausea are unknown, but it is likely that they are due to a series of changes such as:

• Hormonal cause : human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone whose levels increase rapidly, coinciding with the onset of nausea in most women. This hormone regulates the functioning of the gonads, the sex glands that produce estrogen and progesterone. In addition, it acts on the center of nausea, located in the hypothalamus (part of the brain). After the 13th week of pregnancy, the levels of this hormone begin to decrease, as does nausea.
• Immune system : as the embryo is a "foreign body" for the organism, a recent theory says that the immune system tries to fight it and therefore nausea.
• Increased sense of smell and sensitivity to odors.
• Stomach discomfort due to increased sensitivity

Tips to relieve nausea during pregnancy

Nausea does not pose any problem for the course of pregnancy. However, they can be very annoying and affect the pregnant woman in her daily tasks. Therefore, we will list a series of tips to try to alleviate them and try to make them less numerous.

1. When nausea is morning, it is recommended to have some cookies by the bed and take them when you wake up.  Then, wait a few minutes before getting up.
2. The meals must be rich in proteins and carbohydrates ; you should avoid eating fats because they cost more to digest . Spicy foods, very spicy, fried irritate the stomach mucosa and are also harmful.
3. The stomach should never be empty , there should be several meals a day and these should be frugal. Both the feeling of heaviness and the feeling of hunger contribute negatively.
4. Water consumption is very important, at least two liters a day , especially between meals. If you have vomited a lot, instead of water you can drink isotonic drinks.
5. Little by little, the pregnant woman will discover what foods or sensations are causing her the most nausea , they should be avoided. It is common that very hot environments, perfumes, driving, some visual effects, etc., are triggers of nausea.
6. It is recommended to be outdoors or in well-ventilated places so that odors are not concentrated.
7. Rest is fundamental ; You should sleep eight hours a day and you should not undergo stress situations .

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Hyperémesis gravídica

As we have already said, it is a very common symptom and it is no more a problem than the discomfort itself , but there are a few cases in which the condition is more serious and may be hyperemesis gravidarum . This occurs when vomiting can not be controlled, the pregnant woman loses weight, takes more than 24 hours without retaining food and suffers dehydration. In these cases, you should go to the doctor to restore water balance and calm vomiting.