Nausea

The most dreaded symptom of all—nausea—is a very common side effect of pregnancy. Some women have nausea and vomiting in the morning, some at night, and some all throughout the day. Some women have no nausea. Because every pregnancy is different, you may feel differently in your current pregnancy than you have with other pregnancies. Be reassured, this is a very normal symptom that only rarely causes problems for the mother.

Nausea is thought be related to elevations in certain pregnancy hormones. These hormones typically decrease toward the end of the first trimester, so most women have improvement in symptoms as they move into the second trimester.

Things that can help include:

▪ Eating more frequent small meals instead of three heavy meals a day

▪ Ginger

▪ Vitamin B6

▪ Emetrol (take as directed on package)

▪ Avoidance of spicy, fatty, or heavy foods

▪ Sometimes your doctor may prescribe anti-nausea medications such as zofran or phenergan

Even though nausea and vomiting are typically normal, signs that you should call the office include:

▪ Inability to tolerate liquids

▪ Decreased urine formation or urine that is very dark in color and minimal in amount

▪ Significant weight loss

Acute Nausea and Vomiting

Sometimes in pregnancy, you will contract “the stomach virus” or an acute episode of nausea and vomiting, sometimes with associated diarrhea.

If this occurs, treat symptoms as recommended above, but call if your symptoms persist for >24 hours. You can also call our office at the onset of symptoms, as we may be able to prescribe medications to treat the nausea so that you do not become severely dehydrated.