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The nausea are that affect almost all of us during pregnancy. It is estimated that between 50 and 80% the number of women are affected during their pregnancy. Some also suspect the arrival of the happy event by getting up smeared, several days in a row …
Pregnancy nausea: what is it due to?
Nausea is related, in large part, to hormonal upheaval early in pregnancy. For this reason, future mothers of twins or triplets would be more prone to it. (We dare not imagine the mother of octuplets!)
Some of us only have nausea when we wake up, on an empty stomach, others suffer them throughout the day. These urges to vomit can be caused by an odor (tobacco, perfume, cooking, etc.) or in front of a particular dish, during meals. They are sometimes accompanied by vomiting or excessive salivation (hypersalivation).
How long does pregnancy nausea last?
Usually nausea begins between the 4th and 8th week of pregnancy and subsides towards the end of the first trimester. But there is no real rule in this area. Some women will never experience it, others will be sick until childbirth!
Can nausea affect the health of the baby?
Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy sometimes have a real impact on our social life, either because they are very virulent or because they last beyond the first trimester. The most severe form of the latter, from which the Duchess of Cambridge has twice suffered, is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG, or hyperemesis gravidarum). “This affects about 0,3 to 2% of pregnancies and is the main cause of hospitalization during the first half of this period.“Says the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC).
Nausea causes a lack of appetite, even a certain disgust. Result: some lose weight early in their pregnancy. Do not worry about the baby, even a significant weight loss will not affect the fetus. Just take stock with your doctor. In the event of vomiting, it is recommended to drink enough water to avoid dehydration.
The little anti-nausea “tips”
New reflexes and daily tips can help you reduce your nausea:
- the morning, avoid any physical exertion before filling your stomach;
- swallow something before getting up if you are prone to morning sickness when your stomach is empty, and plan to water and a snack on your bedside table ;
- stick to dishes that make you want and forget the too rich dishes, the exotic specialties, because they are difficult to digest and generate strong odors. The more neutral the food, the more chance it has to pass;
- opt for gentle cooking (steamer, oven, papillote…), and add fat afterwards, to avoid indigestible cooked fats and unpleasant cooking odors;
- replace the coffee, if it makes you nauseous, with tea;
- avoid sweet in the morning, prefer a neutral or salty breakfast;
- avoid fatty and irritating foods;
- split your meals. Try to go from three large meals to five smaller meals a day (this will help you eat less fast), as eating too much and / or too much can make you sick, while fasting can increase. nausea. Short, eat more often but in small amounts ;
- always have a snack on you: fresh fruit, dried fruit, bread, cottage cheese;
- avoid drinking during meals ;
- put in place alternatives to maintain good food intake and avoid deficiencies (eg: yogurt if you can’t stand cheese or milk, eggs or ham if you avoid red meat, compotes if you don’t like fresh fruit…);
- ventilate the rooms you are in, breathe deeply and avoid strong smells.
Nausea and vomiting while pregnant: when to consult?
Nausea during pregnancy is frequent, due to the presence of more or less marked pregnancy hormones in the blood, and often passes during the second trimester. Talk to your doctor or midwife if they are accompanied by vomiting and / or significant weight loss and / or dehydration and lack of appetite. If necessary, he / she will prescribe antiemetics for your relief, monitor your condition for severe seizures and make sure that it does not impact the baby.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) stresses the importance of a doctor-patient dialogue since “the choice of pharmacological treatment for nausea is as important as that of when to start it«.
Natural remedies for nausea
The SOGC recommends that pregnant women to eat whatever they like, instead of changing their diet to relieve nausea. It is better to favor a varied diet than taking vitamin supplements. “In some women, nausea is caused by the iron in these vitamins“, Explains the SOGC which does not recommend“ systematic supplementation ”, but advises, except iron deficiency, to privilege thefolic acid.
On the other hand, mothers-to-be can include ginger, the quintessential anti-nausea food, in their diet, in the form of tea or tablets, or even in dishes (grated or powdered). On condition of buying it in pharmacies or organic stores for a more reliable composition. Fees, count 10 g / day de ginger or 2 g / day, dried.
«Research has proven that ginger acts as a dopamine and serotonin antagonist, improving gastric motility without causing side effects“, Underlines the SOGC. There are also cookies, candies (preferably sugar free) and ginger chewing gum.
Also, l’acupression is a natural and affordable alternative: it is necessary to stimulate the specific point P6, located at the width of three fingers upstream of the wrist, between the two tendons. Acupuncture can also be considered against nausea of pregnancy.
Homeopathy prescription against nausea of pregnancy
Here is what is generally recommended in homeopathy against nausea during pregnancy, at a rate of 3 granules per dose, 4 to 5 times per day:
- Ignatia 5 CH when nausea is aggravated by the sight and / or smell of food, and eating relieves;
- Nux vomica 5 CH, when the nausea is calmed by vomiting and the tongue is white (and is also recommended for acid reflux);
- Ipeca 5 CH when vomiting does not relieve nausea and is accompanied by hypersalivation;
- Cocculus 5 CH when nausea is aggravated by movement, transport;
- Sepia 5 CH when the nausea is morning, worsens with the sight or the smell of food, and that it associates with a mask of pregnancy (chloasma).
Remember, however, that nothing beats the advice of a homeopath to set up a homeopathic treatment, because homeopathy is intended to be a personalized and comprehensive approach.