How to handle nausea during pregnancy?

One of the most common aspects of pregnancy which most women dread is morning sickness or nausea during pregnancy. On the good thing is that nausea is usually an indication that the mother's body is producing enough amounts of hormones, thus minimizing the chance of having a miscarriage. On the negative side, there's a seemingly endless and sometimes dangerous nausea as well as vomiting.

During pregnancy, nausea is most prevalent during the first trimester when the hormone levels are rising. When hormone levels stop rising, the nausea stops for most of the women. Other women, however, may experience nausea and vomiting throughout their entire pregnancy. Medical science still hasn't really figured out as to why some women are more prone to morning sickness than others, or why certain women are more susceptible during some pregnancies as compared to others.

Nausea during pregnancy is very inconvenient. Fortunately, you can now purchase products that make it more discreet to throw up in the less-than-private places. Also, pregnancy seems to actually give you a sixth sense when it comes to locating bath rooms, and other women are usually quite willing to let pregnant women go in front of them when there are long lines for the bathroom.

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can sometimes be quite dangerous. Serious nausea and vomiting in pregnancy result in a condition known as hyperemesis that is typically diagnosed when a woman has lost at least 10% of her body weight because of nausea and vomiting. Nausea and vomiting can lead to dehydration and the electrolytes balance may get out of track - which in turn can be really dangerous for the baby. The standard treatment for this is a combination of anti-nausea medications as well as intravenous fluids for replacing the fluids that have lost.

In addition, there are a several other ways to handle nausea during pregnancy. No one method or remedy works for every mother to be - some methods work better than others and some methods work for a while and then can stop working. Keep trying to find something that works best for you, and talk to your doctor if nausea and vomiting are becoming really problematic. There are various prescription medications which have been successfully used to treat nausea during pregnancy - Phenergan is one of the most common.

The old standard advice of ginger ale and saltine crackers is still valid, as the saltiness of the crackers aids settling the stomach for some women. Some women find that potato chips work better. In addition, although ginger ale has only minimal amounts of ginger, ginger is a very well known anti-nausea remedy. Some studies suggest that ingesting large quantities of ginger during pregnancy might cause problems, so you need to be cautious. For some women, even the scent of ginger can be very calming, as also the scent of fresh lemons.

Some women find that bland foods are quite soothing, while other women find they have fewer problems with spicy foods. In fact, it's quite common to see a woman who will throw up dry toast and plain oatmeal, but can easily eat spicy Chinese food without any problems. It is essential to study what kinds of foods are appealing to you and give them a try. Also, many women find that if eating frequent, small meals throughout the day, makes them feel better and have less nausea.

Some women also find that wearing acupressure anti-nausea wrist bands helps. Lying on your right side on an empty stomach also helps quickly and may help reduce your nausea symptoms.

Finally, if nausea and vomiting are a serious problem for you, it will help to keep trying things till you find something that really works well for you. And be a little patient - chances are that nausea will pass around 12 to 14 weeks and will only be a faint memory by the time your baby arrives!