The topic of our article is one of the common and unpleasant conditions of a future mother. Nausea during pregnancy is inevitable, because this is a consequence of toxicosis - exposure to the mother's body products of the child’s vital activity. The reasons for its occurrence at different stages of gestation are different. In addition, this condition is not necessary to endure. You can and must fight nausea. How? We will definitely tell you further!
What is toxicosis?
Toxicosis (Greek toxikon - "poison") is an internal poisoning, intoxication of an organism. This condition can cause a number of diseases. Therefore, in addition to pregnancy, there are many reasons for nausea . But still, toxicosis is most characteristic of women bearing a fetus. According to statistics, every third expectant mother experiences a similar condition in the early stages of pregnancy.
The most common manifestation of toxicosis is nausea in the morning. However, this is too broad a concept - nausea can periodically be found during the day, and in especially severe cases it does not stop at all.
When does the state of toxicosis begin?
When to expect nausea during pregnancy? Most often, the condition occurs 6 weeks after the last menstrual cycle and ends at the 12-13th week of gestation. If the future mother has twins, then she can experience lightheadedness even before the 14-15th week of pregnancy.
Why is sick during pregnancy?
There is no specific reason for nausea during pregnancy. You can name only a number of the most reasonable assumptions:
- Increased hormones in the body of the expectant mother, hormonal storms. The main reason is progesterone. The effects of prolactin and chorionic gonadotropin are also felt.
- The most likely causes include problems with the digestive tract of the mother. In particular, increased or decreased acidity.
- Improperly organized nutrition before pregnancy.
- Inflammatory processes in the genitals.
- Diseases of a neurological or endocrine nature.
- Emotional factors. Nausea during pregnancy is aggravated in minutes when a woman is nervous, worries. The general mood has a great influence. If pregnancy is desirable for a woman, pleasant, then toxicosis torments her much less often. And if such news took her mother by surprise, she is worried about the future, her own and the child, then nausea will overcome her more often.
- Weakening factors. Lack of sleep, colds, overwork exacerbate the condition.
- Mint smell or taste. Oddly enough, many pregnant women feel that they feel sick from this rather pleasant and widespread aroma.
- The sense of smell of pregnant women exacerbates to a critical point. Therefore, a woman can be sick of a barely noticeable unpleasant smell. There are two ways out - to eliminate its source or carry a handkerchief, perfumed with a scent that reassures you.
- There is a version that vomiting helps cleanse the mother’s body from harmful substances, protecting her from miscarriage. This explains the fact that nausea is characteristic of the first months of pregnancy, when the basic fetal systems develop. It is important that during this period the woman’s body is clean from harmful substances.
Let us also recall the popular belief that severe nausea in a woman manifests itself only when she is pregnant with a boy. But medical practice denies such a statement. Studies by Canadian scientists are also interesting: they argue that the nausea experienced by the mother is a sign that she is carrying a child with high intellectual abilities.
Degree of toxicosis
Early pregnancy nausea is not a disease or condition, except in especially severe cases. Therefore, medications are not prescribed - only the selection of an individual diet, general recommendations. Treatment is thought out with very frequent vomiting - the woman’s body is dehydrated, which is dangerous for her and the child.
Early pregnancy nausea is divided into three main degrees:
- Light toxicosis. Vomiting up to 4-5 times a day. There is slight weight loss of a woman, which does not affect the weight of the child. Medical care, hospitalization is not required here.
- Moderate toxicosis. Vomiting up to 10 times a day. A woman feels weakness, apathy, she significantly loses weight. Along with this, the pressure decreases, the temperature rises and the pulse speeds up. This requires hospitalization and treatment under the supervision of doctors.
- Severe toxicosis. Very rare condition. With it, food is practically not retained in the body - a woman can vomit up to 20 times a day. Strong dehydration is observed, the expectant mother loses up to 2-3 kg of weight per week. In this condition, immediate hospitalization is necessary!
Early toxicosis
Speaking about what kind of nausea is during pregnancy, it is important to note that this phenomenon is characteristic only for the first 15 weeks. And 70% of all expectant mothers pass through it.
This is a very important period for your baby - there is a laying of the basic systems of his life, the main organs. In response, the mother’s body responds with resistance - the immune cells “think” that the “invader” has invaded the system. What to do, at the biological level, the embryo is perceived as such. The fruit is actively opposing them, fighting for his life.
Of course, for the mother’s body, such “battles” cannot pass without a trace - hence toxicosis, exhausting nausea in the morning. In fact, this is a natural and even somewhat beneficial reaction of the body. Therefore, mom needs to stay calm and not worry once again, without losing a peaceful state - both her and her child.
But do not add a severe degree of toxicosis here. This condition is already pathologically dangerous for the woman and her child. One good thing is that it is extremely rare.
Dangerous signs of early toxicosis
Nausea in the first trimester of pregnancy should alarm an expectant mother if toxicosis is accompanied by:
- Frequent vomiting.
- Rapid weight loss.
- Dry and flaky skin.
- Dark urine with an unpleasant odor.
- High temperature.
- Rapid heart rate (more than 100 beats per minute).
Late toxicosis
The period of nausea during pregnancy is usually early. Why women wonder why this condition occurs during the third trimester. The explanation is purely physiological - an overgrown uterus presses on the internal digestive organs of the mother. The liver “resents” this with mild nausea.
But do not disregard this symptom if you feel otherwise unwell. Just in the third trimester, the risk of developing the so-called gestosis is great. Such late toxicosis, unlike early toxicosis, is already a real threat of pregnancy, since it is fraught with the development of oxygen deficiency for a child.
Alarming symptoms of gestosis, in addition to vomiting and nausea, are usually as follows:
- Tinnitus, dizziness, headache.
- Weight gain.
- Unceasing thirst.
- Periodic edema.
- Pain under the ribs.
- The appearance of protein in the urine.
In the late weeks of pregnancy, nausea is dangerous in the following cases:
- Mom is over 35 years old.
- A woman has a history of miscarriage and abortion.
- With Rhesus conflict of the parents of the child.
- Mom has systematic and chronic diseases. In particular, associated with the endocrine, cardiovascular system, pyelonephritis.
Important Toxicosis
Early pregnancy nausea has a number of important features. For instance:
- If the mother is sick, it does not mean that the child is experiencing a similar state.
- Most often, the condition is observed on an empty stomach. Often, a pregnant woman simply collapses from food.
- The most useful methods to combat vomiting will be those that help to at least slightly fill the stomach.
- Alarms are considered nausea from sudden movements, chronic dry skin, a sharp drop in pressure, dizziness.
How to get rid of nausea during pregnancy
Just note that a universal remedy does not exist. You will be helped only by a comprehensive individual diet, a healthy lifestyle. Do not get tired of trying and selecting products from which your condition improves.
If nausea during pregnancy, what to do? Let us introduce a number of widespread recommendations:
- Spend more time outdoors - at least two hours a day.
- In the first trimester, try to minimize physical activity.
- Switch to fractional nutrition - frequent, but in small portions.
- Ventilate your home regularly, especially at bedtime.
- Have breakfast in bed before getting up. Eat yogurt, an apple, and then lie down a little more. You will feel much less sick.
- Compose your breakfast with protein-rich foods. This is milk, cheese, eggs. Fruits will also help.
- Large portions, fatty, spicy and spicy foods provoke nausea during pregnancy.
- Accustom yourself to small healthy snacks between main meals.
- Take special vitamins for pregnant women. In particular, supplements belonging to group B help fight nausea.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Replace synthetic, caffeinated, carbonated drinks with herbal teas, infusions, compotes, decoctions.
- Try to eat less sugary foods.
- "Provocateurs" are also sharp movements, especially in the morning.
- Try to avoid hot foods and switch to moderately warm foods.
- Protect yourself from sources of unpleasant odors.
- Try to give up soups, just like drinking food. Replenish the water balance between meals.
- Learn to deal with stress, nervous shocks and their consequences.
- Sometimes mineral water or lemon tea helps to cope with mild lightheadedness.
- Stop smoking! This bad habit is not only harmful to the unborn baby, but also contributes to the secretion of gastric juice, which aggravates nausea.
- Give up the habit of going to bed immediately after eating. Remember that the digestive tract in a pregnant woman is already slow. Therefore, if possible it is worth moving more.
- Try to trust your intuition - eat what you like.
Products for Nausea
As we have said, a universal remedy for nausea does not exist. However, the following products help many pregnant women cope with this condition:
- Citrus fruits.
- Quince.
- Green tea.
- Mint.
- Sunflower seeds.
- Grenades.
- Dried fruits.
- Ginger Root
- Sauerkraut.
- Crackers.
- Pickled Cucumbers.
Folk remedy
Herbal preparations help some women avoid the negative effects of toxicosis. Share this recipe:
- Valerian root - 1 teaspoon.
- Mint leaves - 2 teaspoons.
- Marigold flowers - 2 teaspoons.
- Yarrow herb - 2 teaspoons.
Herbal mixture is poured 400 ml of boiling water. Then it is insisted for half an hour, after which it is filtered. Infusion is used six times a day, 50 ml. Phytotherapy course - 25 days with 2-week breaks.
What to do
If you become very tormented with toxicosis, first contact your doctor who will determine the severity of the problem, prescribe the necessary recommendations and, possibly, treatment. If severe toxicosis suddenly stopped, this is also an occasion to consult a doctor. It is necessary to do an ultrasound of the uterus to exclude the fact of a dead pregnancy.
Do not hesitate to consult a specialist if, in addition to nausea, you experience headaches, discomfort in your stomach, and you have a fever.
Thus, nausea for many women is an inextricable and unpleasant pregnancy companion. Someone is experiencing severe effects of toxicosis, someone - light and almost imperceptible. There are many reasons for it, moreover, they are all more conjectural. You can’t say anything unambiguous that would help you get rid of nausea. There are general recommendations about lifestyle, diet, trying that you can find that individual remedy that will reduce the unpleasant effects of toxicosis for you.