MINOR AILMENTS OF PREGNANCY

 

During pregnancy, a woman’s body changes in many ways. These changes can sometimes be uncomfortable, but most of the time they are normal. They can occur at any time during the pregnancy. Most of the minor disorders during pregnancy can be minimised with good education and prompt treatment. In my first post I would be explaining about digestive and food related disorders.

1.     Nausea, Vomiting and hyperemesis

Many women have nausea and vomiting in the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy, which is often called morning sickness. It happens commonly in the morning when the woman gets out of bed. However when there is severe and frequent nausea and multiple episodes of vomiting where she develops food aversion and loses weight more than or equal to 5 kgs and gets dehydrated which would be seen by positive urine dipstick for ketones, it is hyperemesis gravidarum, one should get replacements for the nutrition, body fluids and essential chemicals that she has lost.

Now managing your mild nausea, I would suggest following remedies:

A)  Before bed or during the night, eat a food that contains protein, such as beans, nuts or protein powder with milk.

B)   Eat a few bananas, dry bread, biscuits or cookies, or other grain food upon waking up in the morning.

C)   Eat many small meals instead of two or three larger ones, and take small sips of liquid often.

D)  Drink a cup of mint, cinnamon or ginger tea two or three times a day, before meals.

    Food dislikes and food cravings

A pregnant woman may suddenly dislike a food that she usually likes. It is OK not to eat that food, she should be careful that the rest of her diet contains a lot of nutritious food. A food craving is a strong desire to eat a certain food. If a woman gets a craving for nutritious foods (like beans, eggs, fruits or vegetables), it is OK for her to eat as much as she wants.

Pica is craving to eat things that are not food, like soil or clay and should be advised not to eat them. This may give her parasites, like worms, that can make her sick. Encourage her to eat iron-rich and calcium-rich foods instead (nuts, dates, leafy vegetables, beans, sprouts)

( I would be discussing good nutrition in pregnancy in my further blogs)

 

 Heartburn

A burning feeling or pain in the stomach, or between the breasts, is called indigestion or heartburn. It is due to the growing baby crowds the mother’s stomach and pushes it higher than usual.

Be assured this is not dangerous and shall go away after the birth.

Management of heartburn:

A)  Keep your stomach less full by eating smaller meals more often, and by eating foods and drinking liquids separately

B)   Avoid eating spicy or greasy foods, drinking coffee, tea as all of them can irritate the stomach

C)   Keep the head higher than your stomach when lying down or sleeping by using high but soft pillow. This will keep your stomach acids in your stomach and out of chest. Calm the acids in the stomach by drinking milk, or taking antacids

 

4.     Constipation

Constipation is caused by hormonal changes that decrease the rhythmic muscular movements of the gut (peristalsis), which push food along the intestines. This results in an increase in ‘emptying time’, i.e., time for a meal to be digested and the waste matter expelled as stools.

To treat and prevent constipation follow these remedies:                                                 

A)  Eat more fruits and vegetables

B)   Eat whole grains (brown rice and whole wheat, instead of white rice or white flour)

C)   Drink at least eight cups of clean water a day

D)  Walk, move and exercise every day

  P.S. If you are still not relieved with your digestion related symptoms, I am there to suggest further treatment.

   I am not telling you that its going to be easy , I am telling you its going to be worth it !