I’m throwing up! Help!

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is no one’s idea of a good time. Unfortunately, it affects about two-thirds of pregnant women. The good news is, nausea and vomiting are not associated with risks to the pregnancy; the bad news is, you are nauseated and throwing up.

What can you do?

• Eat several small meals per day and avoid high-fat foods.
• Eat more bland foods and avoid smells that are noxious.
• Increase the protein and liquid content of your food.
• Ginger ale, ginger teas, or ginger capsules can help (three  250 mg capsules a day and one before bed).
• Taking a vitamin B6 supplement (25mg) 2-3 times per day alone or in combination with Unisom SleepTabs (doxylamine) at night may be beneficial.

Your doctor may need to prescribe an anti-nausea medicine for you if these remedies don’t resolve the issue. There are several drugs that are safe in pregnancy to choose from, including ondansetron (Zofran), metoclopramide (Reglan), promethazine, haloperidol, and a few others.

Make sure that your acid reflux and constipation are treated since both of those can contribute to nausea and vomiting as well.

In bad cases, you may need to be hospitalized for IV fluids and other treatments if you are unable to keep anything down and experiencing signs of severe dehydration/malnutrition.  Hopefully, you should feel better by the end of the first trimester. If you don’t, or if the above remedies are not working, your doctor may need to investigate other causes of your nausea and vomiting apart from pregnancy. Typically, you shouldn’t be concerned as long as you can maintain your body weight and stay hydrated during the first trimester. If you lose a few pounds from the nausea and vomiting, it isn’t too concerning; but, more significant losses should be investigated further.