my pregnant sister has nausea all the time, what can be done about this?

Question

Are there any natural remedies, such as herbs for this?

Answer 1

They say saltine crackers and alot of Small Small meals. Here are some tips:Ideas for Minimizing Nausea
Remember, all of these are just ideas that have worked for some people. There are no guarantees! Not all of these suggestions will work for you, and sometimes nothing works. All you can do in that case is endure while trying to minimize the impact on your pregnancy, and seek help if needed.

1. Keep your blood sugar levels even by eating small, frequent meals high in protein and complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates (foods high in sugar and even unsweetened fruit juice) are turned quickly into blood sugar in your system. Complex carbohydrates take longer to turn into blood sugar, so they will keep your blood sugars from spiking quickly and then dropping, and will provide longer-term energy. High fiber foods, fats, and proteins also slow down the carbohydrate conversion, which will keep your blood sugar more even. Never eat carbohydrates without an accompanying fat or protein food. Frequent small snacks work better for nausea than big meals. Try eating 5-6 small meals or snacks a day, and be sure to eat before bedtime. Also, carry with you a portable snack such as nuts and fruit or cheese and crackers for use if you start feeling nauseous---even though it's very hard to try and eat when you feel queasy, you may be able to prevent a worse nausea episode if you do get something down).

2. Eat before you are hungry.

If you wait until your body tells you it is hungry, you may already have lowered your blood sugar too much and the acid production in your stomach may also worsen nausea. Strike first by eating frequent small snacks (a carbohydrate and a protein are best) before your blood sugar has a chance to dip. Also, eating while you are still feeling relatively good will help food go down and perhaps stay down, and may prevent a nausea attack. Try not to let more than 3-4 hours go by between eating something.

3. Eat a substantial bedtime snack, including protein.

It's a long time between your last meal of the day and your breakfast the next morning, so it's very easy for blood sugar to become too low during this time, causing nausea upon rising. Shortly before bedtime, try eating a fairly significant snack of complex carbohydrates and protein. The protein will help slow down the release of the complex carbohydrates, enabling you to have more steady blood sugar levels through the night. Sometimes, some women even need to get up in the middle of the night and get a little extra snack, like a glass of milk, in order to help their morning nausea. It's worth a try!

4. Try eating before getting out of bed in the morning, then take it slowly.

Before getting out of bed in the morning (like 20-30 minutes ahead of time), have a high-carbohydrate snack. Common suggestions are crackers, but some women find other foods work better. Experiment till you find your best choice (some like salty foods, others do not). Once you are up, ease yourself into the day as gradually as your schedule allows; rushing and quick movements at first tend to aggravate nausea. Give the morning snack a chance to take effect and raise your blood sugar.

5. Be sure to get enough fluids.

Dehydration is a danger to those with nausea, so it is important to stay hydrated. Some women find they tolerate fluids best with meals; others find it better to take them only between meals. Small sips, taken frequently, may also help. Remember, fruit juices are a simple carb and may cause a quick surge and then crash in some women, so try to use water instead (or at least take a protein with your fruit juice). If fluids give you a lot of trouble, try fruits and vegetables with a high water content. You may also want to consult your health provider if you are having trouble keeping down fluids.

6. Try ginger.

Some women reportedly have luck with small amounts of ginger added to their food. Be careful not to use too much, however. (Good excuse for a ginger ale.)

7. Be sure to take your prenatal vitamin, but try switching brands or times.

Some women note a sensitivity to certain prenatal vitamin brands, especially the prescription type. Try switching for a week to an over-the-counter brand (be sure it has enough folic acid), or try asking your doctor for a different prescription type. Sometimes changing the time of day that you take the vitamin can help---try taking it at the time of day when you have the least nausea (if there is such a time!). Bedtime may be a good choice.

8. Ask your health provider about trying extra vitamin B-6.

Some women find relief if they add extra vitamin B-6 to their diet. 50 mg. is usually the dosage tried, but remember to clear it first with your health provider (very important!).

9. Avoid trigger foods and substitute alternatives as needed; get enough protein.

Some foods seem to act as triggers to nausea. If carrots bother you, avoid them for a while. However, it IS important to substitute something else for the important vitamin A to be found in carrots. An alternative might be dried apricots, squash, cantaloupe, or even--if desperate-- pumpkin pie or muffins (in conservative amounts!). Try to keep a variety of foods as much as possible, and be creative in your choices so that the essential nutrients are covered. Don't forget the importance of significant amounts of protein in your diet as well---Brewer recommends 80-100 g of protein per day (but remember that foods like milk, yogurt, and even spinach do have protein in them and count towards this total).

10. Rinse or brush after throwing up.

Having the smell or taste of vomit in your mouth after one bout can lead to another. Try brushing your teeth afterwards, but if you are one of the people for whom brushing can induce nausea, try a gentle rinsing instead. Over time you will find your physical triggers (such as brushing, strong smells, or moving too fast) and you will learn to avoid them or adapt to them. But finding a way to refresh yourself after a bout of nausea is important--do whatever works for you.

11. Try Sea Bands.

These small bands worn on each wrist put pressure on the inner wrist and often help nausea. They have no side effects and can be found at many pharmacies or marine shops. They are also worth a shot when desperate.



Nausea is not an easy thing to deal with and no one should downplay the discomfort involved. Try as many approaches to managing nausea as you can but be realistic---no suggestion is going to 'cure' you. Sometimes, all you can do is endure. For most women, it does go away with time, and often it is worst in the first 3-4 months. You may or may not experience it again in subsequent pregnancies; each pregnancy is different and you must be prepared for the possibilities. In the meantime, hang in there and try to wait it out! It will end eventually!


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Answer 2

What is nausea?

Nausea is an urge to vomit or a general uneasiness in the stomach. Almost everyone experiences nausea at sometime in life. Nausea is not a disease, but rather a symptom of many disorders.

What are the causes?

Nausea can occur due to a number of causes which might be related to irritation or dysfunction of stomach such as following infection of stomach, motion sickness, drugs and alcohol, irritants in food and emotional disturbances.


What are the symptoms?

Nausea is itself a symptom as already defined above. The symptoms include distaste for food, discomfort in upper abdomen, vomiting, which may sometimes be very forceful and the patient may retch. Additional symptoms may include sweating, diarrhoea and dizziness.

How is it diagnosed?

The doctor is able to diagnose the cause of nausea by reviewing the patient’s medical history and by a physical examination. This may be enough in most of the cases, but laboratory tests such as a complete blood count, electrolyte levels, blood glucose and liver function tests may be done to detect infections of the digestive tract, poisonous substances in food or any illness involving the brain. A pregnancy test may be suggested for a woman of child-bearing age.

What is the treatment?

Treatment is decided depending upon the symptoms and causes of the condition. Medicines that are most commonly prescribed are chewable antacids to neutralise the acid in the stomach. Some drugs called anti-emetics, may help reduce nausea.

There are some ways of preventing nausea. Prevention is related to its cause. Following some basic guidelines can prevent it:


Eating small meals at a time

Avoiding any irritating odours such as perfumes, smoke or fuel

Avoiding alcohol

If the nausea is due to morning sickness during pregnancy, avoiding fatty foods can help.

Answer 3

Try the preggy pop, eat small and frequent meals, avoided being overtired, avoid stress, take the prenatals before she goes to sleep instead of during the day, dry water that has had ginger boiled in it, eat food (even if sometimes unhealthy) that seem apealing to her because they will most likely stay down than any other food.

What worked for me was eating soft or mushy food like mashed potatoes, pudding (made with the ensure healthy mom instead of normal milk), bananas, pieces of bread, etc

Answer 4

Natural remedies can include ginger root, or sea bands. But hypermesis can be dangerous if she is not able to keep anything down then she needs to talk to her MW or Doctor to get some help medically. She could become dehydrated. Hope she feels better soon though.

Fresca kept my m/s away with my 6th pregnancy.

Answer 5

There really isn't anything she can do. Her body is going through a lot of hormonal changes right now. Tell her to try eating crackers or breaded foods because they should absorb some of the acid in her belly. Tell her to drink water or seven up. If it is really bad, a doctor may be able to prescribe something.

Answer 6

hate to say this but maybe not. some people swear by ginger or tums but none of that worked for me. in my second pregnancy my dr prescribed reglan and it worked wonders but in my third nothing worked. we tried everything including zoloft which is prescribed for chemo patients and it didnt help. ask about the reglan though. totally safe for the baby.o 1 more thing, first thing in the morning when u wake up eat something small and wait before you get out of bed. i notice getting up as soon as i woke up made it worse. good luck!

Answer 7

you might want to take her to see a doctor. My morning sickness was WAY too much for me and I ended up in the hostpital for dehydration (yeah too much puking, I couldn't get ANYTHING in me) The doctor prescribed me a drug completely safe for the baby it's called diclectin. So make sure your sis is able to keep at least a meal down a day and make sure that she takes her prenatal vitamins (if one is too much cut it in half, anything is better than nothing)

Answer 8

Gingerail Not Canada Dry it contains no ginger. Ginger snaps, or celery. Are all natural.

Answer 9

I used EMETROL you can buy it at walgreens or wal mart not sure besides ginger as anything natural that could help nausea

Answer 10

She could try preggy pops or ginger. I found that the ginger altoids are awesome for this reason!

Answer 11

Preggie Pops...you can get them at BabiesRUs