Five anti-nausea solutions

Five anti-nausea solutions

Nausea is common in early pregnancy. Although not serious, it is a nuisance. You can do something about it without having to turn to medicines.

1/ Breakfast in bed

You were dreaming of that? Now you have a good reason to allow yourself this pleasure without feeling the least bit guilty! An empty stomach and therefore low blood sugar make nausea more likely, so it is better not to get up before nibbling at a piece of toast (which is more easily digested than fresh bread). Ideally, have your entire breakfast in bed. And given the circumstances, the future dad will certainly be happy to fix something for you: bread or cereals, a dairy product, fruit but not too much liquid to start with. It is better to have your fruit juice or cup of tea after rising... 10-15 minutes after finishing your morning snack in order not to rush your stomach.

2/ Smaller, more frequent meals

The anti-nausea strategy from a nutritional point of view consists of eating neither too little or too much. So the ideal is to have a number of mini-meals through the day. Eat a healthy lunch and dinner (grilled fish or meat, cooked vegetables), avoid dishes with sauces or exotic ingredients and schedule a meal around 11.00 am and 4.00 pm (fresh or stewed fruit or dairy product). And at each meal, take the time to chew well as smaller portions and saliva greatly facilitate digestion.

3/ Protect your sense of smell

Pregnancy is accompanied by olfactory hypersensitivity: a side effect of the hormonal changes. When amplified, smells that until then you found pleasant or bearable become unpleasant and even intolerable, and constitute another factor that triggers nausea. So this is the time to watch out for the smell of tobacco, heady perfumes or furnaces, etc. You might also think of airing the rooms in your house, not only to remove annoying odours, but to get rid of excess heat which also promotes nausea.

4/ Combat fatigue and stress

Nausea tends to increase with fatigue, lack of sleep and stress. So be sure to sleep well: at the first sign of sleepiness (yawning, sore eyes), switch off any screens and other tablets that interfere with sleep, lower the room temperature to bring down your body temperature and promote sleep. During the day, at work or at home, stay away from electronic environments and always be sure to allow 20 minutes to eat calmly.

5/ Drink smart

Not alcohol, of course. As for the soda made in the USA, the original version of which is well known for reducing nausea, it has too much caffeine and sugar... Your best friend is still water (at least 1.5L per day) provided you drink it between meals, take small sips 20 minutes before and afterwards throughout the day. Drinking while eating or taking too much at one go increases the sensation of being over full and nauseous.