Strategies for Coping with Nausea
- Eat small frequent meals
- Eat protein/carbohydrate before you get out of bed in the morning. (Peanut butter/crackers on the bedside table) Getting food in your stomach before you start moving around can help get the day off to a good start.
- Try sniffing a lemon, drinking lemonade, sucking on a lemon drop.
- Potato chips and day old popcorn help.
- Try hard peppermint candy. Put peppermint oil on your wrist pulse point- sniff when nauseated.
- Emetrol is a non-prescription medicine that can be bought at the pharmacy for nausea and can be effective.
- Cola syrup
- Try taking Vitamin B6, 50mg, twice a day in addition to your prenatal vitamin.
- You can also take ½ of a Unisom tablet twice a day. Unisom is an over the counter sleeping preparation that is OKAY in pregnancy, and can help with nausea. (Make sure active ingredient is Doxylamine Succinate.)
- Two Flintstones vitamins equal one prenatal vitamin if you cannot tolerate your prenatal vitamin take one in the morning and one at night.
- Try new surroundings, take a walk outside, do something different.
- Ginger Ale, ginger tea, ginger snaps, ginger capsules
Dehydration
You should urinate at least 3-4 times per day. Less than this means you might be dehydrated, which can also cause nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps.
Contact the clinic if you are unable to keep down liquids for 24-hours, or are unable to urinate.
If you have to choose between solid foods and liquids, choose liquids to keep from getting dehydrated. Your body has resources to protect the baby during early pregnancy nausea and vomiting.
Instructions for Nausea Combo Medication
These medications are similar to a prescription combination. Take them every day, at least the bedtime dose, to prevent nausea.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 100 mg tablets
- Unisom (doxylamine) 25 mg tablets
Note: The doxylamine may make you sleepy
Evenings/Bedtime: Take one tablet of both the B6 and Unisom.
Mornings: Take ½ of both B6 and Unisom, as needed.
Mid-Day: Take ½ of both B6 and Unisom, as needed.
