What to do if a pregnant woman has gastroenteritis

Pregnant women belong to a special population. They should pay more attention to their physical health after pregnancy. Because women cannot take too many medicines when they have physical problems after pregnancy, and some medicines will affect the development of the fetus. Therefore, pregnant women should also pay attention after getting gastroenteritis and pay attention to choosing appropriate treatment methods. Most people rely on daily care to alleviate symptoms. So what should a pregnant woman do if she has gastroenteritis?

1. Fasting

You can try fasting for one or two meals to give your stomach and intestines a rest and expel the unclean things you have eaten previously (which may be food, medicine, bacteria or viruses) as soon as possible through diarrhea. Generally, the vomiting will subside first, and you may also feel a little nausea and upper abdominal discomfort.

2. Eat small amounts

Afterwards, you can eat a small amount of non-greasy food or fruit such as porridge, white toast, etc. to avoid cold sweats and fainting due to low blood sugar.

3. Stay hydrated

If severe diarrhea causes a large loss of water and electrolytes, causing you to feel dizzy and weak, supplementing with sports drinks will improve the discomfort. The amount to supplement depends on the severity of the diarrhea.

4. Do not take IV drips or medications at will.

If severe acute gastroenteritis occurs, you can take appropriate medications according to the doctor's instructions to relieve symptoms. If you have a fever, bloody diarrhea and suspect infectious enteritis, please do not take antidiarrheal drugs on your own to avoid worsening of the condition. It is not recommended for pregnant women to go to the hospital for intravenous drips unless they are infected with cholera or in shock, are unconscious, have severe vomiting and are unable to eat.

5. Do not take antibiotics

Oral antibiotics are only used in a few cases of severe infectious enteritis and diarrhea during travel, because acute gastroenteritis, even if it is a bacterial infection, will mostly heal and there is no need to take such drugs. In addition, pay attention to regulating gastric acid secretion. Patients with high-acid gastritis are prohibited from eating foods with high acidity and foods that stimulate gastric acid secretion, while patients with low-acid gastritis can choose foods that stimulate gastric acid secretion.