What to do if you have vomiting during pregnancy?

Many women will easily experience symptoms of vomiting after becoming pregnant, and these are common symptoms during pregnancy. As the fetus implants and grows, the pregnant woman's endocrine system begins to change, making vomiting during pregnancy more likely. Vomiting after pregnancy needs to be relieved in time. You should eat more light foods or replenish your body's fluids. Eating small meals frequently will reduce morning sickness.

What to do if you have severe vomiting during pregnancy

1. Eat small meals frequently and avoid greasy and spicy foods.

Most women experience nausea and vomiting within 1 to 3 months after pregnancy, especially mild vomiting in the early morning or evening. Some vomiting may be very severe. This is called "pregnancy reaction." Many people believe that pregnant women can prevent nausea and vomiting by not eating or eating less. Some pregnant women do not eat for fear of vomiting. In fact, not eating not only fails to alleviate vomiting, but also causes pregnant women to lack nutrition, which is not good for both mother and baby.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnant women are mainly caused by the stimulation of increased estrogen on the smooth muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. Mild nausea and vomiting does not require treatment, and there is no need to fast or eat less. On the contrary, if you eat more food, you will feel better. It is best to eat 6 meals a day, eat small meals frequently, prepare some biscuits and eat them at any time, and it is better to drink a glass of milk in the morning. After eating, rest in bed for 20 to 30 minutes. If you feel nauseous, eat a few biscuits and the nausea will feel better. In addition, you should also pay attention to adjusting your diet, avoid eating foods that are difficult to digest, and eat more starchy foods such as bread, biscuits, potatoes, rice, etc.

2. Take a small amount of vitamin B6

Many pregnant women experience severe early pregnancy reactions, such as nausea, vomiting and inability to eat. Doctors often allow them to take a small amount of vitamin B6 to stop vomiting. Some pregnant women think that vitamin B6 is a vitamin needed by the human body and has no harm, so they take it in larger quantities and for longer periods of time. In fact, taking too much is harmful to the fetus.

Due to long-term and excessive intake of vitamin B6, the fetus becomes dependent on it, which is medically known as vitamin B6 dependence.

Medical treatment

1. Pregnant women with severe vomiting during pregnancy must be hospitalized. The principles of treatment are: maintain adequate water; restore electrolyte balance; maintain proper nutrition; and provide emotional support.

2. In terms of diet, patients are required to fast for the first 24 hours of hospitalization and receive at least 3000 ml/day of fluid via intravenous drip, add vitamin B6 and vitamin C, maintain urine volume above 1000 ml, and give intramuscular injection of vitamin B1. However, the dosage should be increased or decreased according to the patient's weight. In addition, the dosage of electrolyte supplementation should be determined based on the blood potassium and sodium levels measured by laboratory tests. Pregnant women with severe anemia or poor nutrition can also receive blood transfusions or intravenous infusions of essential amino acids 500ml/day for several days to replenish energy.

3. If there is no vomiting after 24 hours, give a small amount of biscuits every 2 to 3 hours, and give clear liquid food for the rest of the time, not more than 100 ml at a time. If there is no vomiting, slowly progress to soft food or even a normal diet. If all else fails, tube feeding or total parenteral nutrition may be tried.

4. For patients with metabolic acidosis, sodium bicarbonate or sodium lactate can be given to correct it. For those who are malnourished, essential amino acids and fatty acids are supplemented intravenously. Generally, the condition will improve after 2 to 3 days of the above treatment.

5. Give antiemetics. This method is generally not recommended during the first three months of pregnancy unless the benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to the fetus and is only considered when other methods have failed to effectively control vomiting.

If there is persistent jaundice, persistent proteinuria, elevated body temperature that remains above 38°C, tachycardia (≥120 beats/min), or concurrent Wernicke's syndrome (a neurological encephalopathy syndrome caused by thiamine deficiency due to alcohol poisoning, with the main manifestations of mental disorders, ataxia, and extraocular muscle paralysis), etc., which threatens the life of the pregnant woman, termination of pregnancy should be considered.