Search This Blog

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Discharge Instructions - Pregnancy Nausea and Vomiting

As discussed in the Emergency Department prior to discharge, you have been diagnosed with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.  Morning sickness is the nausea and vomiting that many women have during pregnancy.  Even though it is called "morning" sickness, symptoms can happen any time of day.  Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy commonly occur between 5 and 18 weeks of pregnancy.  Between 50 and 90 percent of women with normal pregnancies have some degree of nausea, with or without vomiting.  The severity of these symptoms can vary.

Women with nausea and vomit every day or many times a day are at risk of becoming dehydrated.  

Symptoms of dehydration include:
    -Urinating less often than usual
    -Having dark yellow urine
    -Feeling dizzy when standing up
    -Weight loss

To feel better, you can try the following:
-Eat as soon as you feel hungry, or even before you feel hungry.
-Snack often and eat small meals.  The best foods to eat are high in protein or carbohydrates, and low in fat.  These include crackers, bread, pretzels, nuts, and low-fat yogurt.
-Avoid foods that are spicy, greasy, or acidic (such as oranges).
-Drink cold, clear beverages, such as sports drinks and ginger ale.  Avoid coffee.  Also, try to drink between meals, rather than with a meal.
-Suck on popsicles or ginger-flavored lollipops.
-Brush your teeth right after you eat.
-Avoid lying down right after you eat.
-Take your vitamins at bedtime with a snack, not in the morning
-Avoid things in your environment that upset your stomach, such as stuffy rooms, strong smells, hot places, or loud noises.
-Have someone make your meals for you.
-Wear "acupressure" bands on your wrists.  These are special bands that can help with morning or motion sickness.

Return to the Emergency Department for inability to tolerate fluids by mouth despite treatment, abdominal or pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, not passing urine for more than 6 hours despite multiple attempts, or any new or concerning symptoms.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hunt & Hess Classification of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)

Hunt & Hess Classification of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) Classifies severity of SAH to predict mortality based on signs and symptom...