This may cause you to become constipated. To help you manage:. Do not use laxatives without talking to your health care provider. Laxatives may start labour contractions. There may be times when you do not feel like eating while you are pregnant, especially if you are not feeling well or are constipated. To help you meet your energy needs:. You may notice some swelling in your feet, ankles or your hands. Water retention is normal while you are pregnant. To help reduce swelling:.
Every woman has a different experience during pregnancy and it is normal to sometimes feel unwell. Talk to your health care provider if you feel that you are not eating well because of how you are feeling.
Dietitians look beyond fads to deliver reliable, life-changing advice. Want to unlock the potential of food? Connect with a dietitian. Find a dietitian here. Nausea and vomiting and pregnancy Over half of all women suffer from nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. To help you cope: Eat small, frequent meals and snacks.
Try to eat every two hours so that your stomach does not become empty. Choose high protein meals and snacks. Try pita with hummus, cheese and crackers, a small bowl of rice and beans, or yogurt with granola. Take small sips of fluid often during the day. Pregnant women in their first trimester experiencing appetite loss often question how to get their eating back on track. Following are a few guidelines they can adopt if they are losing appetite:.
There are a few foods pregnant women can prioritise even if they do not feel like eating whole meals. This will help to ensure adequate nutrient intake for pregnant women and unborn babies. Following are a few steps pregnant women need to do for their food and nutrition consumption. Also Read Long-lasting Covid symptoms rare in children: Lancet study. Pregnant women should start taking prenatal vitamins at least a month before conception, or at a minimum, at the time of conception.
This helps fill in temporary nutritional gaps. Pregnant women must make sure they consume enough liquids as it is more important than aiming for a certain caloric intake.
Pregnant women can eat light if they do not feel like eating a lot. Some women even develop an unusual taste for non-food items such as soil or paper. Please speak to your GP or midwife if this develops. Back pain during pregnancy can affect more than one in three women. This is usually due to loosening of ligaments and change in posture due to the growing pregnancy.
You can help reduce back pain during pregnancy by wearing flat heeled shoes, using chairs with good back support, avoiding lifting heavy objects, and doing gentle exercise.
Exercising in water can reduce back pain in pregnancy, and physiotherapy and acupuncture may also help. At the onset of pregnancy the hormone progesterone increases your lung capacity.
This enables you to carry more oxygen to your baby and get rid of waste products such as the carbon dioxide that you both produce. At each breath you breathe more deeply and the amount of air you inhale and exhale increases significantly.
This can make you feel short of breath. In addition, as pregnancy approaches term, the pressure of the enlarging uterus and baby on your diaphragm can make your breathing feel more laboured.
Contact your doctor or midwife if you experience sudden onset of breathlessness associated with any of the following:. Constipation refers to infrequent, hard bowel movements that are difficult to pass. Constipation is a common problem in pregnancy that may be caused by pregnancy hormones slowing your gastrointestinal movement, or by the pressure of your growing uterus on your rectum.
Don't take over-the-counter laxatives without first consulting your midwife or GP. If changes to your diet and lifestyle don't make a difference then your GP or midwife can prescribe a laxative that is safe to use in pregnancy. Be reassured, symptoms usually resolve on their own soon after birth. Contact your GP or midwife if you have a headache during pregnancy that is not relieved by paracetamol such as Panadol , especially in the second half of pregnancy. A persistent headache can be associated with pre-eclampsia — a condition that can affect your kidneys and thus increase blood pressure and decrease blood flow to your baby.
Indigestion is more common during pregnancy due to the pressure of the enlarging uterus on the organs of the abdomen and the action of the hormone progesterone that relaxes the muscle between the oesophagus and stomach. If these strategies do not relieve your symptoms, please consult your GP, who may prescribe a medication that will safely reduce the secretion of acid. Widespread itching over the body is not common in pregnancy. When present, it can be very distressing, interfering with sleep and enjoyment of pregnancy.
There may be no apparent cause for the itching. In rare cases it may be due to serious liver disease — a blood test can be done to check for this. Leg cramps occur due to a build-up of acids that cause involuntary contractions of the affected muscles. They are experienced by up to half of pregnant women, usually at night. Leg cramps are more likely in the second and third trimesters.
If you find cramps troublesome, discuss with your GP or midwife the option of taking magnesium lactate or citrate morning and evening.
Some newly pregnant women experience mood changes such as irritability. Other pregnant women experience feelings of elation. It is thought that the pregnancy hormones influence chemicals in the brain, causing mood changes.
During pregnancy, one in 10 women experience depression. Please contact your doctor, midwife or maternal and child health nurse as soon as possible. Carpal tunnel syndrome — tingling and numbness in your hands — affects up to 60 per cent of women during pregnancy. It is caused by compression of the median nerve due to an increase in the tissue fluids during pregnancy. Carpal tunnel syndrome may be mild, intermittently painful, or severe, which may cause partial paralysis of the thumb or loss of sensation.
Symptoms usually resolve on their own soon after birth. Olanzapine and buprenorphine are other drugs that may lead to decreased appetite 11 , Some pregnant women may experience eating disorders , including anorexia and bulimia. Experts estimate that the prevalence of disordered eating in pregnant women is 0. Disordered eating can lead to changes in appetite, a phobia of weight gain , and decreased food intake 14 , Furthermore, high levels of stress may affect maternal health and cause a loss of appetite Additionally, pregnancy-related changes to taste and smell, nutrient deficiencies in vitamin B12 and iron, and general discomfort from carrying a baby may cause appetite loss in some pregnant women 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , Nausea and vomiting are some of the most common causes of appetite loss during pregnancy, though there are numerous other factors.
These will help ensure adequate nutrient intake for you and your baby. Many of the following foods are simple to make, small in portion size, filling, and easy on your stomach.
If your appetite loss is linked to nausea or vomiting, try eating small, more frequent meals, avoiding spicy and fatty foods, and supplementing with ginger and thiamine. If acupuncture is an option for you, it may also help Severe nausea and vomiting may require different treatment methods, including medications and intravenous IV fluids If you have nutrient deficiencies linked to appetite loss, you may need high-dose supplements to restore normal levels.
Any supplements should be prescribed and monitored by a medical professional 24 , Additionally, some pregnant women may lose their appetite for specific foods, including highly fragrant foods and meat.
Yet, this is a relatively common occurrence and not typically a cause for concern. Undernutrition can lead to many pregnancy-related complications, including poor fetal growth, low birth weight, and maternal weight loss.
Both macronutrients and micronutrients are essential to sustain a healthy pregnancy.
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