by Stephanie Margolis, RD
Being pregnant can be a very enjoyable time in your life; however, there are some familiar pregnancy symptoms experienced in these nine months. Some of these common pregnancy symptoms include: morning sickness, heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, swelling, food aversions, food cravings, and fatigue. While you may feel at times there is nothing you can do, except suffer through them, read below for some remedies to ease these common symptoms.
During the first trimester (and sometimes longer) of your pregnancy you may feel nauseous and experience vomiting – more commonly known as morning sickness. The term morning sickness can be misleading because you may feel this at any time of the day, not just the morning. This symptom is due to your changing hormones, specifically the increase in estrogen. The following will provide you with tips to prevent, or alleviate, morning sickness. If these things do not help, contact your health care provider to make sure that there is not a serious underlying condition.
Heartburn is the common term for stomach acids backing up into the esophagus causing a burning sensation in the chest region. Most women experience this during the third trimester when the stomach is crowded by the developing baby causing stomach acids to back up. Additionally, the digestive tract moves more slowly in this phase of pregnancy due to a change in hormones. Here are a few tricks to avoid heartburn.
The swelling that you may experience is due to extra water that is being held in and around your cells. Swelling is commonly seen around the lower legs and ankles.
Fatigue is a common symptom of pregnancy as well as new-motherhood. Tiredness is one of the most common complaints during the first trimester. There have also been reported incidences of fatigue when your child becomes a teenager and begins dating.
Fight pregnancy fatigue by eating certain foods and getting enough rest. Try to include protein and carbohydrates at each meal to boost your energy level. Here are some energy boosting foods to try:
It may not be as extreme as pickles and ice cream, but most women experience taste changes during their pregnancy. Food aversions, or distastes, may be a result of nausea or they could be completely unexplainable. You should not be too concerned about these aversions as long as you are not eliminating an entire food group. Meat is a common food aversion so you may need to focus on getting your protein from other sources such as dairy or nuts and seeds. The good news is that food distastes may come and go quickly so if you can’t stand the sight of a certain food one day, try it again in a few days.
Food cravings, on the other hand, may lead you to overeating or choosing the wrong foods. Always do your best to fit these food cravings into a nutritionally balanced diet always focusing on balance, variety, and moderation.