
Coping with symptoms in pregnancy
Te pārai i ngā āhuatanga maha i te hapūtanga
Common symptoms during pregnancy include nausea and vomiting, constipation, feeling full soon after eating and heartburn. Eat as well as you can and try the suggestions below.
Talk to your LMC or general practice team before you take any medications or supplements for your symptoms, or if your symptoms are severe.
Nausea and vomiting
You can reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy by:
- avoiding dehydration by drinking regularly
- eating small meals and snacks often, as feeling hungry can worsen nausea
- trying a mixture of salty and sweet, such as crisps or crackers and lemonade or diluted fruit juice
- trying a snack before you go to bed and during the night
- eating foods flavoured with ginger, such as light ginger beer or gingernut biscuits
- avoiding rich, spicy or fatty foods
- avoiding smells and foods that trigger nausea
- trying to have plenty of rest.
Constipation
Constipation can happen when you are pregnant due to hormonal changes that affect the muscles of your bowel. It can also happen because your growing pēpi (baby) can press against your bowel.
Eating plenty of fibre-rich foods and drinking at least 9 cups of fluid a day can help relieve constipation.
Try to have plenty of fibre-rich foods at all meals. Fibre-rich foods include:
- wholegrains, such as wholegrain or wholemeal bread, Weet-Bix, rolled oats or porridge, bran-based cereals, brown rice and wholemeal pasta
- fruit
- vegetables
- seeds and nuts
- legumes, such as baked beans, lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas.
If you are already eating plenty of fibre-rich foods and drinking plenty of fluids, adding more will probably not help. In this case, you could try having one of the following for a few days to see if it helps:
- 2 green or gold kiwifruit a day
- 6 prunes, twice a day
- 1 teaspoon a day of whole or ground linseed. Over a few days, gradually increase the amount to 2 tablespoons a day. You can sprinkle linseeds over breakfast cereal or add them to smoothies or baking. You should store linseeds in an airtight container in the fridge.
Being active can also help keep your bowels regular. Try to include some activity such as walking, swimming, playing with your children or housework every day.
Feeling full soon after eating
Feeling full soon after eating (called early satiety) is common in pregnancy, especially if you are carrying twins or triplets. It can happen as your pēpi grows and pushes on your stomach, making it smaller. Early satiety can make it difficult for you to gain weight and get all the nutrients you and your pēpi need to stay healthy.
There are several tips for early satiety.
- Eat smaller meals and have a snack every 2 to 3 hours.
- Choose nutritious meals and snacks rather than filling up on unhealthy food. Nutritious snacks include nuts, natural or Greek yoghurt, cheese, fruit and wholegrain toast with peanut butter.
- Choose soft, light and easy to eat foods, such as lean meat, cooked vegetables and scrambled eggs.
- Have milky drinks (hot chocolate, milky coffee, milkshakes or smoothies) or soups instead of water, tea, or coffee. Your general practice team or LMC may suggest you use a powdered drink product such as Complan or Vitaplan between meals.
- Drink fluids between meals instead of with food.
- Eat whenever you feel hungry during the day.
Heartburn
Heartburn is caused by the acidic stomach contents moving back up the oesophagus. This is due to pregnancy hormones relaxing the muscles that control the opening into your stomach. As your pēpi grows, more pressure is put on your stomach, which increases the risk of heartburn.
To manage heartburn, you could try:
- eating smaller meals, more often
- eating slowly and chewing your food well
- drinking between meals instead of with food
- waiting at least 2 hours after eating before lying down
- wearing loose comfortable clothing
- sleeping with the head of your bed raised or with extra pillows under the upper part of your mattress.
Avoid foods and drinks that trigger heartburn. Some foods and drinks can make heartburn worse in some people. These include:
- fatty or spicy foods, such as chilli or curry
- fizzy drinks
- caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, tea and energy drinks
- citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit and lemons
- chocolate
- tomatoes
- onions and garlic
- mint or peppermint, including peppermint tea.
Written by Nutrition and Dietetics, Christchurch Women's Hospital. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2024.
Sources
Image and embedded video sources
Image of a pregnant woman from Shutterstock (image ID 176354447). August 2018.
Page reference: 509472
Review key: HIPRC-41255