Remember how the heroine of a "soap opera" usually finds out about her pregnancy. She is either nauseous, or begins to pull on salty, or she loses consciousness in the arms of a hero in love. From a medical point of view, all these symptoms are manifestations of toxicosis in pregnant women, which about half of expectant mothers face.
What is toxicosis?
The word "toxicosis" is related to the concept of "intoxication": the root of both words and problems is toxins (from the Greek "toxicon" - poison). With regard to pregnant women, we are talking about internal toxins of protein compounds produced in the body in response to the appearance of a "stranger" in it, the unborn child. Just as with intoxication caused by poisoning (that is, the penetration of external toxins - pathogenic microbes), weakness, faintness, nausea, and sometimes vomiting occur. In such situations, doctors talk about toxicosis of pregnant women: early, if it occurs before 12 weeks, and late (or gestosis), if it appears after 20 weeks.
In most cases, early toxicosis is not even a pathology, but a consequence of the body's natural process of adaptation to pregnancy. It can manifest itself as nausea, vomiting (1-2 times a day), dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, decreased appetite, increased salivation, sensitivity to odors, and stomach discomfort. All these multiple symptoms, fortunately, rarely occur at the same time and do not require any treatment. It is enough for an expectant mother to just work out the right tactics of behavior that will reduce discomfort.
How to help yourself.
1. Even if the very thought of food is disgusting to you, it is very important to establish "good neighborly" relations with food. The future baby needs nutrients, and therefore it is still necessary to eat; moreover, the diet should be complete no matter what. Try to keep your body getting all the elements of the protein-fat-carbohydrate triad. choosing from interchangeable products those that you tolerate best. For example, if you're not hungry for meat, stick to protein-rich dairy and cheese.
2. Eat small meals, but often, every 2-3 hours. Avoid hunger and maintain blood glucose levels. To do this, always keep on hand something for a light "snack": an apple, a crouton, cookies, nuts. Be sure to include complex carbohydrates in your diet - cereals, bread, vegetables and fruits. They provide a constant supply of moderate amounts of glucose to the body. If you feel sick at certain times of the day, think about what exactly you eat during these hours: for example, sometimes ailments arise as a reaction to vitamins that a woman takes "on schedule."
3. In the morning, do not get out of bed abruptly, but first of all, eat a little. For example, eat a tangerine cooked in the evening, a donut or candy. Or drink something sour: a glass of water with lemon and honey, cranberry juice, kefir.
4. To prevent dizziness, always change your body position smoothly. Getting out of bed, first slowly turn on your side, then hang your legs and only after that raise your torso. Do not stay in one position for a long time - dizziness can also occur due to stagnation of blood in the lower back and lower extremities (for example, if you stand for a long time or sit in a tense position). Compression hosiery helps to improve blood circulation in the legs.
5. Try to drink 1.5-2 liters of liquid a day (including soups, juices, fermented milk drinks). This is especially important if you have bouts of vomiting: so that the body does not suffer from dehydration, the loss of fluid must be compensated.
6. Pay attention to herbal preparations: ginger, lemon balm, chamomile, raspberry leaves can reduce nausea. In case of increased salivation, rinse your mouth with peppermint infusion or green tea. Peppermint oil, among other things, helps to relieve sickness.
7. If you feel dizzy, nauseated, or have darkened eyes, lie down with your legs raised above the level of your heart, open a window or ask someone to do this, drink sweet tea with lemon.
8. Try to get enough sleep and rest as much as possible: toxicosis often passes, it is worth the expectant mother to take a vacation and disconnect from worries.
9. The development of toxicosis is also influenced by the state of the gastrointestinal tract: for example, it often occurs in women who are familiar with the problem of gastritis or biliary dyskinesia. Keep your bowel movements under control: it should occur at least every other day, even if you eat very little.
Alarm signal.
If vomiting occurs no more than 2-3 times a day and the general state of health does not suffer, doctors speak of a mild degree of toxicosis. When nausea and vomiting occur more than 3 times a day, weight decreases, there is a breakdown, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, which means that the expectant mother is faced with moderate or severe toxicosis. In such a situation, the body loses a lot of fluid, mineral salts and protein, and the deficit cannot be restored without the help of doctors. Hospitalization ends in 15-20% of all cases of toxicosis, because only in a hospital it is possible to carry out complex therapy: intravenous infusion of saline solutions, glucose, injections of antiemetic drugs. It is imperative to consult a doctor if vomiting occurs more than 2 times a day.
Late problem.
Toxicosis in the first months of pregnancy is an unpleasant situation, but at least not threatening the baby. Moreover, according to the observations of American scientists, the percentage of miscarriages in women suffering from this problem is generally lower than among those who have not encountered it. But late toxicosis (gestosis) is an unambiguous pathology, because it can seriously affect the health of both mother and child. It manifests itself with other symptoms: edema, increased blood pressure, the appearance of protein in the urine. The first thing that should alert the expectant mother is swelling of the feet and legs. As soon as this symptom occurs, it is worth consulting with your doctor: he will prescribe a urine test, advise you to monitor blood pressure on a daily basis and make changes to the diet. First of all, you need to limit salt; but the opinion that with edema it is necessary to drink as little as possible is a delusion. Your body still needs 1.5 liters. liquids per day, and it is important that it is correct: no carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee. Salt food less, exclude spicy, pickled, fatty and fried foods, do not get carried away with strong soups.
If the liquid begins to accumulate, the expectant mother will notice swelling of the hands (rings become tight in the evening), thighs, external genital organs, and face. At the same time, the weight is growing rapidly: an increase of more than 1 kg per week indicates a violation of the kidneys and the development of the disease. The next stage of gestosis, which is important to prevent as early as possible, is an increase in pressure. That is why any, even insignificant, change in the tonometer readings requires the doctor's attention. The numbers 130/90 are considered critical, but for a woman with low "working" pressure, even the classic 120/80 can be an alarming signal. With hypertension, the blood vessels are spasmodic, water, salts and blood proteins (albumin) are more actively released from them into the surrounding tissues. As a result, the delivery of oxygen and nutrition to the baby may deteriorate, and doctors will closely monitor his condition (for example, using CTG). Observing a woman with signs of preeclampsia, the doctor will ask each time if she is bothered by headaches, dizziness, the appearance of a veil or flies in front of her eyes. These symptoms will indicate preeclampsia: a condition that will require hospital treatment. So that it does not pass into the next stage - eclampsia, accompanied by convulsions and loss of consciousness (coma), it is important for the expectant mother to be sent to the hospital as soon as possible.
