Eat Away Your Pregnancy
Symptoms
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Morning sickness,
heartburn and
constipation are common
symptoms you may
encounter during your
pregnancy. Ms
Nehal Kamdar, Senior
Dietitian at
Raffles Internal
Medicine Centre,
shares some tips on how
to handle them with the
right diet.
Morning Sickness
While this is usually
experienced in the
morning, the feeling of
nausea or vomiting can
also be experienced in
the afternoon or
evening. Morning
sickness occurs in 50 to
90% of pregnancies.
It sometimes continues
beyond the 1st
trimester.
However, it usually ends
by the 14th week of
pregnancy.
You can relieve the
symptoms by:
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Taking something
light such as
crackers or dry
toast 10 to 15 mins
before you get out
of bed, followed by
a light breakfast
soon after rising.
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Having smaller and
more frequent
meals/snacks.
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Avoiding foods which
you find nauseating,
such as oily and
spicy foods.
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Wearing loose and
comfortable
clothing.
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Drinking lots of
fluid to avoid
dehydration.
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Constipation
You may also experience
constipation as the
muscles of the
gastro-intestinal tract
are relaxed during
pregnancy. As a
result, food stays in
your intestines for a
longer period of time.
Relieve the symptoms by:
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Increasing fibre
intake. Eat more
wholegrain cereals,
fruits and
vegetables.
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Increasing fluid
intake by taking a
minimum of 10
glasses of fluids a
day.
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Increasing physical
activity (in
accordance to your
doctor’s advice).
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Taking prune/apple
juice or dried
prunes. These
can act as natural
laxatives.
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Heartburn
Heartburn is usually
experienced during the
last stage of pregnancy.
As your baby grows
larger, it can push up
against the stomach.
As such, the acid
content in the stomach
is forced up into the
oesophagus.
Control of the symptoms
by:
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Avoiding spicy,
fried food and
coffee.
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Having smaller and
more frequent meals
or snacks.
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Drinking fluids
between meals rather
than together with
the meals.
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Sitting upright for
one to two hours
after meals.
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Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Dated: August 2011
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Raffles
Medical
Group is
a leading
medical
group and
the largest
private
group
practice in
Singapore.
As a fully
integrated
healthcare
organisation,
the Group
owns and
operates a
network of
family
medicine
clinics, a
tertiary
care private
hospital,
insurance
services and
a consumer
healthcare
division.
Patients of
the Group
enjoy a
continuum of
care, from
having their
most basic
healthcare
needs met
through the
Group’s
islandwide
network of
Raffles
Medical
clinics, to
specialist
and tertiary
care at
Raffles
Hospital. |
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