Nausea While Breastfeeding

By: Ambili S Kartha

Did you think you had finally bid adieu to all the barfy feeling after delivering your baby, but all nausea seems to be hitting you back? Well, it is not a very common thing in breastfeeding women, but if you’re one of the few and are experiencing nausea while breastfeeding, we can be of help! Read on…

Can Breastfeeding Make You Nauseous?

Yes.  Even not to all, a small percentage of moms report to experience nausea during  the initial weeks of breastfeeding. This includes even mothers who never experienced morning sickness during their pregnancy time. However, more often, it will disappear by the end of the 6th-8th week.

What Causes Nausea While Breastfeeding?

We all know very well by now what nausea actually is. In a nutshell, it is a feeling of sickness, continuous sensation of vomiting and can leave one feeling rather queasy. Pregnant women are very likely to experience it in the face of morning sickness, and pregnancy nausea.

Well, if you’re someone who’s just had a delivery and are ready to start breastfeeding, you might have similar symptoms.

Now, the question is, what causes this situation? The release of oxytocin hormone is the prime contributor to nausea. The body secrets this hormone, which helps in breastfeeding, but can lead to nausea. Other than this, dehydration, lack of rest, lack of sleep, an improper diet can also contribute to nausea.  Some other major reasons are:

Iron deficiency: Some women are prone to iron deficiency, while some suffer this deficiency during pregnancy. In all probability, the blood loss during childbirth can be a prime reason for iron deficiency. This can lead to nausea.

UTI’s: We are well aware of all the crazy changes that go down there, during pregnancy and post pregnancy! It is likely for women to develop urinary tract infections post pregnancy. But these infections do have a way of making them noticed- when a woman is urinating or feels irritation, needles or burning sensations down there. But a few of these infections are strong and can make you feel nauseous.

Hormones: Needless to mention that a woman’s hormones go crazy post childbirth! The body stops secreting a few hormones and starts secreting new hormones to make breastfeeding easy. This might take a toll on your body process and you might take some time to cope with this hormone play. This sudden hormonal fluctuation can lead to nausea.

Blood sugar levels: Not maintaining a healthy diet at this time can worsen things. A woman’s body requires a lot of energy resources during the phase of breastfeeding. Fulfilling the nutritional requirements of the body, and milk production can very possibly take a toll on your health, low blood sugar is one of them. This will definitely lead to nausea.

Pregnancy: Most of the times nausea is experienced in the initial weeks of breastfeeding. But if you’re past that stage – even your breastfeeding period and your baby is big enough now but you still are getting feelings of nausea, there’s a possibility of pregnancy; only if you’re active again post-delivery.

Top 5 Ways To Prevent Nausea While Breastfeeding

We all know that delivering a baby and coping with all the hormones going crazy is a herculean task! It is normal to experience nausea in the first few weeks of breastfeeding, ad your body is getting used to the ‘let-down reflex’ and the latching of your baby to the breast etc. But if nausea persists even after the initial week of breastfeeding, here’s what you can do to prevent it:

1. Sleep matters: Pregnancy months, childbirth and all the activities post-delivery can tire you to the core! It is a wise idea to steal naps as and when you can. Proper rest and sleep will make you feel less tired and less dizzy. You’ll feel fresh and your body will, too. This will help reduce your nausea.
2. Proper meals: Nausea can kill your diet. You feel pukish even at the thought of food. But not eating will only make you weak. Your body won’t get the nutrition it needs, and will eventually result in lesser milk production which will affect your baby’s health too. Try taking meals at regular intervals. If you can’t eat all the food at once, divide your meals. Take 5-6 meals at regular intervals instead of 3.
3. Feed while lying down: This really works! Trying feeding your baby while lying down. This helps you with the let-down reflex. Not only this, but you and your baby will feel more comfortable and will not leave you feeling all nauseous.
4. Stay hydrated: Keep a check on your fluid intake. Drink plenty of water. Try consuming soups and juices within regular intervals. A hydrated body means a no nauseous body!
5. Wear acupressure wristbands:  The acupressure bands that stimulates the specific points and provide relief from nausea due to morning sickness, and motion sickness can also ease nausea during breastfeeding.

Top 3 Home Remedies For Nausea While Breastfeeding

Medicines cannot always help one overcome every situation. It is also advised to avoid medicines as much as one can, as they come with their own side-effects. Well, here’re some home remedies you can try to keep your nausea at bay:

1. Ginger: Ginger is nothing less than a blessing in this case. You can try drinking ginger tea, or ginger juice with a pinch of salt and black pepper; you can add a few granules of sugar just to ease out the sour taste. You can also try ginger tablets which are easily available in stores.
2. Peppermint: Use it the traditional way. Put a few peppermint leaves between your teeth and chew them. The juices from the leaves will help in calming the acidity created by nausea. It will also ease out your sour throat which occurs in nausea.
3. Probiotic milk: There’s no harm in consuming probiotic meal during breastfeeding. It eases out the acid reflux, enhances breast-milk production and also fulfills the nutritional needs which are latched away during the production of breast-milk. It helps a great deal in pushing away nausea – for best results drink on an empty stomach.

We hope you found this blog useful. Do share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with us.

Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/nausea-while-breastfeeding/

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