Your Baby's Birth - Pregnancy & Childbirth Home

Fainting or Dizziness
Lowered blood pressure may cause you to feel faint when standing for extended periods of time or
lying on your back. Sleeping on your side, when possible, eating frequent small meals, avoiding
sweets, and moving around while standing should help.
Hand Pain and Numbness
Increased fluid and pressure on the carpal tunnel nerve in the wrist may cause numbness, tingling,
burning and/or pain in the hand, wrist and arm. The discomfort may increase at night. Wearing a
wrist splint, vigorously shaking your hands at the onset of pain and avoiding sleeping on your
hands may help you feel better.
Headaches
Increased stress and hormone changes can cause frequent headaches. Reducing stress or relaxing
in a dark or pleasant room may help decrease the intensity and frequency of headaches. If you
experience severe headaches or problems with your vision, contact your healthcare provider
immediately.
Hemorrhoids
To ease hemorrhoid discomfort, take a 15-20 minute bath three or four times a day or apply a cotton
ball soaked with cold witch hazel, a Tucks pad or ice directly to the hemorrhoid.
Indigestion or Heartburn
Because of the hormonal and physical changes in pregnancy, food sometimes moves more slowly
through your system, which causes bloating and indigestion. To help lessen your discomfort and
heartburn, follow the tips for nausea (below) and also:
• Remain upright for 30 minutes after eating and don’t exercise for 45 minutes after a meal.
• Stop eating 2-3 hours before going to bed to give your stomach time to settle.
• Cut back on coffee, tea, soda and other high acidic foods and beverages.
Leaking Urine
As your abdomen enlarges, pressure is continually placed on your bladder and can lead to urine
leakage. Practice kegel exercise several times per day to prevent leakage.
Leg Cramps
You may get leg cramps that come and go for no apparent reason. Increasing calcium intake and
exercising may help prevent leg cramps. To ease the pain, push away from your body with your heel
while pointing your toes toward your head, gently massage the cramped area, and take a warm bath.
Nausea and Vomiting
These unpleasant problems occur most often during the early months of pregnancy. There are many
causes of nausea, including hormonal changes. If vomiting and nausea continue for a longer period
of time, you may have weight loss and loss of appetite. To help you cope with this common problem,
you might try to:
• Eat crackers before you get out of bed, and get out of bed slowly.
• Eat several small meals instead of a few large meals.
• Only eat when you are truly hungry, and take your time with each bite.
• Avoid spicy or greasy foods.
• Try to drink fluids in between meals instead of during meals.
• Take your prenatal vitamins with meals.
• Get fresh air.
• Stop smoking.
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Y O U R B A B Y ’ S B I R T H