Discuss the causes of two nutrition-related concerns during pregnancy and suggested strategies to alleviate discomfort.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary among students, but should include two of the following: nausea and vomiting or “morning sickness,” constipation and hemorrhoids, heartburn, or food cravings.
Nausea and vomiting (often referred to as “morning sickness”) are due to hormonal changes in early pregnancy. The problem typically peaks at 9 weeks of gestation and resolved within a month or two. Strategies to manage or alleviate symptoms include rising slowly upon waking, eating dry toast or crackers, chewing gum or sucking on hard candies, eating small, frequent meals, avoiding foods with offensive odors, drinking carbonated beverages when nauseated instead of citrus juice, water, milk, tea, or coffee.
Constipation often develops due to altered muscle tone from the hormones of pregnancy, as well as the growing fetus crowding intestinal organs. Hemorrhoids may also develop due to straining during bowel movements. Strategies to prevent or alleviate constipation include eating foods high in fiber (like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), exercising regularly, drinking at least 8 glasses of liquids a day, responding promptly to the urge to defecate, and using laxatives only as prescribed by a doctor.
Heartburn occurs when stomach acid splashes back up into the lower esophagus, and is common during pregnancy due to the hormones of pregnancy relaxing digestive muscles and the pressure that the growing fetus puts on the stomach. Strategies to prevent or relieve heartburn include relaxing and eating slowly, chewing food thoroughly, eating small, frequent meals, drinking liquids between meals, avoiding spicy and greasy foods, sitting up when eating, elevating the head when sleeping, waiting 3 hours after eating before lying down, and waiting 2 hours after eating before exercising.
Food cravings, or aversions, are fairly common and are most likely due to hormone-induced changes in sensitivity to taste and smell. They do not seem to reflect real physiological needs.