248 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
Minor Problems during Pregnancy
1. Nausea or vomiting: Normally, this is worse in the morning, during the second
or third month of pregnancy. It helps to eat something dry, like crackers or dry bread,
before you go to bed at night and before you get out of bed in the morning. Do not
eat large meals but rather smaller amounts of food several times a day. Avoid greasy
foods. Tea made from mint leaves also helps. In severe cases, take an antihistamine
(see p. 385) when you go to bed and when you get up in the morning.
2. Burning or pain in the pit of the stomach or chest (acid indigestion and
heartburn, see p. 128): Eat only small amounts of food at one time and drink water
often. Antacids can help, especially those with calcium carbonate (see p. 381). It may
also help to suck hard candy. Try to sleep with the chest and head lifted up some with
pillows or blankets.
3. Swelling of the feet: Rest at different times during the day with your feet up (see
p. 176). Eat less salt and avoid salty foods. Tea made from maize silk (corn silk) may
help (see p. 12). If the feet are very swollen, and the hands and face also swell, seek
medical advice. Swelling of the feet usually comes from the pressure of the child in the
womb during the last months. It is worse in women who are anemic or malnourished. So
eat plenty of nutritious food.
4. Low back pain: This is common in pregnancy. It can be helped by exercise and
taking care to stand and sit with the back straight (p. 174).
5. Anemia and malnutrition: Many women in rural areas are anemic even before
they are pregnant, and become more anemic during pregnancy. To make a healthy
baby, a woman needs to eat well. If she is very pale and weak or has other signs of
anemia and malnutrition (see p. 107 and 124), she needs to eat more protein and food
with iron. Beans, groundnuts, chicken, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, and dark green
leafy vegetables are good choices. She should also take iron pills (p. 392), especially
if it is hard to get enough nutritious foods. This way she will strengthen her blood to
resist dangerous bleeding after childbirth. If possible, iron pills should also contain
some folic acid and vitamin C. (Vitamin C helps the body make better use of the iron.)
6. Swollen veins (varicose veins): These are common in
pregnancy, due to the weight of the baby pressing on the veins
that come from the legs. Put your feet up often, as high as you
can (see p. 175). If the veins get very big or hurt, wrap them like
this with an elastic bandage, or use elastic stockings. Take off the
bandage or stockings at night.
7. Piles (hemorrhoids): These are
varicose veins in the anus. They result from
the weight of the baby in the womb.
To relieve the pain, kneel with the
buttocks in the air like this:
Or sit in a warm bath. Also see p. 175.
8. Constipation: Drink plenty of water. Eat fruits and food with a lot of natural fiber,
like cassava or bran. Get plenty of exercise. Do not take strong laxatives.