Stomach flu is actually gastroenteritis. Stomach flu during pregnancy is a common condition that most women have to deal with. Stomach flu is actually an infection that affects the intestines and makes it difficult to digest food. You can get the stomach flu from any bad food you ate. Often, for this reason, pregnant women are asked not to eat outside food for the duration of their pregnancy. Stomach flu symptoms in pregnancy include abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting, watery stools and dehydration.
Acute forms of the symptoms include headaches, muscle pain, fever and chills. The symptoms can make you feel weak, tired and irritated; however they are known to fade away in time.
Stomach flu can occur anytime during the pregnancy-in the first, second and third trimester.
There is no medication for stomach flu and you have to let the bug play it out and deal with symptoms. It becomes important to reduce dehydration. You should monitor yourself for signs of dehydration like lack of urination, lethargy, dizziness, dry mouth and excessive thirst. Dehydration can lead to different complications in pregnant women spontaneous miscarriage or even preterm labor.
During this time there is also a loss of salts called electrolytes and you have to take measures to replace it. Drink plenty of fluids and liquids and include oral rehydration fluids. Before you take oral rehydration you should check with your doctor as it can contain chemicals that can harm you. Suck on ice chips or popsicles if you are vomiting. If you are vomiting frequently and are unable to stop it, you should visit a doctor. He may give you fluids intravenously. Hydration is more important than being able to keep your food down. Your baby will be fine for a few days without you eating but hydration is very important so keep the fluids intake up.
As your symptoms decrease you can slowly introduce bland, easy to digest food. Like toast, apples and bananas. Remember that since you are pregnant the uppermost thing for you is to rest. You should avoid food like caffeine, dairy, spicy, fried or fatty foods. These foods will make your tired body work overtime trying to digest it. As pregnant women have weakened immune systems, they should make an additional effort to eat a well balanced diet, get enough rest and take care of their health, to avoid getting every day illnesses. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Reduce stress from your life. Do things at a slower pace.
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