Horrible Gag Reflex

I also gagged a lot in the first trimester. It got better as the pregnancy progressed, but I always gagged when brushing my teeth and for some reason it was worse when my husband was around!

I wish I had better news for you. But I am currently 33 weeks and I still gag and dry heave everyday. It seems like everything sets it off!!! It has been this way through the whole pregnancy. Though I believe alot of my issue comes from the fact that my sinuses have been clogged since i got pregnant to. But goodluck to you . Hopefully it won't last for you as it has for me.

Try crackers when you first get up. Eat small meals often...instead of 3 big meals a day you would be better off with 6. It is normal for some women to experience this. Keep in mind, each pregnancy is different. Your body has changed since your last pregnancy.

I had that problem with my first - and am 8 weeks pregnant now and am experiencing some of it again. My doctor prescribed medicine to help me with the nausea - side effect is tiredness. Be sure to stay hydrated, don't get an empty stomach and get lots of sleep.

The entire time I was pregnant I gaged too. Thankfully I went to the dentist during my pregnancy, he suggested I try a toothbrush with a smaller head, a child size toothbrush! Not sure what to tell you about the other things, but the smaller toothbrush helped during my pregnancy, Good Luck!!

I feel for ya!! with my last pregnancy I spent most of it in the bathroom. What I did finally found that helped the most was fresh pineapple. I read it in one of the many magazines I read in the OB's waitingroom. It said that lemon can help too, so the other person that said lemon sorbet. Also I found that if I ate something in the middle of the night when I got up to pee and if I ate something when I woke up the first time ad not hit the snooze or go back to sleep that it wasnt so bad. And I always had to throw up when I brushed my teeth. My OB said it is completely normal and is caused when the horomones are released from your gums, and also toothpaste contains flouride , she suggested I get the kind for toddlers that didnt contain flouride and that I use sugar-free gum to help clean my teeth on the bad days when there was no way to stand brushing them. And also you can talk to your doctor about checking your B vitamin levels, If i remember right it was B6 that when it is low can cause you to be sick to your stomach.

Good Luck!

I had this with all 4 of my pregnancies. I would even gag if my shirt was too snug around my neck. My husband was lacking in the "attention" dept during my pregnancies and we tried orajel to numb the gag reflex. I was then able to brush my teeth etc. it helped a lot. You might try it just to numb the gag reflex a bit. Or you could just wait it out, but mine did not stop until AFTER I was not pregnant anymore.
As for the smells, I could not walk near the garbage can without tossing my cookies!! We had to put ours outside the back door so I would not smell it!
~Jenn

Hi,

This is completely normal and hopefully it will go away after your first trimester. I am 23 weeks and still get sick a couple of times a week, and always when I brush my teeth. It is not a fun side effect of pregnancy, that's for sure! My midwife gave me medicine to help me at night, when it seems to be at it's worst. Maybe you could try askind your doctor about that. I always tell myself that in the end it is all worth it. Good luck and congratulations!

Hi Katheryn,
I read your post and had to smile because I went through the same thing. The worst was the smell of the garage - I would dry heave every time I would leave for work in the morning. And the garage was clean - what the heck!! I had the toothpaste thing too.

I can't remember when it went away but it did. Until then, I always made sure to be standing near the bathroom sink when brushing my teeth you know, just in case. And, whenever I went into the garage, I just tried to get in the car as fast as I could while holding my breath.

Good luck - it will pass!

Hey Katheryn, I will be 11 weeks tomorrow. This is my first child. I have experienced some the gagging as well.. Espically the gaging over the toothpaste. It is very normal. I was talking to my mom the other day and she was saying how she would gag over everything when she was pregnant.
I have tried using differnt kinds of toothpaste. I think it's just cause you are in the beginning of your preganancy. I think it should go away within a couple of weeks. I hope that hepls. :)

No answers here, just a whole lotta EMPATHY!!! I had the same issue for as long as I had morning sickness (which was like 4 months w/ my 2nd one), and it lessened when the general overwhelming nausea finally passed, but it really didn't go away completely for me until I was no longer pregnant. I'm sure it different for every woman - that was just my experience with that ridiculous, unexpected gagging thing.

Congrats on your pregnancy! :)

Yep, I had the same thing. It started about that time also. Everything I ate I got sick! I also had all the same things you are going through! My went completely away around the 4 month mark. I was also concerned because it was really no fun at all! This was my first pregnancy, and I wasnt sure if I ever wanted another one. My doctor reassured me that every pregnancy is different! Good luck and hang in there it should pass!

i had to get rid of my laundry detergent for the same reason! also, a yet to be discovered source in my kitchen had some sort of perfumy scent that made me gag as well. i'm 36 weeks along now and still gag with certain smells, so for me it never fully went away. hopefully you'll have better luck! congratulations!

Ditto here. I am 31 weeks today and this baby can't be born soon enough! I still gag most days when I brush my teeth, but it is not as bad now. Early on, I found that if I could wait until later in the day to brush my teeth, it was a little easier (kinda gross, I know), but what I would do is just rinse with like ACT or something and then brush my teeth at 10 or 11 am. The other that helped me was eating lemon sorbet or sherbet (yeah, for breakfast). The cold would help stop the gagging and the strong citrus would help with any nausea.
Good luck.