Breastfeeding and nausea: what to know

Nausea can occur when you have gone too long without eating, are dehydrated, overheated or exhausted. It may also accompany a stomach infection, food poisoning, acid reflux or gastritis. Gallstones can cause nausea with pain under the ribs, while hepatitis A may cause nausea with marked tiredness or yellowing of the skin. Breastfeeding itself does not identify one cause.

If nausea began after a medicine or supplement, record the name and timing and ask a clinician or pharmacist whether it is suitable during breastfeeding. Do not stop a prescribed medicine abruptly without advice.

Take frequent small sips of water or an oral rehydration drink, eat plain nourishing foods in small portions, and sit upright after meals. Rest where possible and avoid strong smells that trigger symptoms. Keep track of vomiting, fever, pain, diarrhoea, urine output and the baby’s feeds.

A clinician can check for dehydration, infection, pregnancy, medication effects or another cause and choose breastfeeding-compatible treatment. Consider [Acid Reflux](/conditions/acid-reflux/) or [Gastroenteritis](/conditions/gastroenteritis/) if the accompanying symptoms fit.

Seek urgent care if you cannot keep fluids down, faint, become confused, have severe abdominal pain, vomit blood, pass black stools or develop yellow skin. Get prompt advice for persistent vomiting, high fever, very little urine or worsening weakness. Heat exposure with dizziness and nausea can signal [Heat Exhaustion](/conditions/heat-exhaustion/).

Could dehydration, low blood sugar, infection, reflux or a medicine explain this? Which anti-nausea options are compatible with breastfeeding? Do I need an examination or tests?