Morning Sickness During Pregnancy – It’s the weekend, and you are watching a movie with family and friends; the actress wakes up feels nauseated then walks down to the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test only to find out that she is pregnant. This scene happens in all movies only because it happens as often in reality; 50% of pregnant women experience morning sickness.
Morning Sickness is feeling nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and unlike the name suggests it can happen during any time of the day. Despite being an unpleasant feeling, morning sickness doesn’t affect your or your baby’s health in a bad way so there is no need to worry.
Morning Sickness During Pregnancy: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention
Morning Sickness Symptoms: if you are experiencing #morningsickness, you will probably feel nauseated most of the time with some episodes of #vomiting, ...
Morning Sickness During Pregnancy: Symptoms, Causes & Best Remedies
Morning Sickness is feeling queasiness and spewing during pregnancy and dissimilar to the name recommends it can occur during any time. Regardless of ...
Morning Sickness Essentials
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Morning Sickness Symptoms
If you are experiencing morning sickness, you will probably feel nauseated most of the time with some episodes of vomiting. Although these symptoms usually hit early first thing in the morning, many mothers have reported experiencing them during any time of the day.
Nausea and vomiting usually occur following a trigger such as the spicy foods, perfumes, noise, heat, or an extra lit room. It’s easy to detect those triggers and once you do avoiding them will be the best thing to do in order to prevent morning sickness. However, new moms might experience other symptoms like fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, a stronger sense of smell, or dizziness.
In 1-2% of women, the condition might progress to hyperemesis gravidarum. This is a more dangerous health condition with exaggerated vomiting leading to dehydration and chemical imbalance. So if you pass a small amount of urine that is dark in color, lose a significant amount of weight, or feel dizziness or fainting; call your doctor.
In mild cases, the condition can be treated at home with fluids, antacids, and rest. However, more severe cases may require a hospital admission where they might need IV fluids.
When Does Morning Sickness Start?
Most women start feeling morning sickness starting from the 4th week of pregnancy until the end of the first trimester. Morning sickness is felt by 50 to 75% of women and is actually a healthy sign of pregnancy. Mothers who report it are less likely to have miscarriages and stillbirths compared to those who don’t.
Symptoms start to improve at the 12th to 14th week and are usually totally gone by the 20th week.
10 percent of women experience morning sickness all throughout their pregnancy and others re-experience it in their third trimester as the baby size is large and compresses the intestines. Regardless general rule is that morning sickness lasts only the first trimester.
One theory is that morning sickness is a defensive mechanism that protects the mother and baby from eating poisoned food when the baby’s immunity is not fully developed hence it’s peak between 4 to 12 weeks.
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What Causes Morning Sickness?
The exact causes of morning sickness is not known, however the most acceptable explanation is that it happens as a result of the hormonal changes that occur in the first trimester. At the beginning of pregnancy, estrogen hormone levels rise significantly and may be responsible for short-term nausea and vomiting.
Along with estrogen hormone, progesterone levels also increase dramatically during pregnancy. Progesterone is the hormone responsible for the preparation of the uterus for pregnancy and the maintenance of pregnancy in the first trimester. However, it is known to cause gastric problems as it relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter leading to food regurge which may be responsible for the feeling of nausea and trigger vomiting.
Another hormone that is guilty of morning sickness is human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). HCG is produced at the start of conception and continues to rise during pregnancy and might play a role in causing morning sickness.
Morning Sickness Essentials
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How to Prevent Morning Sickness?
There is no one permanent cure to all types of morning sickness but there are a few things you can do that can help.
1Have Plenty of Rest
Have Plenty of Rest
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy increase with increased action and energy and a sense of fatigue. So make sure to have 6-8 hours of continuous night sleep in your comfortable bed and if you feel tired through the day, a 20-30 minute nap will do wonders.
2Have Biscuit Crackers in Bed
Have Biscuit Crackers in Bed
Having some salt crackers in bed before you wake up has proven very effective in decreasing your morning sickness. Carbohydrates and other dry snacks are the least to trigger that feeling of nausea and provide you with the energy you need. They also fill your stomach that has been empty for 6-8 hours causing some degree of hypoglycemia.
3Have Small Frequent Meals
Have Small Frequent Meals
Increasing the number of meals you have though the day while decreasing the food portion may greatly help. This helps prevent your stomach from being completely full decreasing food regurge which triggers both nausea and vomiting. But at the same time, you are eating frequently so you will not feel hypoglycemic.
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4Walk Around Your House
Walk Around Your House
Exercising and moving around helps oxygenate your body and make you feel better and more energetic. If walking around the house sounds boring, try yoga or light aerobics as exercise is encouraged in pregnancy, but don’t increase the intensity of your workouts before consulting your doctor.
5Avoid Your Personal Triggers
Avoid Your Personal Triggers
Very early in pregnancy, you will be able to determine what causes you to feel morning sickness; whether that is the smell of spicy foods, cigarettes, alcohol, or a certain perfume.
Once you have your list ready, stay away from the triggers as prevention is always better than therapy.
6Acupressure and Sea Bands
Acupressure and Sea Bands
Many women reported a massive relief when trying acupuncture to alleviate their morning sickness. This means applying pressure to a certain area in your body to decrease pain and is commonly used to help in morning sickness.
Wrapping sea bands around the forearm has been shown to effectively decrease symptoms. Sea bands can easily be found online and in drugstores, and are definitely worth to try.
7Ginger Supplements
Ginger Supplements
A lot of research suggests the ginger helps alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness. Ginger roots contain compounds that help improve the irritating sense of nausea and vomiting.
Ginger tea is one way of including ginger in your diet but ginger capsules are more effective and significantly relieve symptoms in 70% of women.
8Vitamin Supplements
Vitamin Supplements
Nutritional deficiencies are a suggested cause for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy especially vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, supplements specifically work miracles when treating morning sickness. However, try taking your prenatal vitamins at night instead of early in the morning as this decreases the chances of getting nauseated.
9Over the Counter Drugs
Over the Counter Drugs
If all the above tips aren’t making you feel better, you can consider giving medical drugs a shot. Antihistaminics as doxylamine and Benadryl can quickly relieve your misery. This group of drugs can effectively combat morning sickness but can cause some drowsiness. Combining doxylamine with vitamin B6 is the best medication available for morning sickness.
You may also interested to learn – Early Miscarriage Due to a Chemical Pregnancy: Sign, Symptoms and natural way to heal.
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To Conclude
Morning sickness is a very common condition that affects up to 70% of pregnant women and actually indicates a healthy pregnancy. Although the symptoms are very unpleasant, they pose no health threats to either the mother or the child. Many methods can help you feel better and relieve your symptoms so there is no need to worry. Maybe you are also keen to learn about the Early Signs of Labor Approaching – find here!
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