Ok, so I’ll admit that the first time I was pregnant I did NOT think that my symptoms included Morning Sickness, so after contending with being physically sick (stomach bug) for the last few days I decided to look into it a bit more on how to help nausea during pregnancy.
After all pregnancy is supposed to be exciting and Not the time to spend worshiping a porclin goddess… so I wanted to know, what really is Morning Sickness?
The Good News?
If there is any, it’s that many in the medical field see Morning sickness as a good sign. According to the Institute of Health Sciences at Oxford, research apparently shows that Morning Sickness actually seems to have a positive effect on pregnancy outcomes and is often associated with a healthier Mother, Delivery and Newborn Baby… go figure.
So while I wish you many sypmtoms of a healthy pregnancy (pregnancy glow anyone?) this is NOT going to be one of them!
What is Morning Sickness/Pregnancy Nausea
Morning sickness can be (and for many women is) the first sign that you are even pregnant, while you may not feel like celebrating the whole “throwing up” part it can be a reminder of the exciting times to come. Usually, it can show up as early as the 6th week and normally ends around the 12th week. And is not restricted to just the mornings though often can be harder to handle during the morning then the rest of the day.
One of the ways some women experience morning sickness is nausea that arises from bad smells, I can attest that this is not a fun way to handle a pregnancy and can last throughout pregnancy as we are in general more sensitive to smells. During my first pregnancy, I was dealing with this aspect all the way through.
Generally speaking though, morning sickness lasts from around week 6 to the end of the first trimester. While uncommon a small number of Mamma’s may experience it into the second and even third trimester. And you should talk to your doctor about it as it can prevent you from gaining a healthy amount of weight and just make you miserable in general.
The Causes of Morning Sickness
Like most things in pregnancy you have your hormones to thank for this one. Especially during the first trimester as baby takes over your pituitary gland to help build the placenta and kick start baby’s growth. The main offenders are hCG (aka Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), which is produced by the fertilized egg to help grow the placenta, and our good friend estrogen, which helps everything grow and develop from the uterine lining that protects your baby to baby itself. Both of these hormones do a rapid dump into your system during early pregnancy.
Because you’re body isn’t used to handling such an intense hit of these hormones it can make you feel sick. Once you get to the second trimester however your hormone levels are still changing just not as quickly so it’s easier to handle.
Because of all the changes to your system you may also notice that your digestive system slows down which means food doesn’t pass through as quickly and that can add to the feeling as well.
Also during pregnancy our sense of smell is enhanced and it can be strong enough to turn you off of things that used to be your favourites. Looking back I know I had “morning sickness” in my first pregnancy because I stopped eating some things due to the gag reflex caused by the smell of the item. While some researchers belive this could be a result of higher estrogen no one really knows for sure how our noses get so sensitive.
With each pregnancy being unique it’s a challenge to know who will feel the Nausia and who won’t, but on average 50% of women will experience it during a pregnancy. It’s more likley during pregnancies with multiples (the hormone dosage is higher), or if you’re pregnant with a girl or prone to motion sickness usually. However having had Morning Sickness with one pregnancy doesn’t mean you will get it with the next one.
Morning Sickness Symptoms
For most Moms-to-be, morning sickness means nausea and some vomiting. But some Moms never get it, and a very unlucky few have Hyperemesis Gravidarum or severe morning sickness. Which
And
Will nausea affect my baby?
For most women the simple answer is No. Mild to moderate nausea and some vomiting won’t harm baby. And even if you don’t gain any weight in the first tirmester, it’s generally not a problem as long as you are able to stay hudrated and can keep some food down. Most of the time your appetite will return soon enough and you’ll start gaining weight then.
Even if morning sickness keeps you from eating a balanced diet make sure you keep taking your prenatal vitamin, which has essential nutrients you and baby need.
How to handle Morning Sickness
There are many tips and tricks out there to help us deal with morning sickness, including
Talking to your doctor about medication, I start with this one because it can be a lifesaver to use a medication specifically to help keep your nausea under control. And make sure you know the side effects. I picked up my first ever prescription the morning I wrote this and apparently one of the side effects to my prescription is sleepiness… yeah, 1 pill and 8 hours later I feel rested but didn’t get anything done that I had hoped to. However as a “drug-free type Mamma” I still recommend that if your morning sickness is affecting your daily life you talk to your doctor or Midwife about medication.
Avoid the triggers (heat, strong food odors, and scents) – I know this one seems common sense, but it needs to be stated anyway. If you have something the is triggering the nausea the simplest answer is to avoid it.
Fresh Air – you may be picking up on scents in the area that you are not fully aware of smelling, stepping outside to get fresh air will clear that away and help you breathe a bit better.
Eat small meals – while good advice for a healthy lifestyle
Cold fizzy drinks – sip them, I like 7up myself for this as I grew up using it to settle an upset stomach. But something like gingerale might work better for you.
Drink between meals – sometimes the mix of water with food can upset a stomach, try drinking between meals instead of during meals.
Hard Candies – like preggie pop drops can help reduce nausea and
Getting plenty of rest – if you are
Acupressure or Acupuncture – there are a variety of points on your body and specifically in your hands and arms that can help relieve some symptoms, do your research and see if any of them work for you.
