Pregnancy & Birth

The Complete Guide to Morning Sickness

Author by Raazi
Reviewed By Raazi
Last Edited : January 1, 1970

For a woman, being pregnant is the best possible thing. The ability to carry another human being inside you for nine months is miraculous. It will alter you in ways you may never imagine.

Morning sickness appears to be the most common indicator of pregnancy sometimes. It starts just after two weeks of conception. Even though it’s called “morning sickness,” its symptoms may strike at any time of day for a woman with the condition.

However, an empty stomach is one trigger; thus, it strikes in the mornings.

Women carrying twins or higher multiples are more likely to experience severe morning sickness due to elevated hormone levels.
Heightened sensitivity to smells during pregnancy can amplify nausea and vomiting episodes.
Eating high-protein foods can help reduce the severity of morning sickness for some women.
Morning sickness often subsides by the second trimester but can persist throughout pregnancy for some women.
Peppermint tea or essential oils are sometimes used as natural remedies to ease nausea.
Morning sickness may have psychological triggers, with stress and anxiety exacerbating symptoms.

Chances May Vary

Morning sickness happens in the first trimester, but many women face it throughout the pregnancy. Sometimes, it leads to an adverse condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. This is a severe condition of vomiting and nausea, leading to dehydration and losing about 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight.

It requires immediate hospitalization and intravenous treatment with fluids and rarely tube feeding. Some women experience no morning sickness during pregnancy.

Most pregnant women feel nauseous in the mornings, while others don’t. This nausea may range from moderate to severe, but women can’t keep any food in their stomachs. In particular, women with migraines or motion sickness may be more vulnerable to morning sickness.

So, it’s not essential that, if you are pregnant, you would also be nauseous. The risk of morning sickness is present in most women, but not all.

Which Factors Induce Morning Sickness?

There isn’t a specific cause of morning sickness. However, many physicians declare that the change in the levels of hormone during pregnancy induces it. One of the prime effects of hormone shift is on the digestive system, leading to more acid production. This condition might be a consequence of any medical condition, particularly liver and thyroid.

The condition gets worse by certain factors like stress, being exhausted, or exposure to certain foods.

Symptoms of Morning Sickness

The most common signs of this condition include nausea and vomiting. These are induced by various triggers, including spicy foods, heat, excess salivation, and odors. These symptoms may not require any motivation sometimes and appear on their own.

Besides nausea and vomiting, a few severe signs force you to contact your healthcare provider. Some of these include:

Intense nausea and vomiting
Less and dark-colored urination
Inability to keep fluids of any kind
Rapid heartbeat
Feeling of dizziness while standing or doing any chore

Risk Factors Involved

Morning sickness might affect any pregnant woman, but its chances get increased when you have certain conditions like:

Motion sickness, migraines, and particular smell or taste sensitivity before pregnancy
You are expecting the chances of twins or other multiples
You had morning sickness in the previous pregnancy

Similarly, certain conditions are believed to aggravate the chances of hyperemesis Gravidarum. Like;

You are expecting a girl
You have a family history of hyperemesis Gravidarum
You had this condition in the previous pregnancy

Treatment Options

Body composition and the needs of every woman differ. So it’s not true that a single therapy will work for every woman. The exact causes of morning sickness are hidden; still, we can apply certain things to manage the symptoms. Such as;

Medication Treatment

Doctors often advise to take vitamin B6 and doxylamine to stop morning sickness. Doxylamine is effective while ensuring better sleep and prevention of hay fever. Both options are easy to access and do not require any prescription. There is another drug containing both in its composition.

That is Diclegis and advised to be consumed only after getting a prescription from the healthcare provider. It’s a single pill and decreases the chances of gag reflex in some women.

Besides these, there are different drug classes specifically designed to cure nausea. These include; antiemetics, antihistamines, and anticholinergics.

A physician prescribes the best medication, and you must have it every time you feel nauseous.

Dietary Treatment

There are specific dietary options that you can use to feel better whenever you feel nauseous. Some of the potential ones are:

Try to have six meals in a day instead of three. Divide the meals into smaller portions.
Avoid fatty foods and spices. Avoid bland foods like bananas, rice, dry toast, plain baked potato, eggs, and tofu.
Add healthy snacks between meals like peanut butter, apple slices, yogurt, and milk.
Ensure maximum water intake throughout the day.
Try to take prenatal vitamins with snacks. If it contains iron, then take it before bedtime.
Avoid certain odors and flickering light that may trigger your nausea.
Have tea with natural grated ginger.
Keep the room well-ventilated to get some fresh air.
Smell pleasant oranges, lemons, or mint scents whenever you feel nauseous.
An empty stomach might induce nausea, so ensure frequent snacking, even with two biscuits.

Many women use marijuana to treat morning sickness. It’s not a good choice as it can harm both mother and baby’s health. So, please consult your physician before using it.

Some Home Remedies for Morning Sickness

Get more rest because you become more prone to nausea when you feel tired.
Avoid changing body positions quickly and frequently while sleeping.
Try sucking ice cubes when you feel vomiting or nausea.
Increase your intake of fluids.
Wear loose clothes.
Stay physically active.
Avoid fried foods. They sometimes trigger nausea.

Does it Harm the Baby?

Moderate morning sickness is not harmful for the mother and baby. However, getting severe leads to dehydration and weight loss. Untreated nausea and vomiting may prevent you from getting adequate nutrition. So it negatively affects your baby’s weight at the time of birth.

If you feel nauseous, try to take measures immediately so you can pass this duration smoothly.

Takeaway

Sometimes, a woman strongly dislikes the scent or taste of a particular cuisine. Some have recurrent bouts of nausea that worsen in the morning and subside by noon. Some have to spend their whole day feeling sick, with their hours of wakefulness.

Some sleep is often broken up by many trips to the bathroom to vomit. Nausea and vomiting are other names of morning sickness that many women experience in the first trimester of pregnancy. Most pregnant women (over 50%) suffer from this condition. It’s not a deniable fact and should be researched to create the best therapies for prevention and treatment.

Raazi

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