Morning sickness
When morning sickness comes to mind before pregnancy, some women just think it’ll be a routine of waking up, feeling nauseous, throwing up and that’s it for the day. Unfortunately this pregnancy symptom doesn’t stop in the morning, for some it’s an all day affair.
Causes and symptoms
For so many women, the first three months of pregnancy are usually characterized by nausea and vomiting. Although it is called morning sickness by the vast majority, the nausea and vomiting happens at any time of the day.
The level of the nausea could just be worse in the morning, reduce over the course of the day and for some women, it could last all day. The symptoms and its intensity will differ for every woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy. It’ll usually improve after the third month for most women and while it can stop earlier for some, some women will also experience morning sickness until they give birth to their baby.
Medically, morning sickness is known as “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy” and while about half of pregnant women only vomit, more than half have at least vomit or have nausea.
Morning sickness is quite normal and there’s no risk posed to the baby except in situations where the sickness is very severe. The cause of morning sickness is not fully known but it is usually related with pregnancy hormones. Apart from the major symptoms of nausea and vomiting, there are some other symptoms like not enjoying stimuli (smell, sexual experiences, touch, taste and visual) like you usually do.
Few ways to get a relief from morning sickness
There are relatively simple measures that might be enough to help those that have mild cases of nausea and vomiting. If you have symptoms of morning sickness that are severe or you feel you can’t handle them, there are effective medications that can be used to get relief.
Although the tips given here aren’t supported by scientific evidence, they may help.
Ensure you eat small snacks and meals and remember to do it frequently throughout the day so your stomach is not empty at any point. Foods with complex carbohydrates and lots of protein are usually very helpful but whichever you prefer, see to it that you are never in a rush to eat.
Don’t lie down immediately after eating as it can slow down digestion
After waking up in the morning, ensure you don’t rush out of bed. Get up slowly; sit for a while on the bed before jumping out.
Ensure you avoid food with smells that trigger your nausea and if almost everything does, try to eat only those that don’t even if it doesn’t all add up to a balanced diet.
Avoid eating fatty foods as they take longer to digest and eat foods served either at room temperature or cold as hot foods tend to have relatively strong aroma.
Drink fluids a lot between meals but not so much at once. Ensure you brush your teeth and rinse your mouth properly at all times after eating.
There’s actually no sure way to prevent morning sickness, but it’s been found that women who took multivitamins a little while before conception are very less likely to get nauseous when they get pregnant.
For those who can’t keep anything down, not even water, you may have a special condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum. This case may mean you need to be treated with medications and IV fluids.
You can make an appointment with Dr Kaur on 07 3839 0552.
This article is written to be informative and does not substitute seeking a professional consultation from a medical professional.