Morning sickness, also referred to as “nausea or vomiting of pregnancy”, is one of the most commonly occurring complaints in pregnant women. It is most dominant in the first three months (referred to as first trimester) of the pregnancy when the body is adjusting to all the changes caused by increase in the hormones necessary to maintain pregnancy. Morning sickness does not mean that there is something wrong with the pregnancy. It is a result of the body adjusting to the hormonal changes.
Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day or night though its name suggests only morning hours. Actually it is most prevalent in morning hours in most women and is said to have an effect on about 50 to 85 percent of all pregnant women. In around half of the pregnant women, the sufferings end by the 16th week of pregnancy. The most positive part of morning sickness is that most of the women who suffer from morning sickness do not have miscarriages.
Morning sickness brings nausea, which is the most taxing problem of early pregnancy. This happens because it makes you physically and emotionally tired. This is a time when most people around you do not realize that you are pregnant and expect you to behave normally and actively. But actually this is the time when most care and rest needs to be taken. Morning sickness occurs due to an increase in the progesterone hormone which relaxes the muscles in the uterus. This hormone also relaxes the stomach and intestines thus causing an overflow of stomach acids, bringing nausea. Again pregnancy brings with it an extra sensitivity to odors, which bring morning sickness or nausea.
A few given below tips can be followed by most pregnant women to get some relief from morning sickness:
- Small regular meals should be taken instead of one large meal because large meals unsettle the stomach and cause nausea. In any case don’t stop eating.
- To avoid feeling of nausea during pregnancy some snacks should be kept handy. This can be taken as and when required.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Take care to drink slowly. Instead of taking large glasses of drink at one go, it should be sipped slowly. Water in any case is very important to replace any liquids lost through vomiting.
- Some prenatal vitamins can be taken on a doctor’s recommendation, if there is a loss of nutrients due to vomiting.
- Good rest and sleep should be a part of your schedule as feeling tired makes you sick and nauseated.
- If morning sickness occurs first thing in the morning, you should first eat something like a dry toast or biscuit in the bed only and then get up.
- Also you should avoid thinking about nausea because it gets worse if you pay attention to it.
- Very oily and greasy foods and cooking should be avoided because this makes nausea worse. Also avoid eating food items that don’t smell good to you, even if you loved them before getting pregnant.
- At times remedies containing ginger also help to overcome nausea.
If morning sickness persists and troubles you all the times, it is advisable to consult a doctor or a midwife. If the nausea and vomiting are very intense and acute, then some “anti emetic” or anti sickness tablets or injections need to be taken