Nothing welcomes you to pregnancy more than the feeling of morning sickness. It is one of the earliest and most common signs of being pregnant. But does it really only occur in the morning, and what can you do to prevent it? Check out this quick guide.
What Is Morning Sickness?
Morning sickness is defined as a feeling of nausea or dizziness, which is sometimes accompanied by vomiting during pregnancy. It usually happens in the first trimester and fades as your pregnancy progresses, however, some women have them until the second trimester. At least 70 per cent of women experience morning sickness during pregnancy.
As its name implies, the sickening feeling of nausea usually happens in the morning, but the symptoms may occur anytime during the day.
What Causes Morning Sickness?
It’s thought that morning sickness is caused by the rise in the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) 10 weeks of your pregnancy HCG levels double every two days.
Morning sickness is triggered by a variety of things such as hunger or a more sensitive sense of smell. It could even be set off by your emotional state or stress levels – so make sure you give yourself plenty of ‘me’ time!
Although morning sickness can be distressing, if you make sure you continue to eat and drink, it generally won’t harm your baby. If you find you cannot hold down your food or drink at all, or completely lose your appetite, then give your doctor a call and they will be able to help.
When Does Morning Sickness Start
It’s the universal telltale sign that a woman is pregnant when a woman feels nauseous and vomits – we’ve seen it in movies and maybe in real life. Morning sickness is considered one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. It usually begins during the 6th week and intensifies (it’s at its worst at week 9 of pregnancy) until it subsides in the second trimester.
Symptoms of Morning Sickness
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Morning sickness is known as the most notorious sign of pregnancy. It is described as an overall bad or queasy feeling, leaving the pregnant woman with little energy to go through her day.
The following are the common symptoms of morning sickness experienced by pregnant women:
- Nausea (a feeling of queasiness)
- Vomiting
- Retching (dry heaving without bringing anything up)
- Excessive salivation
Contrary to popular belief, morning sickness does not only happen in the morning (but it is usually the first reminder that greets pregnant mums as soon as they wake up). You can feel nauseous and tired throughout the day.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
As mentioned earlier, the sickening feeling may make you uncomfortable, but it usually subsides and disappears as you approach your second trimester. However, some women experience severe morning sickness or hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes them to have nausea and vomiting at least four times a day, leading to dehydration and weight loss during pregnancy.
Consult your doctor if you vomit consistently throughout the day, if you are losing weight, if you always feel dehydrated and are unable to go on with your daily activities because of morning sickness.
Does Morning Sickness Affect Everyone?
While it is common for most pregnant women to experience morning sickness, there are some lucky mums-to-be who don’t experience it throughout their pregnancy. As a general rule of thumb, morning sickness affects about 80 per cent of pregnant women in their first trimester.
When Does Morning Sickness Subside?
In most cases, morning sickness stops by the end of the first trimester, when there is a normal drop in the hCG pregnancy hormone.
However, queasiness can come and go throughout pregnancy – all it needs is something like a particular smell you find unpleasant to start things off. Exactly what it is that starts nausea off does tend to vary quite a lot from person to person. There are also an unfortunate few who experience morning sickness throughout their pregnancy.
Image source: Stock
Remedies for Morning Sickness
As mentioned, there really is no specific cure to make morning sickness go away for good. However, there are some things you can do to make this unwanted pregnancy symptom more manageable. Here are some tried and tested remedies you can try:
- Eat something plain and dry as soon as you wake up – ginger biscuits or crackers are perfect. Then if you can, rest for 20-30 minutes before getting out of bed.
- During the rest of the day try and eat small, but frequent meals throughout the day – a couple of bites are better than nothing. Keep snacks on hand like dry biscuits, dried fruits, a little bag of almonds or yoghurt.
- Foods high in protein or carbohydrates can help fight that sickness feeling, so try combining the two by eating a well-cooked egg on toast. Check out this article for foods to avoid when having morning sickness.
- Drink lots of fluid – water, juice, milk, fruit teas, whatever you can stomach. Ginger ale, ginger tea or even ginger candies are worth a try as it can settle your stomach and stop the queasiness.
- Do not hesitate to extend your sleep when you feel like you can’t get out of bed. All the vomiting will really make you feel tired and it’s okay to rest when you need to.
- Make sure you relax and take the stress out of your day! Talking with other mums-to-be who’ve experienced the same problem can be very useful.
Morning Sickness: When to Call the Doctor
Consult your gynae about seeking medical treatment for morning sickness if:
- the queasy feeling continues into your 4th month of pregnancy.
- you are not gaining enough weight or losing more than 2 pounds a week.
- your vomit is brown in colour or has blood in it.
- you vomit more than thrice a day and are having trouble keeping food or fluids down.
- your heart is beating faster than usual.
- you’re always tired or confused.
- you notice signs of dehydration – dark urine or less frequent urination.
Updates by Camille Eusebio
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