Nausea and vomiting are very common pregnancy symptoms, but here are a few solutions that may help with morning sickness.
If you are reading this article, it is probably because you are either considering becoming or already are pregnant. While pregnancy can be an exciting time in life, it also comes with some unpleasant practicalities that can make your daily routines difficult. Morning sickness is certainly one of the pregnancy symptoms that, once occurs, is difficult to control and is definitely distracting.
Understanding sometimes helps with coping, so here are three things that will help you understand how to help morning sickness, in order to get yourself through your first trimester.
You are not alone
It is estimated that up to 80 per cent of pregnant women experience some morning sickness, especially in their first trimester. However severe morning sickness that requires hospitalization, known as hyperemesis gravidarum, only really affects 1-2 per cent of women. Make no mistake, morning sickness that doesn’t require hospital care can be just as cumbersome. In about 35 per cent of the cases, it results in lost work time and may negatively impact relationships.
What causes morning sickness?
While a one-to-one relationship between a cause and morning sickness has not been established, there are several factors that may likely be contributing to your morning sickness. Pregnancy is marked by some drastic hormone changes, which may in itself be the cause. Other factors such as low blood sugar, previous history of morning or motion sickness, emotional stress and fatigue, and your baby being a girl are also risk factors that contribute to your morning sickness.
How to treat it
You should probably know that while morning sickness is unpleasant to you, it is not harmful to your baby. There are a few ways to help morning sickness and thus your discomfort:
- Taking a multivitamin at the time of conception, if possible
- Taking vitamin B6 alone or with doxylamine (an antihistamine)
- Avoiding foods and odours that trigger nausea
- Drinking water slowly, rather than in large gulps to lessen nausea
- Avoiding cold, sweet or tart drinks
- Getting plenty of rest
- Seeing a doctor if you cannot hold down food for 24 hours, are not passing urine or are feeling dehydrated and dizzy
While morning sickness is no fun to deal with, the good news is that in many cases, it disappears around week 12 of pregnancy. In the event it lasts longer, try the above tips to help alleviate the symptoms, or plan a visit to your OB/GYN.
