Living With Morning Sickness
If you haven’t heard of morning sickness, then it’s likely that you haven’t been pregnant or around or near someone who has.Although not a disease, this condition commonly affects many women. Morning sickness is best described as nausea or the feeling of being ill in the stomach and is caused by pregnancy. It affects more than half of all pregnant women.
Morning sickness is a general term used to describe episodes of nausea and vomiting. It is most likely to occur in the early morning hours in pregnant women, hence the name.
There are two pieces of good news associated with morning sickness. The first is that you can’t get sick while you are! The second is that it is frequently a sign that your pregnancy is progressing normally, despite the fact that it can strike at any time.
Perhaps the most comforting fact about morning sickness is that it doesn’t last forever.
Morning Sickness Causes
There are several theories relating to the cause of morning sickness. Generally, however, the exact cause is unknown.Having said that, the current belief today is the connection between morning sickness and the pregnancy hormone, gonadotropin.
Morning sickness is most prevalent in the first three to four months of pregnancy. Usually starting in the second month, some of the first signs can be vomiting and nausea.
Although common, symptoms surprisingly will only affect a small number of pregnant women (less than 10%), who have symptoms that continue beyond week 18 of pregnancy.
Morning Sickness Symptoms
The symptoms of morning sickness may vary widely with women experiencing a range of effects.The vomiting and nausea occur together. Other signs include extreme tiredness or feeling sleepy, craving for certain foods, frequent urination, back pain and constipation.
Some expectant mothers may feel that their morning sickness is serious. Usually however, there are no unfavourable effects on the mother and no negative effects which may harm the baby.
Recent research indicates that morning sickness is helpful for the foetus. It is now generally agreed that morning sickness can be a positive sign because it means the placenta is in a healthy state of growth
Numerous studies have shown that a lower risk of miscarriage may be associated with morning sickness.
The term given to severe morning sickness is Hyperemesis gravidarum. This occurs when continual vomiting causes both dehydration and weight loss. The statistics are low.This type of morning sickness can affect approximately one in one thousand pregnant women.
Women expecting multiple births may experience more severe symptoms of morning sickness.
Food & Morning Sickness
Morning sickness symptoms can be managed to some degree. Eating frequently can offset the symptoms of nausea which tends to be felt the most when the stomach is empty.
As a suggestion meals could include cold, simple foods including plain vegetables and fruits.
Many studies have shown that ginger can ease the symptoms. It can be taken as ginger ale, ginger beer, ginger jam on toast, ginger drinks or even ginger cake or biscuits.
Lemons can help alleviate symptoms if eaten, sucked or used as a type of aromatherapy. Another useful tip is to only consume liquids between meals and not with meals.