Surviving Morning Sickness
Why oh why?!
Morning sickness is a common condition of pregnancy that is characterized by nausea with or without vomiting. It can occur at any time of the day, not just the morning. These lovely symptoms can rear their ugly heads as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy and generally subside by second trimester or around 12 weeks. While the exact cause is not exactly known, a widely popular theory and school of thought, is that morning sickness is caused by increasing hormones, such as hCG.
When is morning sickness unsafe?
For most women who experience morning sickness, it is not severe, however there is a small population of women who experience severe morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) diagnoses this condition when a woman has lost 5% of her pregnancy weight and has other problems related to dehydration. This condition requires medical attention and treatment.
What can I do?
Here are some tips that might help ease the misery of morning sickness and help get you through these tough weeks:
- Keep crackers or bread at your bedside and munch on them before jumping out of bed to start the day
- Sip on fluids throughout the day. Keep hydrated
- Eat frequent small meals instead of 3 large meals
- Try to exercise and or keep active
- Get a good nights sleep and it’s okay to nap too!
- Avoid smells that are bothersome
- Try ginger products like ginger ale made from real ginger or ginger candies
- Take your pre-natal vitamin right before you go to sleep
- Ask your doctor about taking vitamin B6. According to the ACOG, this is an over-the-counter vitamin that can help with nausea and is safe for mother and baby
Wheel it in
While morning sickness is generally considered mild in the medical world, it can certainly be life changing! It can have negative effects on your daily living and requires a massive amount of patience to get through each day. It’s not easy to wrap your brain around a baby growing inside you, along with feeling sick and hormonal. You’re experiencing a large array of emotions and morning sickness can make it feel so much worse. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there and take heart knowing that there is an end to the morning sickness. The second trimester is around the corner and for most, that means these symptoms will ease up significantly.
