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Morning sickness is very common among pregnant women. Approximately 50 percent of all pregnant women experience some degree of nausea and vomiting between the sixth and twelfth weeks of pregnancy. This is normal. Although it is commonly called morning sickness, it can occur at any time of day.
Abnormal vomiting---severe, continual nausea and vomiting after the twelfth week—occurs in approximately 1 in 300 pregnancies. Morning sickness, also called is called hyperemesis gravidarum or pregnancy sickness is a condition that affects more than half of all pregnant women, as well as some women who use hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy and it can result in dehydration, acidosis, malnutrition, and substantial weight loss. Usually, it is present in the early hours of the morning and reduces as the day progresses.
If the condition persists, it can endanger the fetus. The reason for abnormally severe nausea is not clear, but an association has been made between it and very high levels of the hormones estrogen and chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced by the first trimester. Women who have no morning sickness are more likely to miscarry or to bear children with birth defects.
Some combination of the many physical changes taking place in your body is probably responsible. Those changes include rapidly increasing oestrogen levels, an enhanced sense of smell, excess stomach acids, and increased fatigue. Some researchers theorise that stress and emotions may also play a role in morning sickness.
While it is said that morning sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy, the lack of it does not mean that there is anything wrong with your pregnancy. Recent studies have suggested that mothers who have morning sickness have fewer miscarriages chances.
Cause and Risk factors
Unfortunately, no one is exactly sure what causes morning sickness but it would seem that the cause is a combination of issues related to the chemical changes your body is going through. It is caused by the sudden increase in hormones during pregnancy. Abnormal vomiting include bile duct disease, drug toxicity, pancreatitis, low blood sugar, a molar pregnancy (a rare condition in which an abnormal mass rather than a fetus grows inside the uterus), problems with the thyroid, and inflammatory bowel disorders. |
An increase in the circulating level of the hormone estrogen. Estrogen levels may increase by up to a hundredfold during pregnancy.
It is believed that morning sickness is caused by the buildup of hCG (human chorionic gonadotopin) in your system. hCG is produced after implantation takes place and continues to increase until about the 12th week of your pregnancy.
Sign and Symptoms
Although morning sickness is more common in the morning, it can occur at anytime of the day or night and Nausea and vomiting can be one of the first signs of pregnancy for most women it seems to stop around the 12th week of pregnancy.
Each woman is different where morning sickness is concerned. The 50 to 80% who do experience morning sickness will have bouts of nausea and vomiting, to varying degrees, usually occurring with in the first three months of pregnancy. The morning sickness is accompanied by other signs of pregnancy like backaches, constipation, darkening of areola (breast nipple), excessive salivation, exhaustion or feeling sleepy, food cravings, frequent urination, headaches, increased sense of smell, lower abdominal cramps, and/or tender or swollen breasts. As well as feeling sick you might notice that your sense of smell has increased.
If the nausea and vomiting persist or worsen the woman may have a rare condition called hyperemesis gravidarum.
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- Treatments
- It tends to go away later in pregnancy, and it's almost always gone by the second trimester (after 13 weeks, or the fourth month). But there isn't a set time for it to stop because each woman is different, and each pregnancy is different.
- A doctor may prescribe anti-nausea medications if the expectant mother suffers from dehydration or malnutrition as a result of her morning sickness, a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum. Treatments for morning sickness typically aim to lessen the symptoms of nausea, rather than attacking the root cause(s) of the nausea. Treatments include:
- Lemons, particularly the smelling of freshly cut lemons.
- Avoiding an empty stomach.
- Accommodating food cravings and aversions.
- Eating five or six small meals per day, rather than three large ones.
- Eating cabbage.
- Try to include bananas, rice, applesauce, toast and tea in your diet.
- Ginger, in capsules, tea, ginger ale, or ginger snaps.
- Eating dry crackers in the morning.
- Drinking liquids 30 to 45 minutes after eating solid food.
- If liquids are vomited, sucking ice cubes made from water or fruit juice or trying lollipops.
- Vitamin B6 (either pyridoxine or pyridoxamine), often taken in combination with the antihistamine doxylamine (Diclectin).
Home Remedies for morning sickness
- Suck on frozen popsicles, especially lemonade.
- You can keep some crackers on your night table and eat them before you get up.
- Instead of eating your foods, try to drink them, it’s easier for your body to digest a milk shake or fruit shake instead of having to chew them.
- Drink plenty of carbonated beverages, without caffeine.
- Consuming ginger ale for example, will promote the elimination of gas, when at the same time ginger ale contains ginger, a herb that soothes the digestive tract.
- Also mix singles drops of ginger, fennel and peppermint oils, then add them in an ounce of carrier oil. This exquisite oil massaged into the skin will settle the stomach.
- For something more relaxing, put a few drops of lavender oil in the bath tub and enjoy the immersion.
- Taking ½ to 1 tsp of Wild yam root every day will help you deal your morning sickness. Snack on ginger snap cookies, homemade and with real ginger, if possible.
- Try start flavors; lemonade, sour pickles, etc.
Recommendations
Take a balanced diet. Include protein and carbohydrate rich food, whole grain food, brown bread in your diet.
Always keep lemon slice or freshly prepared lemon juice along your bedside. Lemon is quite effective in reducing vomiting or nausea or morning sickness.
Drink plenty of fluid, water, fresh fruit juice, etc. This keeps the body temperature in control and reduces the nausea or vomiting tendency.
Take apple extract vinegar with honey at night, before going for sleep. Mix equal amount (one tablespoon) of both vinegar and honey in a cup of water.
Keep your room fresh and clean. Take sufficient sunlight and do not stay too much in dark, as this will cause nervousness and will result in vomiting.
It is also advisable to keep some food items that suit your taste near your bed. Women going through the morning sickness syndrome often wake up at night due to uneasiness or vomiting tendency.
Do not eat food in hurry. Chew the food slowly, completely, and properly.
Go for morning walk, mild walk after dinner, do little exercise and yoga. Meditation and yoga help in keeping nerves in control. It makes body and mind healthy.
Completely restrict your habit of drinking and smoking. This prevents morning sickness and keeps the child safe and healthy.
Get a massage with chamomile massage oil.
Try changing your iron supplement.
Avoid greasy foods.
Get plenty of rest and plenty of fresh air.
Low blood sugar aggravates the nausea, so you should try to keep a good level throughout the day, staring from the moment you wake up.
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