When to Call the Doctor
While morning sickness is usually not life threatening, it may sometimes feel as if it is. In most cases, however, pregnant women can usually muddle through it themselves with a few home remedies. For some though it may become a bigger problem than they can, or should, cope with. Sometimes, severe or protracted vomiting can cause dehydration. The first step every pregnant woman should take is to be aware of the danger signs and know when they should consult a doctor.
Most pregnant women will notice the first signs of morning sickness in around their fourth week and for the most fortunate, it’s over by the sixteenth week. If nausea and vomiting continue after that point, then it’s important that you inform your doctor the next time you have an appointment. This applies if the symptoms are not too bad. But if you find that you are vomiting and feeling nauseous constantly from the start and nothing you do helps, then of course you should get in touch with your doctor also. If you find yourself unable to keep anything down – food or water – for a period of twenty-four hours, then again, contact your doctor and let him or her know.
There are times, though very rare, that the nausea and vomiting are so severe that the pregnant woman cannot maintain proper nutrition, retain fluids or gain the requisite weight that she needs. In these cases, a condition called ‘hyperemesis gravidarum’ is diagnosed. It sounds like something out of Harry Potter but it is a very serious, even life threatening, condition. It translates into ‘over vomiting in a pregnant state’ and affects about one in every three hundred women.
If hyperemesis gravidarium is not treated, the expecting mother is unable to get the required nutrition and fluids for a healthy pregnancy. If severe and untreated, it may threaten the health of the fetus. Basically, if you are throwing up more than two or three times a day, then make sure your doctor knows about it.
Dehydration can also lead to dire consequences if it is left to reach high levels. It can lead to preterm labor and other complications. When your body gets rid of more water than you can replace, then dehydration sets in. As you know, vomiting consists of fluids – and quite a lot of it – so it’s not hard to understand that if vomiting is excessive, then there is the danger of dehydration. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water – at least ten pints, or even more if you vomit often.
You will know if this is setting in if you feel dizzy or faint. The dizziness is due to low blood pressure caused by dehydration. If you find you are not urinating as frequently or your urine is darker, then alert your doctor to this. If your mouth, eyes and skin feel dry or you are getting headaches, then alert your doctor. Another symptom you should mention is if you feel tired and weak all the time and perhaps you feel less mentally alert
Causes of Nausea in Pregnancy
It is a miracle isn’t it? The feeling that you have a new life inside you. A life that needs your love and protection from day one. Well, day one is usually fine. It’s the other days that concern us here. The days when the toilet bowl is your best friend and your stomach assumes a life of its own. And what a life! You begin to wonder if getting pregnant was such a great idea. Nausea is not pretty and the exact cause of it during pregnancy is still unclear, even after all these years of women getting pregnant! It’s not surprising though when you think about the many rapid changes taking place in your body.
Hormones would have to be the key word. Once you have conceived, your body is flooded with hormones. This is good news as hormones travel from the glands to the cells and give commands like ‘go forth and multiply’. If it wasn’t for hormones, there would be no pregnancy as the necessary growth and support would not take place. That’s the good news. Now for the bad. Hormones can have undesirable side effects.
One of the principle hormones in a pregnant woman’s body is human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG and it is suspected of being responsible for morning sickness. It is released into your blood by the developing placenta once the fertilized egg implants itself to the uterine wall. Its actions help your body maintain the pregnancy and ensures the development of your baby. One of the ways it does this is by affecting the production of progesterone, another hormone vital in pregnancy.
Progesterone causes the uterus muscles to relax and therefore early childbirth is prevented. But it may act to relax the stomach and intestine as well which may then lead to an excess of acid in the stomach. This may in turn cause nausea and vomiting. There are other hormones present which are just as likely suspects such as estrogen, oxytocin, endorphins and relaxin. It could be that the fault lies in a mixture of them or perhaps the fault lies elsewhere altogether.
Many pregnant women find that if they take a vitamin B6 supplement, their nausea is not as bad. There is a little mystery here, however. Studies have shown that there were no significant differences in the levels of B6 in women with morning sickness and those without. But, if the shoe fits, wear it.
Morning sickness may be triggered by the enhanced sense of smell and sensitivity to different odors. Different women find different smells offensive and certain odors may be repugnant enough to trigger a gag reflex. This may be because of a more acute sense of smell or it may be due to higher levels of estrogen
Even though experts are still not sure as to what exactly causes morning sickness, fortunately it usually abates by the end of the third month. At this stage, the level of hormones level out or even decline and so their effects decline also.
Nausea Late in Pregnancy
Just as morning sickness can be experienced throughout the day and not just in the morning as its name implies, so too can this condition continue throughout the pregnancy and not just be experienced in the first three months. Vomiting and nausea can also reappear when the pregnancy is near full term as baby and stomach jostle for room.
Hormones which run rampant through the body at the beginning of the pregnancy subside after the first trimester but continue to fluctuate for the whole nine months. So their side effects can be felt off and on later in the pregnancy as well. Also, as the baby grows, he or she takes up more room and as a result, presses up against the stomach. If the mother eats too large a meal, then there is room in the stomach and she may feel nauseous. It is much better to eat smaller meals more often than to eat larger meals.
It is of course vital to both you and your child that you stay as healthy as you can. If you experience severe stomach pain or protracted vomiting, then you must inform your doctor. It is not only the baby that needs the nutrients that a health diet provides, it is also important for you. If your nausea and vomiting mean you are unable to eat, then this may be something the doctor will want to address. Also, you must be aware that dehydration can bring on the birth before it’s time so remember to sip water throughout the day. If this is difficult due to nausea, then suck on an ice cube.
There is a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) which literally means extreme vomiting during pregnancy. This is a very serious condition in which women have severe morning sickness throughout the nine months of pregnancy – and in some cases, it can even continue after the birth. While it isn’t certain why some women suffer from HG, it is highly likely that unusually high levels of hormones and estrogen are to blame. As a result of HG, the body is unable to absorb adequate amounts of food and liquid which then leads to dehydration and inadequate nutrition for the baby and mother.In some cases, women suffering from this condition lose about 5% from their pre-pregnancy weight.
HG is treated as a medical emergency. There are very real threats to both mother and child and so the pregnant woman is usually admitted to hospital. Intravenous re-hydration, nutritional supplements and medication to stop the vomiting are administered.
If the condition continues unabated and without treatment, then the baby may be an increased risk for health problems, either immediately or later in life. Women suffering from HG feel constantly fatigued, may find they have an altered sense of taste and in extreme cases, may hallucinate.
HG affects about 1% of pregnant women. For the more fortunate, morning sickness is a mild nuisance with doesn’t cause too much bother. Most women who have nausea and vomiting late in pregnancy find they get relief if they reposition themselves when eating in order to take the pressure off the stomach. In all cases, however, if extreme symptoms persist, be sure to inform your doctor.
The First Few Weeks of Pregnancy
Exactly why the majority of pregnant women feel the nausea known as morning sickness is not known. There are many theories, of course. One is that morning sickness is caused by the hormonal changes induced by the placenta and the fetus during the first three months. Because of the hormones, the gastrointestinal system is slower to empty and so may also play a role.
About 70% of pregnant women are affected by morning sickness. Symptoms are usually felt between 4-8 weeks and abate at around the sixteenth week. Contrary to what its name implies, the vomiting and nausea of early pregnancy can be experienced at any time of the day.
What experts do agree on is that has a role to play in the pregnancy – but they are not sure what that is exactly. It may protect the fetus, for example, in quite an ingenious way.
As adults, our livers and other organs defend us against the chemical toxins contained in many plants which (are supposed to) protect them from being eaten. However, these defenses are not fully developed within the fetus and so it needs protecting in an alternative way. Maybe pregnant women become nauseated when they smell foods which could contain the dangerous toxins. It puts a different perspective on it, doesn’t it?
Morning sickness may protect not only the fetus but also the mother. When she is pregnant, a woman’s immune system is suppressed, probably to limit the possibility of her body rejecting her baby. Due to the fact that the immune system is not working as hard, if a pregnant woman eats animal products which contain parasites or harmful bacteria then this could be dangerous.
Fortunately, morning sickness does not pose a threat to the baby unless it is extreme. There isn’t a problem if no weight is gained during the first three months of pregnancy. The fetus will be strong and healthy as long as their mother drinks a lot of water and the fetus is able to get nourishment. Most pregnant women will regain their appetite and start putting on weight soon enough.
However, if the morning sickness is severe and vomiting non-stop, then there is a risk that the baby will be premature. There is also the chance that the baby will be born underweight or small for their gestational age. In order to prevent this from happening, the doctor in charge may feel it necessary to prescribe anti-nausea medication. This should have the effect of preventing dehydration and other complications. This is particularly important if morning sickness continues after the first trimester
Generally speaking, most women get through morning sickness tolerably well. As long as they say healthy and keep their doctors informed of any problems or concerns they have. More morning sickness is usually experienced by women who are pregnant with their first child and women who are carrying multiple fetuses.
Pregnancy Nausea Remedies
Morning sickness is pretty notorious. Women who aren’t even pregnant have heard of it and it’s probably one of the first things you look for when you do become pregnant. Am I going to get it or aren’t I? Will it be mild or severe? Some women are lucky enough to escape its clutches altogether while others? Well, let’s just say it’s for them that this article has been written.
There are quite a few home remedies that have been passed down through the generations and some of them may work for you. Don’t be too quick to dismiss them as old wives tales as time and again, we do find solutions in old lore that we cannot find in modern medicine. While some may be more obvious like stay away from foods that make you gag, there are others that are worth going into a bit more. Did you know, for example, that hot food has more of an odor and so eating food at room temperature may help you keep it down? Maybe bland foods work better for you.
Nibbling on dry crackers is perhaps the most famous advice handed down from times past. It does help quite a few struggling mums-to-be as they find carbohydrates in their stomach may keep vomiting at bay. There are many who keep a pack next to their bed so they can reach for them before they even attempt to get out of bed in the morning. Some keep them in the car for the morning commute or in their bags in case the work environment is not conducive to keeping their nausea down.
As large meals are often not possible, you may find that small meals and snacks taken often during the day suit you better. In this way, your stomach is never empty and so blood sugar levels stay steady. The same principle applies to drinking fluids. Sipping throughout the day rather than drinking large quantities may help keep the fluids down. Some women find sports drinks, which are made up of glucose, salt and potassium, help them feel better if they have been vomiting a lot. Suck on an ice cube if nothing else will stay down.
Acupressure is a natural remedy which is attracting a lot of attention nowadays. Well, in the West at least, as Eastern countries have a long tradition of using acupressure to heal their ills. This therapy advocates that there is a pressure point located about two inches or five cm above the crease on the inner part of the wrist. If you apply quite hard pressure to this point, called the Pericardium 6, then it may ease nausea and vomiting. (This can work even if you aren’t pregnant and in cases of travel sickness.)
You might like to try acupressure bands which are widely available- you can even find them in a fishing tackle store if there is one handy. These wrist bands have plastic studs that press on the pressure point. There is also a device which stimulates the underside of your wrist with a mild electric current which can be prescribed by health care providers.
There are many herbal teas you may like to try. Ginger also has a good reputation as a stomach settler. Authentic ginger ale may do the trick – beware the flavored varieties, however, there has to be real ginger in the list of ingredients. You may also find that it is better if it’s flat rather than carbonated. You can make your own ginger tea by grating fresh ginger into hot boiled water or you may prefer crystallized or uncrystallized ginger. Beware the powdered ginger root supplements however. Some experts do not advise their use as there is some doubt as to how much active ingredient is present.
Some women find that their morning sickness is worse if they get too tired, so try and take some naps during the day. Easier said than done if you work, I know. If it’s not possible, then at least try and reduce the stress in your day and stay as relaxed as you can. Sometimes prenatal vitamins are a cause of nausea and vomiting if they contain a lot of iron. While iron is necessary, you can increase your dosage as your morning sickness eases, usually after the first three months.
Morning Sickness Information
Morning sickness – that’s when you throw up every morning, right? Well, yes and no. The term ‘morning sickness’ is actually a misnomer. While some women do indeed feel nauseous, throw up in the morning and are then able to get on with their day quite happily, others suffer all day. About 75% of pregnant women feel the effects of morning sickness for a few weeks – usually between the sixth week and the sixteenth – whereas others start sooner and can suffer until they give birth. In extreme cases, and very rare ones, a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum causes constant and severe vomiting which means that the perquisite nutrition and liquids are not absorbed by the body. This leads to a loss of weight from the pre-pregnancy level and dehydration if not controlled which endangers both mother and child.
Even though women have been giving birth since time began, the precise causes of morning sickness are still unknown. There are plenty of good guesses however. The most likely culprit is the plethora of hormones racing around the body in early pregnancy. These hormones are produced the moment the fetus implants itself in the wall of the womb and are vital for the development and support of the baby.
Why some women suffer morning sickness more than others is still a mystery. Being pregnant with more than one child is more likely to lead to morning sickness as the levels of hormones like hCG and estrogen are much higher. If you have taken birth control pills and suffered from nausea because of them, then unfortunately you will likely suffer from the inconvenience of morning sickness.
Genetics also seems to play a role. If your mother or sisters had bad cases of morning sickness, then you are also likely to. Do you get migraine headaches? Then this is also an indicator that you will suffer from morning sickness.
It seems that if you are pregnant with a girl then odds are that you will suffer from morning sickness – up to 50% more likely than if you are pregnant with a boy according to one study. Believe it or not, some women worry when they don’t get nauseous and throw up. They are concerned that they are not sick because there aren’t enough hormones being produced in their body which, in turn, means that there isn’t enough growth and support for the fetus. However, these women should know that there is no evidence to support their concern. Plenty of women give birth to healthy babies without having suffered from one day of morning sickness.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ease morning sickness. Some women find it helps to eat smaller meals throughout the day. In this way, the stomach is neither full nor empty. You should also get lots of rest during the day – put your feet up and have a nap if you can. Avoid the odors and foods that make you gag. Acupressure also seems to be effective.
