Waking up in the morning feeling sick to your stomach? You may be wondering; I didn’t have anything unusual for dinner last night. Then why do you feel like throwing up every single edible thing you just had. Before you start panicking and rushing to the hospital, you may want to read through this article. As we talk all about pregnancy morning sickness.
What is Pregnancy Morning Sickness?
Pregnancy and motherhood are no doubt, beautiful and mesmerizing journeys. Seeing how your body undergoes so many changes to adapt to a new life growing inside of you sure makes you amazed about the wonders of nature.
While all these changes that your body goes through are beneficial for the safety and health of the baby. Not all of them necessarily give you a good time. One of such changes is pregnancy morning sickness. And what is pregnancy morning sickness? It is nausea and vomiting that occur in pregnancy.
Does it Only Take Place at Mornings?
Though the term coined is morning sickness, it can actually happen during any time of the day. Yes, you heard me right! The name is misleading, you can get sick and feel like throwing up even at midnight!
Though most women experience pregnancy morning sickness during the first trimester, some may complain about nausea and vomiting throughout 9 months. And some women don’t experience it at all!
Why Do You Have Pregnancy Morning Sickness?
As we discussed previously, pregnancy is a state of constant change. And most of the changes that take place in a mummy-to-be’s body are aimed at protecting the baby from harmful environmental impacts. So, you may be asking yourself, what harm is my baby being protected from as I puke my guts out the whole day long?
In pregnancy, a women’s senses of smell and taste are heightened. This is the body’s natural response as a defense mechanism. “What is the body defending against?”, pops another question in mind. Any sort of food or smell that the body considers harmful to the baby causes you to feel sick and eventually throw up.
Causes of Morning Sickness
When it comes to pregnancy morning sickness, nausea and vomiting are brought about by hormonal changes.
Often at times, severe or persistent emesis may be caused by a medical disorder not related to pregnancy; such as a liver or thyroid disease.
Symptoms of Pregnancy Morning Sickness
The common symptoms of pregnancy morning sickness are as follows
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Heightened sense of smell
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Tiredness
- Thirst
Risk Factors
Though many pregnant women can experience morning sickness, you are more likely to develop symptoms if the following risk factors are present
- You had morning sickness during a previous pregnancy
- History of motion sickness
- There is a history of nausea and vomiting when having a migraine or being exposed to certain odors
- Pregnant with twins or multiples
- You are pregnant with a girl
What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?
Hyperemesis gravidarum, what a fancy word, you ought to be wondering. But this fancy word is one pain in the spine. And presents a serious risk to mummy if not timely addressed.
So, what is hyperemesis gravidarum? Hyperemesis gravidarum is a known complication of pregnancy. Which is characterized by severe nausea and vomiting that leads to dehydration, lightheadedness and fainting, and even weight loss. There are also disturbances in the body’s metabolic profile and it often results in ketosis
Hyperemesis gravidarum is more severe than pregnancy morning sickness. It often ends by the 20th week, but like pregnancy morning sickness, can last throughout the entire 9 months duration.
Complications of Pregnancy Morning Sickness- When to Call Your Doctor?
It normally doesn’t require frequent hospital visits. Despite it being a nuisance of having to check in the bathroom every other minute as you feel the urge to throw up.
However, you may want to rush to your doctor if any of the following symptoms are present
- You are unable to keep food down
- Severe dehydration with lightheadedness and fatigue
- Dizziness or fainting
- Weight loss greater than 2 pounds
- Blood in the vomitus
- Infrequent urination, with the color of the urine being darker than usual
- Fever
- Vaginal spotting or bleeding
- Pain in the abdomen
- Too many headaches
Morning Sickness- Prevention
If you’ve made it this far, we are sure you ought to be dreading pregnancy morning sickness if you are pregnant or wish to plan for a baby. So many questions would be racing across your mind as to how to prevent morning sickness?
When it comes to prevention, the following steps should be taken
- Keep yourself adequately hydrated
- Drink water before and after meals
- Take small and frequent meals rather than a single, large one
- Ensure proper ventilation at your place, so that scents that trigger nausea are timely dissipated
- Avoid smoking- active and passive cigarette smoke
- Avoid spicy and fatty meals
- Keep your multivitamins for the night
Treatment of Pregnancy Morning Sickness
Morning sickness gets very annoying as your visits to the toilet increase. What is even more troublesome is the disturbance in your routine, with you not being able to eat and drink properly without feeling sick to the core.
When it comes to treatment, you should always talk to your doctor first. And never self-prescribe any medications or remedy without consultant opinion. The following options are available
- Medications to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and the heartburn associated with it
- Various remedies including
- Acupuncture
- Hypnosis
- Use of ginger containing products- ginger ale or ginger drops
- Prenatal vitamins
- Vitamin B-6 supplements
- Saltine crackers
Pregnancy Morning Sickness- Take Home Message
Pregnancy morning sickness is a common happening in pregnancy. And often resolves by the second trimester. However, hyperemesis gravidarum is a grave complication of pregnancy. And needs quick management in order to prevent any unfortunate health concern.
Check-in with your doctor if you experience any of the above-mentioned danger symptoms or if morning sickness proceeds beyond 4-5 months.