Morning sickness is a nauseated feeling accompanied by vomiting that affects mothers during the early stage of pregnancy. Some mothers will get “morning sickness” while others will not. Listed below are some information on morning sickness and tips on how you can cope with it:
| No. |
Question |
Answer |
| 1. |
What causes morning sickness? |
- No one really knows why morning sickness occurs but it has been
associated to:
- High level of hormones.
- Fluctuations of blood pressure.
- Altered metabolism of carbohydrates.
- Enormous physical and chemical changes in body.
|
| 2. |
Will morning sickness affect my growing baby?
|
- Typically there are no adverse effects on the baby or mother despite all the vomiting.
- However in severe cases it may be associated with lower birth weight and pre-term labour.
|
| 3. |
When does morning sickness begin? |
- Around 6 weeks into pregnancy and will continue to about 12 to 14 weeks.
- In some cases it may continue to 16 to 20 weeks and even beyond.
|
| 4. |
What are the symptoms? |
- Nausea & vomiting
- Sensitivity to odours
- Food cravings or aversions to food
- Drowsiness (even with enough rest)
- Headaches and cramps
|
| 5. |
How do I cope with it? |
- Ask your doctor for Vitamin B6 (has been proven to reduce nausea)
- Eat small meals regularly (5-6 times daily)
- Avoid spicy, greasy or fatty foods
- Avoid smelly foods that make you nauseous
- Eat more carbohydrates (white rice, potato, etc)
- Eat bland food when feeling nauseous (jellies, popsicles, etc)
- Eat some saltine crackers before getting out of bed to calm your stomach
- Drink more fluids to avoid dehydration
- Change in life routine (cook less, share household chores, etc)
- Reschedule your work (talk to your boss and work out a schedule to do more when you are least affected by the symptoms)
- Diversion (find a pleasant hobby to take your mind of the nausea)
|
| 6. |
Seek medical attention if you are experiencing these symptoms! |
- Persistent nausea
- Uncontrollable vomiting
- Vomiting blood or bile
- Dehydration
- Severe weight loss (at least 5% of pre-pregnancy weight)
- Increased heart rate
- Shivering
- Extreme fatigue
- Increased salivation
|
|
The good news is “morning sickness” doesn’t last forever and will be gone by the time your pregnancy grows to mid-term. For more information on morning sickness please visit these websites:
• www.morningsicknessinfo.com
• www.babycenter.com.au
