Morning sickness in pregnancy

When you are watching a movie and a female character gets out of bed in the morning and runs to the toilet to be sick, then you can pretty much jump to the conclusion that this is a sign of pregnancy. Nausea certainly can be one of the early pregnancy symptom . But the term “morning sickness” is an inaccurate name for this side effect of pregnancy. It’s estimated that around 80% of pregnant women suffer from nausea, but it’s certainly not restricted to the mornings! The condition is also known as called nausea gravidarum, emesis gravidarum or nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP). For many women this pregnancy symptom comes in waves throughout the day. Some very unfortunate women feel sickly 24/7. The usual time for this nausea to kick in is at around 10 weeks, so there have probably been other signs of pregnancy before morning sickness occurs. For most women it starts to go away at the end of the first trimester (around week 14). It is not known exactly what causes it, but the high levels of hormones in the body are thought to be the culprit. Some studies support the theory of “gestational food aversion." The idea is that nausea may cause pregnant women to avoid certain foods thereby protecting the fetus from potentially unhealthy substances. For example, before the invention of refrigeration, meat often carried harmful bacteria. So, women may be genetically programmed to be sensitive to meat during pregnancy. Other studies suggest that the amount of nausea a pregnant woman experiences may depend on how nutritiously she eats. These situations can make the nausea worse: • Tiredness • Low blood sugar or an empty stomach (going too long between meals). • Certain smells (most commonly fried food, petrol, curries, citrus fruit, and perfume). • Tight clothing Wearing anything tight around the waist can make you feel nauseous. A tiny percentage of unfortunate women suffer from a severe form of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidum. These women struggle to keep any food down so they lose a lot of weight and fluids and sometimes have to be cared for in hospital where they can be fed and hydrated by drip. Coping with morning sickness Drink a cup of tea and eat a plain biscuit in bed before you get up. Snacking on starchy carbohydrates, (wholemeal toast, bananas, etc) will keep blood sugar topped up and ensure your stomach isn’t empty for too long. Drink plenty of water Don’t wear tight, restrictive clothing especially around the tummy area. Ginger has natural anti-nausea ingredients so drink ginger tea or eat ginger biscuits. Wearing acupressure wristbands sold in chemists for sea sickness may help.