Pregnancy and Morning Sickness

Nausea and vomiting are one of the first signs to let you known you are pregnant and usually begins around the 6th week of pregnancy. It can occur at any time of the day and for some of us it can continue for most of the day as well. For the majority of women (those who are fortunate enough) it seems to stop around the 12th week of pregnancy.

The good news is that morning sickness is not harmful to you or your baby. However, if you experience excessive vomiting and cannot keep your food down, you may have hyperemesis gravidarum. This can be harmful to you and your baby if it is severe and left untreated. Due to a possible lack of nutrients and electrolyte imbalance. Remember to visit your health care provider when these symptoms appear and discuss possible options for treatment.

Morning Sickness

More than half of all pregnant women experience morning sickness as mentioned by americanpregnancy.org. Morning sickness is the nauseated feeling you get during pregnancy, where you just fee "yuck". Morning sickness can be, accompanied with vomiting. The nausea is often a result of the increased hormones in your body and is thought as a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well (even though the expectant mother feels like hell, trust me l know, l had it severe in the first 3 months of my pregnancy with my first child)

Helpful Do's and Don'ts:

Do:

• Eat small meals often (I use to carry, bars, fruit etc in my hand bag just in case l got hungry and it was a healthy snack too)
• Drink fluids 1/2 hour before or after a meal, but not with meals
• Drink small amounts of fluids during the day to avoid dehydration (keep water bottles everywhere; car, kitchen, bedroom)
• Eat crackers 15 minutes before getting up in the morning, (l use to leave them by my bedside table, so that they are there when l needed them)
• Avoid foods and smells that increase nausea, (during my pregnancy l could ot eat Indian food, which l love!)
• Ask someone else to cook for you and open the windows or turn on fans if the odor bothers you
• Get plenty of rest and nap during the day
• Avoid warm places as feeling hot adds to nausea
• Sniff lemons or ginger, drink lemonade, or eat watermelon to relieve nausea
• Eat salty potato chips (they have been found to settle stomachs enough to eat a meal, I can vouch for this one)
• Exercise

Don'ts:

• Do not lie down after eating
• Do not skip meals
• Do not cook or eat spicy food

Remember if in doubt always contact your health care provider, it is better to be safe than sorry.  

And if it is any consolation, you will get a beautiful baby at the end of it, so what's s bit of vomiting and feeling sick? (lol)

(sources: americanpregnancy.org, huggies.com)