Welcome to the morning sickness page. If you're here, you're probably experiencing one of the most common side-effects of pregnancy. Read on for more.
> Morning Sickness During Pregnancy and How to Reduce Your Symptoms
Morning Sickness During Pregnancy And How To Reduce Your Symptoms
by: Gregory De Villiers
90% of pregnant women suffer from the dreaded "morning sickness". This is one of the least pleasant aspects of being pregnant and is characterized by extreme nausea and vomiting. Contrary to the name, "morning sickness" doesn’t just strike in the morning, but can happen at any time of day. Why "morning sickness" occurs is a bit of a mystery. The medical experts don’t really know why the majority of pregnant women suffer from this condition. There are, however, several ways to minimize the symptoms of "morning sickness". Here are a few tips (more tips on pregnancy and conception can be found at http://www.freepregnancytips.com):
- Keep your liquid levels up by frequently sipping liquids like water, tea or soup. This helps to keep your body hydrated which is important as when vomiting, your body is constantly losing fluids. Also the fluids help to fill the stomach. It is much more unpleasant to vomit when your stomach is empty than when there is actually something to bring up.
- Eat carbohydrates such as rice, bread or pasta as they are not as easily vomited up and they keep you from feeling hungry.
- Try to eat little snacks interspersed regularly throughout the day rather a few large, heavy meals.
- If eating makes you feel queasy and causes you to vomit, then don’t eat! You are not going to get any nutritional gain if you bring up the food that you’ve eaten.
- Avoid fatty, spicy or fried foods and foods that have strong smells as these can make you feel queasy and cause you to vomit.
- Some studies have shown that a dosage of approximately 10 - 25mg of vitamin B6 three times per day can help to reduce symptoms of nausea. First ask your healthcare practitioner whether you can take vitamin B6.
- There are also foods rich in vitamin B6 that you can eat such as cereal grains, legumes, eggs, fish, chicken, nuts and avocados.
- Ginger is a natural antispasmodic which can also help with nausea. It can be used in tea or chewed raw. Chewing itself has a beneficial effect on nausea. Always use fresh ginger as dried ginger is not as effective.
Exactly how long "morning sickness" lasts varies from woman to woman. Hopefully by following the above tips, it will reduce your symptoms. Just hang in there! It will eventually pass. Best of luck with your pregnancy.
About The Author
Gregory De Villiers writes on a variety of health and wellness topics. See http://www.freepregnancytips.com for more tips on pregnancy and conception.
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The Early Signs of Pregnancy
by: Shalene Chamings
One of the early signs of pregnancy is morning sickness. Sometimes nausea is made worse by fatigue, temperature fluxuations, certain smells and even the sight of food. Morning sickness may even be accompanied by vomiting. The truth is while nausea is one of the early signs of pregnancy and labeled "morning sickness" it may not strike a pregnant woman just in the mornings. Morning sickness and all its discomfort can occur at any time . . . even in the middle of the night. While morning sickness is one of the early signs of pregnancy that generally goes away after the first trimester, there are women who experience morning sickness during their entire pregnancies. Smells, certain foods and other things may cause nausea in a pregnant woman at any time during her pregnancy.
Morning sickness is said to be brought on by changes in a pregnant woman's hormones. The human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone that is relatively high during the first few months of pregnancy. HCG, changes in estrogen levels and even changes in blood glucose levels can bring about morning sickness. One way to combat a drop in blood glucose is for pregnant women to always keep food in their stomachs. While eating may be the last thing on a woman's mind if morning sickness is one of her early signs of pregnancy, an empty stomach can make nausea worse.
Eating small snacks throughout the day can go far in helping a woman to combat nausea. Pregnant women who suffer from nausea can usually tolerate eating small snacks. This is usually easier for a woman that trying to consume two or three large meals each day. Pregnant women are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids. This can help to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can occur if a woman is having a lot of vomiting with her morning sickness.
While nausea and morning sickness is one of the most common early signs of pregnancy, it can be very frightening. If a pregnant woman has many episodes of vomiting and it is causing her to lose weight she should notify her OB/GYN. There are occasions when a pregnant mother may have to be put on intravenous fluids or given medication. It is important to note that a doctor will be able to determine if a pregnant woman is experiencing normal morning sickness or if she has an underlying medical condition that is causing her to vomit and lose weight. Other causes of nausea and vomiting could include peptic ulcer disease, gall bladder disease, appendicitis, hepatitis, infections, kidney insufficiency and more. If you are pregnant and you think you are experiencing more than just a dose of morning sickness that accompanies the early signs of pregnancy, you should consult your doctor immediately.
In addition to nausea, other early signs of pregnancy can include changes in breast sensitivity. Many women report that their breasts become very tender and feel full and heavy. Spotting very early in the first few weeks of pregnancy is also fairly common. However, this spotting should be reported to your doctor. Normal spotting will generally be accompanied with a yellow colored mucous. Lack of energy and fatigue is also one of the common early signs of pregnancy as well as frequent urination. Energy levels generally return during the second trimester only to fall again during the third trimester. Many women report they feel the need to frequently urinate throughout their entire pregnancies, while others report this as just a problem during the first and third trimesters.
About The Author
Shalene Chamings: I am a mother of four beautiful girls who greatly enjoys motherhood. http://www.anewbornbaby.com/blog/
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