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| Image Source: parentables.howstuffworks.com |
According to Morning Sickness USA, morning sickness affects 85% of pregnant women. Symptoms begin to manifest around the 4th week to 6th week of pregnancy. The following are the common symptoms women may experience with morning sickness:
• Nausea
• Sensitive sense of smell and taste
• Fatigue
Morning sickness is defined as a nauseous, queasy feeling in your stomach that may or may not cause vomiting. It is actually a misnomer because morning sickness can happen at any time of the day. It is caused by hormones and increased amount of stress and changes in the body aligned with the pregnancy. Though there isn’t any surefire cure to stop morning sickness, AmericanPregnancy.org created this list of tips to alleviate the feeling of nausea:
| Image Source: americanpregnancy.org |
• Eat small meals often
• 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
• Eat soda crackers 15 minutes before getting up in the morning
• Eat whatever you feel like eating, whenever you feel you can
• 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 (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)
• Exercise
Generally, morning sickness will not harm you or your baby but there are extreme cases where women experience excessive vomiting and inability to keep food down. This condition is called hyperemesis gravidarum. Unlike common morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum can be harmful for the baby and should not be left untreated. You should raise any concerns with your attending gynecologist should symptoms appear and talk about proper treatment.
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| Image Source: peoplescommclinic.org |
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