Although it is true that most women experience their most intense nausea and vomiting symptoms in the morning, the fact is that “morning sickness” can and often is felt during any time of the day. About three of every four women are affected by nausea, vomiting, or both, usually starting around week 6 of the pregnancy, with full relief coming between weeks 14 and 18; some unlucky women, however, suffer nausea and/or vomiting throughout the pregnancy.Although morning sickness is definitely common and cannot possibly last longer than nine months, it is a quite unpleasant condition for which you can and should still seek relief.
Although the reasons for nausea and/or vomiting during pregnancy are not 100% clear, it seems that a combination of causes – hormonal, physical, psychological – are responsible.The most notorious of these is hCG, the pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is responsible for many changes in the body and is closely linked with nausea levels; estrogen and its ability to increase sensitivty to smell also likely plays an important role.
For some women, their natural stress response is to feel nauseated or to vomit, meaning that morning sickness during pregnancy is practically “normal” for them; however, this has not been scientifically confirmed.Generations of women swear by certain strategies to bring nausea relief; while these have not been scientifically confirmed, they remain potential, non-medication options for you to try.
One idea is to have several small snacks and meals during the day so your tummy is never all the way empty; it’s also smart to have a box of crackers by your bed so you can feed your empty tummy right when you wake up. Stay in bed for another half hour or so to let your stomach settle and then try to get up – you may find your nausea is relieved this way.In general, pregnant women will want to be slow and easy getting out of bed in the mornings.
You can experiment with high-protein versus high-carbohydrate meals as a nausea depressant; you should, however, try to stay away from rich and spicy foods as a general rule.It is not recommended that you obligate yourself to eat anything which is causing you nausea, though this may mean having an unbalanced diet for a while.A good option, besides choosing bland foods, is to avoid eating foods while hot, since they give off stronger odors; instead, eat foods at room temperature or even cold.
If you have been vomiting, drinking lots of liquids is even more important than usual; try sipping sports drinks, cold fizzy drinks, and ginger teas or ales in between meals (so you don’t get too full).
Be aware that nausea can be caused by non-food triggers, such as strong odors or motion (like being in the car); you may also try options like using an acupressure wristband or hypnosis to find nausea relief.Morning sickness may be common, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a huge, stressful obstacle; this means that even if you’ve tried every natural remedy and they don’t work, you can and should still discuss medication options with your doctor.
For more information go to early pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy symptoms and PCOS and Infertility. Please have a great day and take care!