Morning sickness is the most common symptom in early pregnancy. Although it is unpleasant and affects your daily life, it will not harm you and your baby. Instead, it means your placenta is growing well. More than 50% of women experience morning sickness both day and night. It happens within the first 4 months of pregnancy.
Causes
The main cause of morning sickness is the increase in hormone levels. You may experience severe morning sickness during the first pregnancy but milder in the following pregnancies. If you are expecting twins or triplets, morning sickness can be more serious.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Hyperemesis gravidarum is more serious than normal morning sickness, which may be harmful to you and your baby. It may be caused by malnourishment or dehydration. If you find yourself vomiting several times a day and vomit continuously, see your OB-GYN doctor as soon as possible.
Tips to Ease
Besides taking medicine, here are some life changes recommended for you.
- Take more rest
Tiredness will worsen morning sickness. Take a nap but don’t sleep right after taking meals. Grab a maternity moon pillow and place it between your knees to have better sleep.
- Take note of your food
- Reduce your intake of oily food, spicy food, or caffeine which may increase your stomach acid and cause some discomfort.
- Separate meals into frequent small meals. Avoid an empty stomach which may increase the risk of nausea.
- Before getting up in the morning, try to eat some soda crackers.
- Eat foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates like bread, rice, and salty snacks like potato chips.
- Stay happy
- Remain active during pregnancy
You can do whatever you love like reading, cooking, taking exercise or going for a walk.
- Keep hydrated
Drink water before and after meals, not during meals. If you find drinking 8 glasses of water difficult, you can add some apple vinegar or honey in your water.
- Ginger or Peppermint Tea
- Studies show that ginger can relieve your nausea symptom. Ginger helps to improve digestion and reduce pain. It is a good home remedy for nausea. Add ginger in your drink or eat ginger sweets now.
- Peppermint tea may help to relieve stress and anxiety. Drinking a cup of peppermint tea after dinner may be a good choice.
- Wear loosely
You may feel uncomfortable wearing your pre-pregnancy clothes as it may be too tight on you. Wear comfy maternity clothes and you can ease nausea.
- Vitamin & supplement
Talk with your doctor if you want to take any vitamin and supplement. You can take vitamins with some snacks at night. Vitamin B6 may help to relieve nausea.
- Avoid screen flicker
If you’re a working mom who needs to work with a computer for at least 8 hours a day, try to enlarge your font and make your screen full of soft light green color to protect your vision.
- Avoid triggers
Strong smells may worsen your nausea since you are more sensitive to the sense of smell. Stay away from smells that may trigger nausea and try lemon sweets or a piece of lemon to relieve the symptom.
Always bear in mind to talk with your doctor if you plan to take any medicine to ease your morning sickness.
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