Common Questions about Morning Sickness in Pregnancy
Morning sickness is one unwanted symptom, which is highly common for all pregnant women. However, there exists a lot of misinformation regarding these common pregnancy symptoms.
What are some of the common problems that are caused by morning sickness?
- Morning sickness generally causes nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
- Morning sickness causes loss of appetite.
- Morning sickness can lead to dehydration and weight loss.
- Morning sickness may strike at any point in the day during pregnancy and can make work-life difficult.
- Morning sickness can cause pregnant women to become averse of certain food and odors.
Common Questions about Morning Sickness in Pregnancy
What does this symptom feel like?
- The majority of pregnant women report feeling nauseated for some short period during each day. You may vomit a few times during the day. In case of severe morning sickness, nausea may last for several hours every day and you may experience more frequent bouts of vomiting.
Is morning sickness normal to experience during pregnancy?
- Experiencing morning sickness in the form of nausea and vomiting is a common symptom during pregnancy. It is quite normal to experience these symptoms. Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy generally don’t harm the fetus.
- Even though it may be a natural phenomenon, it may feel extremely unnatural for you as it will affect your life dramatically.
- You will have to change your schedule and it will also impact your ability to go to work or perform your everyday chores. In case you feel that you are experiencing severe nausea and vomiting or if they are accompanied by other severe symptoms then you should consult your doctor. Preparing emotionally for pregnancy is a must to handle these issues.
Is it healthy to not experience any morning sickness during pregnancy?
- Consider yourself blessed if you are one of those women who don’t experience any morning sickness during pregnancy. You may start to get worried or anxious about your pregnancy if you don’t experience any nausea like the majority of the other women. But be assured that it is not a sign of being unhealthy as a lot of women manage to escape these pregnancy symptoms even when they have perfectly normal pregnancies.
- It is found that around 25% of pregnant women do not get any morning sickness and its reasons are still unknown.
- Typically women suffer from morning sickness during the first three months of their pregnancy. Women who are pregnant with more than one baby, those who had experienced nausea as a side effect of birth control pills, those who suffered from migraine headaches in their pre-pregnancy, and those who experience motion sickness are the ones who have a greater chance of experiencing morning sickness during the pregnancy.
Why is it known as morning sickness when pregnant women can experience it at night too?
- The terrible feeling of being nauseated and the tendency to vomit can happen almost at any time of the day. Almost 80% of pregnant women have reported experiencing morning sickness not during the morning but at some other point of the day as well as the night.
- Some women experience morning sickness during the morning, noon, and also at night. Most pregnant women find a personal pattern of experiencing morning sickness. Ensure you know about all habits to quit before pregnancy.
When is this known to start during pregnancy?
- Most pregnant women start experiencing morning sickness around week 9 of the pregnancy. Morning sickness continues throughout the first trimester for most women and it starts to go away during week 14 of pregnancy. For some women, it can last for or several months. Some pregnant women, unfortunately, experience morning sickness throughout their pregnancy.
Is it normal to not experience any morning sickness at all during the pregnancy?
- Yes, it is quite normal to not experience any morning sickness during pregnancy. Not experiencing morning sickness during pregnancy is not unnatural as a lot of women managers do not experience any morning sickness.
How does morning sickness affect the health of the expectant mother and the baby?
- Morning sickness is generally not harmful to the health of the expectant mother or the fetus. Experiencing nausea and vomiting does not mean that your baby is sick. Morning sickness is triggered by fluctuating hormones, intestinal pressure, and/or stress during pregnancy.
- The HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and estrogen along with progesterone are responsible for causing morning sickness during pregnancy.
- Such hormones are preparing your body to become more nurturing for your developing baby and that is causing you to experience morning sickness. Experiencing morning sickness in no way indicates that your fetus is feeling nauseated or that your baby is ill.
When does morning sickness become a sign of something serious?
- If you have trouble keeping any food or any fluid down and you begin to lose weight drastically then you should immediately seek medical guidance as your morning sickness might be a sign of something more serious. If you continue to lose weight then it will cause your fetus to lack nutrition and you may have an underweight baby at birth.
- Remember to call your doctor in case you feel that you can’t function at all in your work or at home because of your morning sickness. You should also call your doctor if you feel concerned about being nauseated all the time if you start to vomit blood if you experience dark-colored urine, racing heart, or dizziness.
What are some non-medicinal ways to deal with morning sickness?
- Eat small servings throughout the day. If you go long periods without having any food the symptoms make get worse. If you eat big servings you may start to vomit more frequently.
- Munch on healthy snacks like saltines or pretzels throughout the day so that you don’t go empty stomach at any point in time.
- Try to avoid fatty foods and fast foods. You should stay away from spicy food or food with strong odors as they can trigger nausea and vomiting. A lot of women report being triggered by the aromas of red meat fish and chicken.
- Natural home remedies of morning sickness include ginger candy, motion sickness bands and acupuncture.
- Some women swear by the aroma of peppermint or lemon. So you may use paper mint or lemon-flavored hand lotion so that sniffing it calms your morning sickness.
Which medication can be used to deal with morning sickness?
- It is advisable to first try the non-medicinal remedies before opting for medications to deal with the morning sickness. You can ask your doctor for prescription medications such as Zofran, Compazine, or Phenergan.
Takeaway
- It is also not uncommon or unhealthy for pregnant women to not experience any morning sickness. Even though this symptom is shrouded in a lot of misinformation and confusion, researching and learning more about the symptoms will help you to be better equipped at dealing with your morning sickness.
- Morning sickness generally starts to fade away after the first trimester and completely subsides around week 20 of the pregnancy. For some women morning sickness persists throughout the pregnancy. In case you are worried or concerned about your morning sickness, you should consult your doctor as you may be given prescription medications to deal with your morning sickness.
FAQs about Morning Sickness in Pregnancy
1. If I travel somewhere warm or if I take a flight, will it cause my morning sickness to worsen?
Taking flights or staying in a warm climate can make you dehydrated and that may lead to more nausea than usual. Dehydration is harmful during pregnancy as it disrupts the circulation of nutrients to your fetus. If you must travel you should make sure to carry a water bottle with you while on the plane. In case you already suffer from motion sickness is it would be better to stop flying during pregnancy.
2. If I had experienced morning sickness in my first pregnancy, what are the chances that I will experience morning sickness again in my next pregnancy?
Chances of you feeling the same symptoms in your second pregnancy as you did in the first one are low. Generally, pregnancies tend to be unique so women who reported being sick for the entire first pregnancy reported feeling very little morning sickness in the second one.
3. How should I take care of my morning nausea and vomiting emergencies?
A lot of working women have to deal with morning sickness while working. It is awful to feel sick or suddenly have the urge to throw up in a different place or to pull over the car just to vomit. It is highly advisable to make a plan and then have some backup plans. You can also use some specialty products such as lined bags for such emergencies.
4. Does experiencing severe morning sickness during my pregnancy indicate that I will have a baby girl?
Though it is not proven, there exist some studies which show that the woman who had experienced severe morning sickness to the point of being hospitalized during their pregnancy had slightly more chances of giving birth to baby girls than boys.
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Mother of Two children. I’m a former teacher with a background in child development and a passion for Good parenting. I understand child development and know how to develop activities to help children learn and grow. Spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and volunteering in my community.