Morning sickness is a nauseated feeling accompanied by vomiting that affects mothers during the early stage of pregnancy. Some mothers will get “morning sickness” while others will not. Listed below is some information on morning sickness and tips on how you can cope with it
Morning sickness tips
| No. | Question | Answer |
| 1. | What causes morning sickness? | - No one really knows why morning sickness occurs but it has been associated with:
- High level of hormones.
- Fluctuations of blood pressure.
- Altered metabolism of carbohydrates.
- Enormous physical and chemical changes in body.
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| 2. | Will morning sickness affect my growing baby? | - Typically there are no adverse effects on the baby or mother despite all the vomiting, as long as you are able to keep some food and fluids down.
- However in severe cases it may be associated with lower birth weight and pre-term labour.
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| 3. | When does morning sickness begin? | - Around 6 weeks into pregnancy and will continue to about 12 to 14 weeks.
- In some cases it may continue to 16 to 20 weeks and even beyond.
- Affects 75-80% of mums-to-be.
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| 4. | What are the symptoms? | - Nausea & vomiting.
- Sensitivity to odours.
- Food cravings or aversions to food.
- Drowsiness (even with enough rest).
- Headaches and cramps.
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| 5. | How do I cope with it? | - How do I cope with it?
- Eat small meals regularly (5-6 times daily).
- Avoid spicy, greasy or fatty foods.
- Avoid smelly foods that make you nauseous.
- Eat more carbohydrates (white rice, potato, etc).
- Eat bland food when feeling nauseous (jellies, icy poles, etc).
- Eat some saltine crackers before getting out of bed to calm your stomach.
- Drink more fluids to avoid dehydration. Try ginger ale/ginger tea.
- Ask your doctor for Vitamin B6 (has been proven to reduce nausea).
- Change in life routine (cook less, share household chores, etc).
- Reschedule your work (talk to your boss and work out a schedule to do more when you are least affected by the symptoms).
- Diversion (find a pleasant hobby to take your mind of the nausea).
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| 6. | Seek medical attention if you are experiencing these symptoms! | - Persistent nausea
- Uncontrollable vomiting
- Vomiting blood or bile
- Dehydration
- Severe weight loss (at least 5% of pre-pregnancy weight)
- Increased heart rate
- Shivering
- Extreme fatigue
- Increased salivation
- You may need hospitalisation and rehydration.
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The good news is “morning sickness” doesn’t last forever and often improves by the time your pregnancy grows to mid-term.
