Morning Sickness and You

All would-be-mums, ‘morning sickness’ is not necessarily confined to the morning hours. It can spread all through the day….like a blanket. It did for me, too. From sunrise to sunset….literally. But then, a few of us are fortunate enough to experience little or none of this torturous feeling. If you are an expectant mother, you would need to know everything about morning sickness. So here we go……

A majority of women who experience morning sickness tend to be free of it by the time they complete the first trimester. A few, though, continue to be tormented by it. It can just be a mere feeling of nausea and aversion to a few smells and a few kinds of food. It can be a bit more intense where you tend to throw up once or twice or very severe where you throw up each time you eat something. You can feel severely dehydrated.

Let us focus on a few causes for morning sickness:

• The precise cause for morning sickness is not known. It may be an outcome of an increase in estrogen and bilirubin in the body.  Moreover, due to the various changes that take place within our bodies during pregnancy, excess acids are released in the stomach, because of increased progesterone secretions. This, too, can lead to nausea and vomiting.
• I have mentioned this before, too, that certain strong smells can trigger nausea in a few of us. For instance, I used to immediately throw up the minute I was anywhere even close to garlic☺.
• A few of us might experience a bad tummy. This can also cause nausea.
• If the throwing up and nausea is too severe (Hyperemesis Gravidarum), please consult your healthcare provide immediately, to avoid complications in your pregnancy.

A few quick fixes which might work for you:

• Add a little ginger when you cook food as it is good for your tummy.
• Lemon helps to alleviate symptoms of nausea. Try sipping on some lemonade.
• Try eating a cracker when you wake up in the morning. It was effective doing my pregnancy and gave me a lot of relief.
• Try and eat small meals, frequently rather than three big meals. Always keep yourself hydrated. Try and eat dinner early so that your body gets sufficient time to digest the food.
• Why don’t you tweak your food preferences a little…..try some bland food, for e.g. rice and oats. Cold food also gives a lot of relief, namely, chilled fruits and smoothies. Coconut water is great, too.
• Try and rest adequately and catch up on your sleep.
• Relax. Try and go for walks (please consult your healthcare provider). Meditate. Read. Listen to music. Indulge yourself☺.
• Ask for help, wherever needed. Yes superwoman…you deserve it!

So all expectant mums and dads, we need to enjoy the good with the not-so-good.  Morning sickness is just a part of your journey toward parenthood. Mums, I need to address this to you….do you think that you would really give it any importance or even think about it once your angel is born? I guess not. ☺

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