Pregnancy Complications - Morning Sickness
For some women morning sickness is one of the worst things about pregnancy and they suffer terribly from it. For others it doesn't affect them at all or is just very mild. It can strike at any stage of pregnancy but is most common in the early months (although for some it lasts throughout the entire duration) and despite its name, can occur at any time of the day or night!
Morning sickness is usually put down to hormonal changes within the mother-to-be.
For women who are under a lot of stress the feeling of nausea can be worse and diets high in fatty or spicy food may also play a role. Many women also find that if they get hungry or their blood sugar levels drop, morning sickness is exaggerated so eating little and often can be of great benefit. You should also try avoid smells or flavours that bring on your nausea, get regular gentle exercise, rest as much as possible and drink plenty of fluids.
Research has shown that babies born to mothers who have suffered morning sickness are unlikely to have been adversely affected and it is even thought that mothers who suffer morning sickness are less likely to suffer from miscarriage.
Some mothers-to-be find that eating a dried cracker before getting out of bed helps alleviate or reduce the symptoms of morning sickness.
If you are suffering from morning sickness so severe that you cannot keep any food or drinks down you should consult your hospital's maternity unit or your gp at the earliest opportunity as you may be suffering from a condition known as hyperemisis and will require monitoring.
Related Article
Pregnancy and Morning Sickness
More Pregnancy Complications
- Gestational Diabetes
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Pre-eclampsia
- Placenta previa
- Cholestasis (itching during pregnancy)
- Hemorrhoids
- Backache
- Bleeding
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- Heartburn
- Varicose veins
- Stretch marks
- Anxiety
- Depression (pre-natal depression)
- Childbed fever (puerperal sepsis)