Morning Sickness 101

Morning Sickness refers to the Nausea/vomiting that most women (approximately two thirds) experience during the first part of the pregnancy. Other symptoms that may occur are headaches, dizziness and an increase in her olfactory senses (sense of smell). Despite its name Morning Sickness can occur anytime during the day and night, not just in the mornings. Although it is very discomforting, it is generally none serious in nature and is considered a normal part of the pregnancy.

It normally will begin in or around the second month of pregnancy and can last through to the third or fourth month. It is generally worse with the first pregnancy and if you are planning on another baby, well it is generally less sever. It will not normally harm the baby and in fact, in studies it has been found that there is a far less chance of having a miscarriage if the mother has some symptoms of Morning Sickness.

What causes it? Well it is generally believed that the root cause is related to hormonal changes occurring in the mother’s body, other factors that have been linked to the condition are Genetics, Blood Sugar Level and Lifestyle.

With the genetics factor it has been found that if the woman’s Mother and/or Grand Mothers suffered from only light symptoms of morning sickness then she will most likely suffer only light symptoms. Conversely it was also found that if the mother has close female relatives that suffered from severe Morning Sickness or Hyperemesis Gravidarium (life-threatening morning sickness), which is rare, then there is a good chance that she will as well.

The Blood Sugar Level comes into play mostly because the mother will eat less. This is generally caused by the hormonal changes her body is going through but also because the feeling of nausea suppresses the appetite. Sort of a catch 22. Much of this can be alleviated by several steps. Eat less amounts but more often, six to eight times a day rather that the normal three meals. Eat in bed, before you go to bed for the night stock up your end table with crackers, cold cereal and the like. This will help with the empty stomach in the morning and can help alleviate the feeling of nausea an empty stomach can cause. Remember, when your stomach is empty, the acids that help digest the food have nothing to work on and this can lead to nausea.

The mother’s Lifestyle can lead to morning sickness as well. Factors can be Fatigue, Stress, Sleep or rather the lack of it, Smells and Travel.
Fatigue and Sleep can affect the body’s ability to deal with the hormonal changes it is going through. Rest and sleep are very important when pregnant.
Emotional stress can have hard effects on the body’s ability to deal with the changes her body is going through. Make some “ME” time and remind your significant other that you are still you.
Travel can become a factor do to the lack of sleep; many don’t sleep as well when away from home, and blood sugar. Dietary changes can lead to a lack of appetite etc.

In this article we look at some of the possible causes of morning sickness. Morning sickness is actually quite poorly named, the correct medical term is “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy”. Symptoms can occur any time of day, although generally they do tend to be worse or more servers in the mornings. Symptoms can also vary from pregnancy to pregnancy, you may have sickness when carrying one child and not feel it with another. Also the intensity of the symptoms often varies from woman to woman.

About 75% of women suffer from morning sickness in some form, but only 30% actually get both the vomiting and the nausea. It normally starts around 6 weeks into pregnancy but can start as early as 4. It tends to get worse as women move towards the end of the first trimester, but eases up when they enter the 2nd trimester, around 12 weeks. For more details look at: When Does Morning Sickness Start

It is not known for sure what the causes of morning sickness during pregnancy are, but studies have how that a healthy diet can be a great long term way to reduce the symptoms. The feelings of nausea and sickness are probably due to the major physical changes going on inside the body. A healthy diet can help keep things a little more balanced at a time of great change.

Hormone levels and specifically estrogen and HCG or the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, rise rapidly during the early sages of pregnancy and this change is something that the body needs to adjust to. Around the start of the second trimester the levels stabilize and the body gets used to the change, this is when most women generally start to feel better and have reduced sickness symptoms.

The gastrointestinal tracts in the stomach becomes extremely sensitive during pregnancy, this with the increased senses of smell that newly pregnant women tend to acquire can make feeling of nausea much more likely.

Studies have shown that women who eat unhealthy diets and consume fatty or high sugar foods, experience higher levels of vomiting than woman who eat a healthy balanced diet, consisting of whole gain, low fat diet. This could be interpreted as that the body is trying to remove toxins from an unhealthy diet that may harm the baby by vomiting.

Check out our Free Pregnancy Diet Plan – 10 Essential Facts About Pregnancy Diets that you need to know!

When it comes to morning sickness it isn’t fully proven what causes it to happen and why some women and some pregnancies are affect more servery than others.

1# Morning Sickness start immediately after you conceive
It doesn’t normally start until the 4th week of pregnancy. This is when most women experience it and it normally lasts until the 12th week, when you start to enter your second trimester. The second Trimester is normally the most pleasant – You don’t have the sickness and nausea of the first and you are not nearly as big and exhausted as in the third.

2# You only feel nauseous in the morning
Some women do feel it just in the mornings, but generally it can happen at any time, not just early in the day. It’s actually a badly named condition, as it has more to do with your lifestyle and individual senses than anything else. I used to feel sick when I was traveling in the car. I actually suffer a little car sickness anyway, but it was far worse when I was pregnant in my first trimester.

3# It can cause miscarriages
This has never been proven to be the case and there is really no reason to think that nausea or vomiting can be harmful to your unborn child. There has even been studies that suggest that women who have morning sickness are less likely to miscarry.

4# The old wives tale – It has something to do with your baby’s gender
They say that the worse it is then you are probably caring a boy. There are no scientific studies that show any evidence that this is true.

5# The nausea & vomiting can’t be treated.
There are quite a few remedies and natural treatments that can help alleviate the symptoms. Things such as Acupuncture, acupressure, ginger or peppermint teas, hypnosis and many more.