Morning Sickness Symptoms
You are about two months into your pregnancy and have been feeling on top of the world, then suddenly one morning you wake up and feel like you want to throw up. It’s horrible but quite normal – it’s just morning sickness symptoms which most pregnant women are likely to experience.
Morning Sickness Symptoms
The majority of pregnant women will usually suffer from morning sickness, in fact, studies show that about 50-85% of women will experience it, usually between the second and fourth months.
The symptoms can range from feeling slightly nauseous to actual vomiting and there is no hard and fast rule for how each woman will feel. Some, when expecting their first baby will not experience any nausea at all and will spend the whole nine months in the proverbial ‘radiant glow’ of impending motherhood, yet in all their subsequent pregnancies they will, like the majority, have the associated symptoms of sickness, nausea and general feeling of wretchedness. Others will continue to have sickness through to the end of the fifth month and it has been known for a few to carry on right up to the birth.
It is generally thought to be due to the fact that your body is adapting to great changes and the fluctuation of hormones causes the sick sensation and strong feelings of nausea.
How to Avoid Morning Sickness Symptoms
No-one knows an actual ‘one-cure-all’ method to avoid morning sickness as everyone’s experience is different but there are a few ways in which to reduce those nauseous feelings.
Ginger is well-known as having stomach settling properties so try and introduce a small amount into your diet, perhaps a sprinkling of ginger on a slice of melon or a piece of ginger cake.
People often experience the first wave of nausea just after they wake up in the morning, therefore it may be helpful to put some dry biscuits or crackers by your bed to nibble while still lying down. This could help to reduce those sick feelings. Even better, take some ginger biscuits to bed with you and combine both methods into one.
Other ways are more obvious such as staying clear of spicy foods which are likely to upset the stomach or pungent smells which make you want to head immediately for the bathroom. As well as this try to keep in airy environments as close, stuffy rooms can bring on a bout of nausea. Open up the windows and take in a few steady, deep breaths.
Another way is to keep yourself from focussing on the fact you’re feeling sick. It’s hard but if you can distract yourself with something interesting and entertaining, it takes your mind away from nausea and how this always seems to be happening and, hopefully, reduces the effects slightly.
Always remember, this is just a normal phase and will, eventually, come to its natural end. However, if you think you are having strong bouts of morning sickness – to the extent that you feel dehydrated and unable to keep any food down – it is important to see a medical professional who can ascertain whether your symptoms are due to a virus or illness and not just normal pregnancy nausea.
