Morning Sickness
What is morning sickness?
Morning sickness is a term used to describe the nausea and/or vomiting that some pregnant women go through. Some women have worse symptoms in the morning while others feel it worsen as the day goes on. About 75% of pregnant women report suffering from morning sickness, but luckily it usually subsides around 14 weeks.
Are some women more likely to suffer from morning sickness than others?
Some women are more likely to experience morning sickness than others. You might suffer from morning sickness if any of the following apply:
• Carrying Twins or More: If you are carrying more than one baby, the chance that you will get morning sickness goes up as well. Of course, some women who are carrying twins experience little to no symptoms.
• History of Nausea: If you experienced nauseaor vomiting in a previous pregnancy, it is likely you will experience it again in your current pregnancy. Additionally, if you've experienced nausea while taking birth control pills, it is likely that you will experience morning sickness.
• History of Motion Sickness: Always reaching for that Dramamine? If you suffer from motion sickness, you might experience more severe morning sickness.
• Genetic Predisposition: Ask your mother if she experienced morning sickness. You are more likely to experience it if your mother went through it as well.
• History of Migraines: Women who experience migraines are more likely to experience morning sickness.
• You're Carrying a Girl: A study from the University of Washington found that women with severe nausea and vomiting early on in the pregnancy were 50% more likely to be carrying a girl.
One of the most recent studies was conducted by epidemiologists at the University of Washington. The scientists compared 2,110 pregnant women who were hospitalized with morning sickness in their first trimester and a control group of 9,783 women who did not get severely ill. They found that the women in the first group were more likely to deliver a girl, and that those who were the sickest — hospitalized for three days or more — had the greatest odds: an increase of 80 percent compared with the control women. --The New York Times
How can I lessen the effects of morning sickness?
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help ease morning sickness.
• Rest: Make sure you are getting enough rest. If you need to, take naps during the day.
• Avoid Certain Foods: Avoid certain types of foods that make you feel nauseous.
• Exercise: Light exercise helps some expectant mothers feel less nauseous.
• Hydrate: Make sure you are always hydrated. Dehydration can make anyone (even non-pregnant women) feel ill.
• Children's Vitamins: If you are taking a women's multivitamin in the morning, you might want to consider switching to a children's vitamin as these are easier to digest.
• Sniff Something Fresh: Morning sickness is very closely linked to smells for most women. The best scents to smell to avoid nausea seem to be lemon and rosemary.
