Essential Commandments for Alleviating Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

Are you suffering from morning sickness? Are you worried that it might get worse or stay for the whole pregnancy? We know that it is one of the most bothersome symptoms of pregnancy. Here is everything you need to know about morning sickness.

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Facts About Morning Sickness

Medications to Treat Morning Sickness

10 Commandments for Alleviating Nausea and Morning Sickness

Research: Acupuncture for Nausea and Morning Sickness

Severe Morning Sickness?

Risk Factors of Pregnancy Morning Sickness

General Suggestions for Managing Morning Sickness

What Next?

FAQ’s

Table of Contents

Facts About Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is when you are feeling nauseated with or without vomiting during pregnancy. In most women, this begins early in the pregnancy at about week 6, continues on past the first trimester and fades off by the first half of the second trimester. In some women, it might persist throughout the pregnancy.

Despite the fact that it is called morning sickness, it can happen any time of the day – morning, evening, or night. It may be caused by either hormonal changes or lower blood sugar during early pregnancy.

In most cases, morning sickness will not harm patient or unborn baby. When it does get more severe, you may require medical intervention (see the Hyperemesis Gravidarum section of this article.)

According to an NCBI and NLM analysis, nausea and vomiting afflict 70–80% of pregnant women on average. Though the majority of pregnant women who have nausea and vomiting (NVP) only experience symptoms during the first trimester, a tiny minority of them experience symptoms that last all the way up to birth.

morning sickness feeling weak acupuncture help

Medications to Treat Morning Sickness

There are some commonly prescribed medications that can help with calming down your nausea and vomiting. In additions to the usage of Antacids, Included here are the most commonly used prescriptive drugs:

Metoclopramide is prescribed to hasten the emptying of the stomach, which then lessen the feelings of nausea.
Chlorpromazine or Promethazine are phenothiazine antiemetics used in cases of severe nausea and vomiting.

10 Commandments for Alleviating Nausea and Morning Sickness

Some changes that you can make in your lifestyle include:

Drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated.
Eat small and frequent meals, 5 to 6 small meals daily. Avoid drinking anything when you are eating
Eat plain biscuits before getting out of bed (place them next to your bed)
Avoid spicy and fatty foods.
Avoid triggering strong smells or tastes.
Practice yoga poses that alleviate symptoms of nausea (read more here)
Consider acupressure or sea-bands: there are acupressure points that help to alleviate nausea, most notably the PC6 point. Sea bands alleviate nausea by the same principle, although they may not stimulate the point adequately.
Schedule in for acupuncture: if you are find that acupressure and sea-bands don’t give sufficient relief, consider acupuncture, which is more potent and effective.
Consider getting a hypnosis session: some women respond really well to hypnosis!
Ginger and peppermint sweets can calm the nausea for some people. Other spices include cinnamon, cumin and fresh slices of lemon.
(Bonus: Some preggies manage by chewing on ice or supplementing with vitamin B6 too!)

Research: Acupuncture for Nausea and Morning Sickness

If you are curious to find out which TCM Pregnancy Treatments can help with nausea and morning sickness, look no further!

A study done in 2002 by Caroline Smith et al in Australia confirms our empirical confidence that acupuncture helps to relieve nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

This study of 593 women confirms that acupuncture is an effective treatment for women who experience nausea and dry retching in early pregnancy.

Severe Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness is normal and is often managed with some lifestyle hacks. If your morning sickness is more severe, it is known as hyperemesis gravidarum. If you have any of the following symptoms, you might be having this condition and may benefit from diagnosis and an IV drip:

I am vomiting 3 or more times in one day (or I vomit blood)
I have lost significant weight (1 kilogram or more)
I produce either little dark urine or no urine at all
I am feeling dizzy or confused
My heart is beating rapidly
I am having a fever

If you present with the symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum, consider getting more help from your obgyn.

Risk Factors of Pregnancy Morning Sickness

Some women might have feeling like throwing up could endanger their unborn child. The physical mechanics of vomiting do not harm the unborn child, although it may strain the abdominal muscles and produce localised discomfort and soreness. Inside the amniotic sac that surrounds it, the fetus is well cushioned. A NIH Government study relates morning sickness to a decreased chance of miscarriage.

Multiple studies have found a link between mild morning sickness and a lower risk of miscarriage. However, persistent vomiting (which causes dehydration and weight loss) might rob your infant of sufficient nourishment and raise the possibility that your baby will be born underweight.

If your nausea and vomiting are persistent, consult Soma Clinic for treatment.

General Suggestions for Managing Morning Sickness

Unless your doctor has specifically prescribed them and is aware that you are pregnant, avoid taking any form of drugs.
Before getting out of bed in the morning, eat a few simple, sweet crackers or dry crackers.
Anything you think will make you sick shouldn’t be consumed. Meals heavy in carbohydrates are often well tolerated.
Regularly consume small meals because nausea is often brought on by an empty stomach.
Avoiding meal preparation or cooking may be beneficial.
Supplements containing vitamin B6 can be helpful, however, dosages greater than 200 mg daily may be dangerous.
Think about applying acupuncture or acupressure to the wrist.
Dress loosely so as not to restrict your abdomen.
Morning sickness may become worse if you move about. If you can, get some sleep.
A daily vitamin supplement may be beneficial before and during pregnancy, according to Mayo Clinic.

What Next?

If you are not suffering from Severe Morning Sickness, then do try ALL of the 10+1 Commandments that we have laid out here!

Some will not work out for you, and some will. Even if an intervention reduces your symptoms by 10%, it is worth using.

Use those that work for you and keep your fingers crossed that this too will pass. All the best in your pregnancy journey!

FAQs

When does morning sickness start?

As per the Mount Sinai study, in the first trimester (the first three months of pregnancy), at least 7 out of 10 pregnant women have morning sickness. Sinai doctors states that pregnancy-related preterm labour typically begins at around 6 weeks and peaks at around 9 weeks. The majority of women feel better in the second trimester, but some experience morning sickness the entire time they are pregnant.

How to reduce morning sickness?

Eat more frequently, eat smaller meals.
Take over-the-counter anti-nausea medications.
Suck on ginger or peppermint sweets.
Have nutritious snacks in between meals. This can lessen the feeling of an empty stomach and reduce your tendency to nauseate.
Drink water before and after meals to hydrate your system.

Is it normal to have morning sickness in the second trimester?

Though the exact reasons for morning sickness are not entirely understood, hormone changes that take place during pregnancy may be a contributing factor.

Many women report feeling better after the first trimester, and morning sickness typically disappears within 4 weeks of their second trimester,

However, some women report continuing to feel queasy during the second trimester. A rare minority will continue to feel like vomiting all the way till their delivery date.

Can I take anti-nausea medications?

Anti-nausea medications are called antiemetics.

Antiemetics are medications that are administered to stop individuals from experiencing nausea. They may be useful if you are experiencing severe morning sickness, also called hyperemesis gravidarum.

When should you go to the hospital for morning sickness?

If you are experiencing indicators of dehydration, it is time to consider going to the hospital.

Three early signs of dehydration are

thirst
dark-colored urine
dizziness or light-headedness.

All these signs tell us we may need to increase water intake, and if we still are not able to, we should consider going to the hospital for an IV.

IV infusions for morning sickness ensure that the pregnant mother and her growing fetus have the fluids and nutrients needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy.