Pregnancy - morning sickness
pregnancy; sickness; morning; sickness; nausea; vomiting; hyperemesis; gravidarum; ginger; hormones; vomit ;
Contents
ALERT!
Contact your doctor if you are vomiting and can't keep food or drinks down.
Morning sickness (nausea and vomiting) is a problem for about 85% of pregnant women during the first four months or so of pregnancy. The nausea might be due to low blood sugar, low levels of vitamin B6, changes in hormone levels or changes in some levels of minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
Depending on how severe it is it can make going about your daily tasks difficult and uncomfortable. However there are things you can do that will help and will not harm your baby.
If, at any stage in your pregnancy, you are worried about your health or the health of your baby, see your doctor or midwife for advice.
What is morning sickness?
Nausea (feeling sick) rarely happens just in the morning, and most women have this feeling much of the day. It usually starts around 9 weeks of the pregnancy, and goes away, often around 14 weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes nausea and vomiiting is severe and ongoing (this is rare).
Morning sickness does not cause any health problems for the baby, and is linked to a lower risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy.
While pregnancy is not an illness, many women are quite unwell from morning sickness. You may need to take leave if you are working.
Morning sickness is real, not a "sign of weakness".
What you can do
These steps may help:
- A well balanced diet should provide enough vitamins and minerals.
- Avoid overeating.
- Eat smaller meals more often; being hungry can make it worse
- Have a plain biscuit (or a couple of cracker biscuits) and cup of sweet, black tea when you get up in the morning. Keep a glass of water and a couple of biscuits by your bed so you can have them before you get up if it helps.
- Eat a nourishing snack (such as yoghurt, milk or a sandwich) before you go to bed at night.
- Drink plenty of fluids such as water, fruit juice, clear soups, particularly if you are vomiting.
- Don't have rich, fatty foods.
- Many people find peppermint or peppermint teas are helpful.
- Avoid foods if their taste, smell or appearance makes you feel sick.
- If you have to prepare food, try to do it at times of day when you feel better.
- Take it easy, especially in the mornings, as rushing about will make the nausea worse.
- Acupuncture or acupressure may help.
There are several medicines that reduce the nausea that have been shown to be safe in many studies. These medicines can be got through your doctor.
Ginger
Taking ginger may reduce the nausea and vomiting.
- Ginger is available in many different forms such as ginger tea, ginger biscuits, crystalized ginger, powdered ginger and fresh ginger.
- Many health food shops have ginger products that might be helpful (check contents to make sure that they contain only ginger).
- Make a tea using fresh ginger. One recipe is:-
- Boil half a teaspoon of fresh ginger and two tablespoons of cooked rice in a cup of water for 10 minutes.
- Strain and cool the liquid.
- Add a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Sip this as you need to during the day.
If you are vomiting a lot or feeling very distressed, talk to your doctor.
Some women become very ill when they vomit a lot and are unable to keep food or fluids down. In extreme cases women need to go into hospital for fluid via a drip.
There are medicines that are usually helpful when morning sickness causes serious problems for you. Your doctor will help you manage this to ensure there is no harm to the unborn baby.
- If you are vomiting it is very important to make sure you get enough drinks.
- You may find it easier to have lots of small drinks than to try to drink a large amount at once. Sips of ice water help some women.
- Your chemist can give you advice about special drinks such as Gastrolyte** which can help if you are vomiting a lot.
- If you are vomiting, the stomach acid in the vomit can soften the enamel covering of your teeth. Do not use a toothbrush to clean your teeth after vomiting. Have a drink of water to clean your mouth.
Important Note: It is important not to take any medications when you are pregnant without checking with your doctor. This includes herbal remedies.
Resources
References
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners - 'Emma's Diary'.
Jewell D, Young G. 'Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy' (Cochrane Review). In The Cochrane Library, 2003. CD000145. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000145
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab000145.html
Royal Hospital for Women (NSW)
'Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy'
Sheehan P 'Hyperemesis gravidarum' Australian Family Physician September 2007 pp698-701
**Any products referred to in our health topics are usually well-known brands readily available in Australia. The brand names are given as examples only, and do not necessarily represent the best products, nor the full range of effective products on the market.
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).
This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn - please change to suit your
child's sex.