Why do pregnant women get morning sickness?
It has been estimated that about 50 to 90 percent of pregnant women experience discomfort due to nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy. Morning sickness that can actually occur at any time during the course of the day can really dampen the excitement about being pregnant.
Morning Sickness Causes
Sadly, no one is exactly sure about what causes morning sickness. However, it seems that the cause is a combination of issues related to the chemical changes that the body is undergoing during pregnancy. These changes include the rapidly increasing estrogen and progesterone levels, an improved sense of smell and excess stomach acids. Stress and fatigue also play an important role in causing morning sickness.
According to another theory, morning sickness is caused by progesterone - the dominant hormone during pregnancy. Progesterone has a "softening" effect on body's muscles. It helps prevent preterm labor by affecting uterine muscles. It also affects other muscles, such as the stomach as well as the intestines. The progesterone relaxes the workings of the entire digestive track which makes the elimination of bodily wastes slower. This in turn can lead to a slow emptying of the stomach that leads to excess stomach acids.
Another theory, that is more widely accepted, is that morning sickness is caused due to the buildup of HCG (human chorionic gonadotopin) in system. HCG is produced in the body after implantation takes place and goes on increasing until about the 12th week of pregnancy, at which point the levels of HCG start to decrease. Normally, this is when r morning sickness symptoms start to decrease.
Morning Sickness Remedies
Not all morning sickness remedies will help you, but here is a collection of suggested remedies that you can try in order to get some relief. Make sure that you talk about your morning sickness and potential relief with your doctor.
General Remedies:
- Avoid warm places since heat can increase nausea feelings.
- Take naps during the day (a little later after eating). Fatigue plays a big part in morning sickness.
- Make sure that you are getting enough sleep at night.
- Get out of your bed slowly in the morning.
- Try eating plain crackers or dry cereal before getting out of bed in the morning.
Smells:
- Open windows or turn on the exhaust fans while cooking and also after meals.
- Cooking in the microwave usually produces fewer odors.
- You may carry a handkerchief with a few drops of a non nausea causing essential oil (for instance - lemon) in it and breath through the same if at all you can't get away from the smell which is bothering you.
Food and Drink:
- Avoid greasy and/or spicy foods as they often cause nausea and heartburn.
- Eat what you want and when you want it. Cravings may lead you the wrong way.
- Have frequent protein snacks. (Eggs and beans, low fat meats and seafood, nuts, are high protein.)
- Eat smaller meals after a gap of every two hours or so.
- Eating something that is salty before a meal can help you "make it through" a meal.
- Do not drink fluids while having meals.
- Non caffeinated teas like ginger and peppermint can help reduce nausea.
- Drink small amounts of fluids regularly though out the course of the day in order to avoid dehydration.
- Do not skip meals.
- Avoid spicy as well as fried food - both eating and/or smelling it can increase nausea.
- Cold food might have less nausea-inducing smells associated with them.
Supplements:
- Try taking your prenatals later in the day.
- Talk to doctor about:
- Vitamin B6 - 50 mg. daily. Vitamin B6 has shown to help with pregnancy induced nausea.
- Ginger capsules: 250 mg. thrice daily. Ginger has long been associated with alleviating nausea.
- Ask the doctor if you can stop taking your Prenatals temporarily in order to see if the nausea diminishes. You may still need to take a Folic Acid supplement to help protect the baby.
- Talk to the doctor about not taking iron supplements unless you are feeling anemic. Iron supplements may be hard for your stomach to deal with.
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