Morning Sickness During Pregnancy: How to Treat it?

Morning sickness is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy that is characterized by nausea and vomiting. Even though it is called Morning sickness, despite its name, can affect you at any time of day. It is one of the most common symptoms in the first four months of pregnancy and is frequently the first indication that a woman is expecting. Dizziness and headaches are also common in some women. Morning sickness can be treated in a variety of ways, and problems are not that common.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of morning sickness that affects only certain pregnant women. This occurs when a woman’s extreme nausea and vomiting cause dehydration or a loss of more than 5% of her pregnant body weight. She may, on occasion, not be getting enough nutrients. It causes malnourishment which results from a lack of nutrition. It is possible that this pregnant woman will need to stay in the hospital for fluids, medication, and, in rare cases, a feeding tube. Morning sickness has different causes, and a lot is unknown. Most specialists tend to believe it is caused by changes in a woman’s hormone levels during pregnancy. The heightened perception of the smell of a pregnant woman and stomach reflux are two further reasons that might aggravate nausea.

Morning sickness that is not severe does not have any effect on your baby. But it could even be a sign that everything is well between you and your baby. Morning sickness has been linked to a decreased chance of miscarriage and your symptoms indicate that the placenta is producing all the necessary hormones for your baby’s development. Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition that occurs when nausea and vomiting are severe.

Here are some symptoms of Morning Sickness

The following are some of the most common morning sickness symptoms:

• During the first trimester, nausea with or without vomiting that feels a lot like motion sickness
• Nausea that starts in the morning but can last all day or recur at any point.
• Smelling certain foods and other scents makes you feel unwell
• Nausea, especially after eating spicy foods
• Heat-induced nausea or vomiting, as well as excessive salivation

You might be wondering what causes morning sickness. Here are a few:

Morning sickness during pregnancy has no single cause, and the severity varies from one woman to another woman.

• One of the most common causes is an increase in hormone levels during the first few weeks of pregnancy.
• Another common reason for morning sickness is low blood sugar.

Morning sickness can be exacerbated by a variety of circumstances. These are some of them:

• Having triplets or twins
• Excessive tiredness, mental stress, and frequent travel

Morning sickness can vary from pregnancy to pregnancy. Morning sickness may have been severe during one pregnancy but can be quite minor in subsequent pregnancies.

Know more about your food intake during this time

Changing your diet could be of really great help. So, consider the following suggestions:

• Consume a high protein and carbohydrate diet. Apple slices or celery slices dipped in peanut butter are delicious. Try low-fat dairy items like milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt, as well as almonds, cheese, and crackers.
• Gelatin, frozen desserts, soup, ginger ale, and saltine crackers are all bland meals that ease the stomach.
• Foods heavy in fat and salt should be avoided.
• Try to eat before you start to feel hungry or nauseated.
• When you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or when you first get out of bed in the morning, eat a few soda crackers or dry toast.
• Large meals should be avoided. Instead, eat a snack every 1 to 2 hours throughout the day. Do not allow yourself to become too full after eating.
• Drink a lot of water.
• To keep your stomach from becoming too full, drink between meals rather than with meals.
• Seltzer, ginger ale, and other sparkling liquids may aid with symptom management.
• Ginger-containing foods may also be beneficial. Ginger tea and ginger sweets, as well as ginger ale, are examples of these. Check to determine if they contain actual ginger, not simply ginger flavoring.

Complications can occur:

• Morning sickness has the potential to cause a lot of difficulties.
• Loss of appetite is a common side effect of nausea and vomiting. Many pregnant mothers are concerned that this will harm their unborn children. Mild morning sickness is rarely dangerous.
• Women who experience morning sickness after the first three to four months of pregnancy should consult their doctor. If you are not gaining any weight during your pregnancy, you should get help.
• Morning sickness is rarely severe enough to interfere with fetal development and growth. Some pregnant women go through a series of significant vomiting and weight loss because of nausea. Hyperemesis gravidarum is the medical term for this condition. Electrolyte imbalances and unintended weight loss are the results. If left untreated, this issue could even lead to your baby’s death.

If you have any of the following symptoms, make sure to call your doctor right then:

• You may have a fever
• Infrequent urination with little amounts of dark-colored urine
• Inability to keep food down
• If you go through a weight loss of 2 pounds or more
• dizziness or light headedness
• Fast heartbeat, intense nausea, and blood in your vomit throughout the second trimester
• a lot of headaches
• spotting or bleeding in the abdomen
• Morning sickness that is severe usually necessitates hospitalization. For rehydration, hyperemesis gravidarum frequently needs intravenous (IV) fluids.

How to prevent morning sickness

You might have wondered how you can prevent morning sickness. It is as the saying; prevention is always better than cure. Also, it does not hurt to try. The following steps may assist in preventing or reducing nausea:

• Make sure you drink plenty of water. Before and after taking your meals, drink plenty of water.
• Take naps whenever you can.
• To get rid of nauseating odors, make sure your house and workstation are well ventilated.
• Spicy foods should be avoided.
• Consume little amounts of food.
• Fatty foods should be avoided.
• At night, take your vitamins.
• Cigarette smoke should be avoided.

If none of these precautions help, or if your morning sickness lasts longer than the first 3 to 4 months of your pregnancy, you should consult your doctor.

Morning sickness treatment

To relieve nausea and help you retain foods and fluids, your doctor may prescribe vitamins or drugs. Your doctor may prescribe the following medications:

Antihistamines: antihistamines are used to treat nausea and motion sickness.

Phenothiazine is a medication used to treat severe nausea and vomiting.

Antacids are used to absorb stomach acid and help avoid acid reflux.

Metoclopramide (Reglan) is used to help the stomach transfer food into the intestines and to help with nausea and vomiting.

Do not take these medications without first consulting your physician.

Alternative therapies may also help ease morning sickness, according to some people. Make sure you discuss these with your doctor before trying them.

These are some of the other remedies:

There are some other remedies that can always be tried. Try taking ginger goods, such as ginger ale and ginger tea, vitamin B-6 supplements prenatal vitamins, ginger drops, acupuncture, hypnosis, saltine crackers, etc.

Diagnosis of Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is diagnosed based on your indications and symptoms. Your doctor may also order urine or blood tests if they suspect you have hyperemesis gravidarum. They may order you to take urine or blood tests. You can tell if you are dehydrated just by taking a urine test.

Tests of blood chemistry

Your doctor may prescribe a variety of blood chemistry tests, including:

• To evaluate the electrolytes in your blood- metabolic panel (Chem-20).
• You will need a complete blood count (CBC)
• You may also need a Comprehensive metabolic panel

These tests will tell you if you are: dehydrated, malnourished, or vitamin deficient in some way. It can tell if you are anemic. Ultrasound creates images of your baby by using sound waves. The doctor will then use these photos and noises to determine whether your baby is developing normally.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor right away:

• Have flu-like symptoms that could indicate sickness
• Feel dizzy or sluggish
• Experiencing severe vomiting on a daily basis or multiple times a day
• You are losing weight because you cannot keep any fluids or foods down.
• If you think the iron in your prenatal vitamin is causing your nausea.
• If you want to use anti-nausea medication or try acupuncture.