Nausea During Pregnancy

Statistics have reported that almost 75% of pregnant mothers battled with morning sickness during pregnancy. The feeling of nausea as part of morning sickness may be very distressing as you fraught with queasiness and constant urge to puke.

The symptoms of morning sickness usually kick in between the fourth and sixth week of pregnancy and every pregnant mother experiences the symptoms differently. Some felt nauseated and vomited throughout the day while others reported only light symptoms in the morning. Some pregnant mothers even woke up in the middle of the night to vomit. And these awful symptoms may also come and go due to unknown reasons.

You can bid farewell to morning sickness when you enter the second trimester of pregnancy but it may also continue to linger on until the fifth month of pregnancy. Despite this, there should be no reason to raise the alarm for the presence of mild to moderate symptoms. In fact, these symptoms may serve as a protective mechanism to your baby. They induce your gag reflex when you smell cigarette smoke or consume oily food to prevent unhealthy substances and food from being passed on to your fetus. This provides a safe environment for your baby to thrive in your womb.

The main cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has not been identified but it has been hypothesized that the surge of estrogen level may have contributed to your sick days. The additional estrogen may cause you to overreact when exposed to certain smell. This explains why you feel nauseous the moment you smell curry or fried calamari rings, despite these being your favorite comfort food before pregnancy.

As daunting as it may seem, morning sickness may not make your pregnancy months an ordeal if you can practice some of the tried and tested methods here to provide relief from nausea and vomiting.

- You may dread getting out of bed in the morning because of the haunting nausea. Spend about 30 minutes on the bed after waking up and munch on some crackers. This helps to calm your morning sickness so you can kick-start your day feeling less worn out.

- Keep your body hydrated throughout the day as consistent vomiting may drain your body of the essential fluid and electrolytes. Sip some water or fruit juice to stay fresh and hydrated.

- If your appetite worsens, try to take light but frequent meals. Take a piece of toasted bread, few scoops of chicken broth, crackers, salad, yoghurt, cereals and etc every 3 hours to provide nutrient and energy for your body while minimizing your nausea.

- Whether it is the perfume, freshener or humid air, you might want to stay away from these triggering factors to prevent nausea. Keep your house well-circulated and go for a light walk in the park to get supplies of fresh air.

- Get some ginger to sooth your upset stomach. Whether it is ginger ale, warm ginger tea or ginger tablets, they are all reported to be effective cure for nausea.