Top parenting stories this week
Morning Sickness Survival Guide
When morning sickness starts and what you can do to feel better.
by: Sydney Loney
Morning Sickness
- Morning sickness affects up to 80 percent of pregnant women.
- Morning sickness usually begins around the 6th week of pregnancy and ends around the 12th or 16th week.
- Treat symptoms as soon as possible and you'll have a better chance of controlling the condition.
- One percent of women suffer from a severe form known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which can result in hospitalization.
- Try eating small portions of whatever makes you feel better every one to two hours and make sure you drink two liters of liquid a day.
- Some common morning sickness cures include: eating bland food (such as dry cereal), eating cold food (such as popsicles), wearing an acupressure band, taking vitamin B6, smelling citrus and rinsing with mouthwash.
hose first few months of pregnancy can be tough, especially when you suddenly can't stand the sight (or smell) of food. Morning sickness, or Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP), is the most common medical condition facing moms-to-be. It affects up to 80 percent of pregnant women, says Caroline Maltepe, coordinator of Motherisk's NVP Hotline at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Here's what you need to know to get through it.
What it is
Despite its name, morning sickness can begin at any time of day and is believed to be caused by higher hormone levels during pregnancy. In most cases, morning sickness poses no risk to a pregnant mother or her baby, but approximately one percent of women suffer from its more severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which can result in dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and a need for hospitalization.
When does morning sickness begin?
Morning sickness begins around the sixth week of pregnancy and ends around the 12th or 16th, although it can last right up until your baby is born (20 percent of women continue to have symptoms throughout pregnancy).
Preventative measures
"Women don't realize they need to treat their morning sickness symptoms early to prevent it from getting worse," says Maltepe. "If you start early, you have a better chance of controlling the condition." The most important thing is to make sure you're eating and drinking plenty of fluids because the longer your stomach stays empty, the worse your nausea will get, she says.
"Eat small portions of whatever makes you feel better every one to two hours and make sure you drink two liters of liquid a day," says Maltepe. Because mixing solids and liquids can increase nausea by making your stomach feel fuller, eat a small portion of food followed by a little liquid 20 minutes later.
Maltepe recommends keeping lots of healthy snacks on hand as you might find it's easier to grab a handful of trail mix, granola or dried fruit than it is to attempt to eat a full meal. You might also find it harder to eat if you've prepared the food yourself. "If you make a sandwich, sometimes the sight will completely turn you off," says Maltepe. "It might be easier to go buy a sandwich than to make one and then try to eat it."
And if you're just too afraid to eat food, you can try a liquid supplement–even if it's just a third of a can of Boost, in can help build up your energy and give you some nutrients."
10 ways to soothe your morning sickness symptoms
Just because a morning sickness cure worked for your cousin, doesn't mean it will work for you. Maltepe recommends giving each potential remedy a couple of days and, if it doesn't help, trying something else until you find what works for you. Here are 10 things to try:
- Cold foods and fluids: Things like ice chips, watermelon and Popsicles may be easier to tolerate than liquids and can decrease the metallic taste in your mouth.
- Mouthwash: Rinsing with mouthwash helps dry up excess saliva.
- Sniffing citrus: Just as the wrong odor can make you queasy, the right one could soothe your symptoms. Whether it's mint, cinnamon or lavender, try whatever is most soothing to you.
- Ginger: Grate fresh ginger into hot water for a calming tea.
- Iron-free multivitamins: Your prenatal vitamins may make your nausea worse because of the iron content. In the first trimester, try taking them later in the day or take folic acid alone or try a multivitamin that does not contain iron.
- Acupressure wristbands: Used for sea sickness, acupressure bands (as well as acupuncture at acupoint P6) may relieve nausea and vomiting.
- Antacids: These can help relieve heartburn and acid reflux.
- Bland foods: Try rice cakes, crackers, dry cereal or whole grain toast.
- Vitamin B6: Ask your doctor about supplements.
- Prescription drugs: Diclectin–the delayed-release combination of doxylamine and vitamin B6–is the only medication labeled for pregnancy in Canada and you can start taking it as early as the first day of nausea, says Maltepe.
Meet our expert:
Caroline Maltepe is the coordinator of Motherisk's NVP Hotline at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The Motherisk Program is a counseling service for women, their families and health professionals on the safety/risk of drugs, chemicals, radiation and infections during pregnancy and lactation. In 1996 it established an NVP-Healthline to counsel women from both Canada and the United States on the management of symptoms of NVP. www.motherisk.org
