Morning sickness is one of the most common side effects of early pregnancy with up to 70 – 80% of expecting Moms experiencing it. So with those figures – obviously there are some Moms who don’t.
Morning sickness doesn’t only happen in the morning, nor do you actually have to vomit. Perhaps it’s best described as nausea in pregnancy. This nausea usually goes by about 15 weeks of pregnancy. What causes it is not known for sure, but most likely is the rising levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin HCG, and the action of Progesterone on smooth muscle of the stomach making the stomach sluggish at digesting and emptying.
It may be caused by blood sugar dropping, so keeping a dry unsweetened biscuit handy to nibble on – can help. The foods that cause the problem are different for each expecting Mom so you have to find what suits you.
Some Moms find a ginger tea helps to settle the stomach. Use fresh ginger if you can and add lemon and honey to flavour.
Avoid fatty foods and eat small frequent meals.
Supplements taken in pregnancy can make you feel nauseaus – try taking them with food. With iron supplements some expecting moms resort to children’s liquid supplements of example iron.
It is recommended to take Folic Acid (vitamin B6) during pregnancy to reduce the risk of your baby being born with abnormalities of the spinal column like spina bifida. Eat foods high in folate like cooked beets, Romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, oranges, lentils and garbanza beens.
Severe ongoing pregnancy nausea and vomiting is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum need hospitalization and care by an Obstetrician for rehydration. Fortunately this only happens in about 1 in 300 pregnancies.