There is good news and bad news concerning morning sickness. If you are suffering with it right now, the good news is doctors believe it’s a sign that the placenta is growing normally. The bad news, according to
the Cleveland Clinic, is that although 70% of pregnant women get it early in the first trimester, the cause is not totally known. Whatever is causing it, here are some tips for how to alleviate first trimester nausea symptoms. Those first trimester nausea symptoms usually begin around 6 weeks and continue until week 12. During the second trimester they seem to improve. Unfortunately, it is also true women can experience symptoms
throughout their entire pregnancy.Symptoms And Timing Of Morning Sickness
Some women can have severe symptoms and should speak to Dedicated to Women for guidance if this happens.
Severe symptoms can include the following:
- Vomiting more than three times per day
- Dehydration
- Little to no urine production and dark colored urine
- Dizziness
- Losing 5 pound or more
Suspected Causes
It is believed that low blood sugar and pregnancy hormones are responsible for morning sickness. One hormone in particular known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) contributes to it, plus estrogen.
You can also develop symptoms from stress, being overtired, eating certain foods, and motion sickness.
No matter what you call it, there are some ways to reduce the symptoms. We will walk through some of them.
- Take your prenatal vitamins at night with a light snack especially if they contain iron.
- Keep some crackers by your bedside and eat one or two before you get out of bed.
- Eat smaller and more frequent meals during the day.
- Avoid fatty and spicy foods. Instead eat more bland foods like a plain baked potato, broth, eggs, dry toast, rice, bananas.
- Snacks should include yogurt, peanut butter, celery, cheese, and nuts.
- Hydrate throughout the day.
- Get lots of rest.
- Keep rooms well ventilated. Go outside for fresh air when possible. Use a fan indoors.
- Avoid odors.
- Get to know what triggers your nausea, and avoid it!
- Drink fluids 30 minutes before and after a meal, not with it.
- Try ginger ale, jello, peppermint tea, pretzels, and flavored popsicles.
- Lemons can be quite helpful, smell, eat, or suck on them.
Don’t hesitate to contact Dedicated to Women at (302) 674-0223 if vomiting is severe or if you have questions about other ways to alleviate first trimester nausea.
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If you're in your first trimester but haven't had even a hint of queasiness or a bout of vomiting, all the other expecting parents-to-be are likely green with both nausea and envy. But you might be worried. The problem is that if you're not having any symptoms of morning sickness, you might start wondering whether your baby is OK—or if the absence of morning sickness signals something is wrong.
Thankfully, there's no need to worry if you have no morning sickness at 6 weeks or beyond. While we tend to equate nausea and tummy troubles with early pregnancy, not everyone experiences those symptoms early on (or ever). In fact, nearly 30% of pregnant people have no morning sickness at all, says Michele Hakakha, M.D., FACOG, an OB-GYN in Beverly Hills and author of Expecting 411. "And that's definitely something to be happy about," she notes.
So, who are those few who avoid weeks-long nausea? Frankly, it could be anyone. "Some women may experience morning sickness, and some women may not. Some women have it in one pregnancy and not the next," says Marra Francis, M.D., an OB-GYN in Helotes, Texas, and a contributing author to the Mommy MD Guides. "Not everyone experiences morning sickness, just like not everyone gets motion sickness."
If you don't experience morning sickness, your body just might be better able to handle the rapid rise in levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen, and other hormones that come during the first trimester. Hormone levels spike quickly during pregnancy—the levels of hCG alone typically double every 48 hours in the first weeks of pregnancy—and, just like a quick ride on a roller coaster, this rapid rise can make your stomach churn. Once you hit the second trimester, those hormone levels, while still increasing, taper off to a more manageable level.
Sometimes, however, a lack of morning sickness could be because hormone levels are much lower than normal, which may indicate an increased risk of miscarriage, but that is usually not the case. Indeed, you shouldn't worry about not feeling morning sickness as long as you are not experiencing signs of miscarriage and your prenatal health care provider thinks your hormone levels look good.
"I've had women who freaked out because they didn't get morning sickness because they thought they were at higher risk of having a miscarriage," says Dr. Francis. "But if you don't have morning sickness, it doesn't mean that you have abnormal hormone levels; it just means that you tolerate [pregnancy] better."
It's also possible that the nausea is just a bit delayed. Although most pregnant people experience morning sickness experience it between 6 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, every person and every pregnancy is different, and you may find that you develop pregnancy-related sickness later. But if you make it to your second trimester with no nausea, it's more likely that you're just one of the ones who simply won't experience morning sickness.
So if you're nausea-free in your first trimester, you can let go of your worries. The lack of morning sickness isn't a sign of trouble—and may very well make those first weeks of pregnancy a bit more pleasant.