Does the smell of coffee or eggs make you run to the bathroom? What about a nice Stilton? Does the act of getting out of bed make you sicker than you have ever felt? If you are pregnant and sights, smells and tastes that you used to enjoy send you face first into the toilet, then you’ve got morning sickness.

By: Juliet Cohen

Morning sickness is the nauseated feeling you get during pregnancy. Morning sickness, which can actually occur at any time of the day, can really dampen your excitement about being pregnant. Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) or pregnancy sickness, affects between 50 and 95 percent of all pregnant women as well as some women who use hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy.

Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day, though it occurs most often upon waking, because blood sugar levels are typically the lowest after a night without food. Morning sickness usually starts in the first month of the pregnancy, peaks in the fifth to seventh weeks, and continuing until the 14th to 16th week. For half of the sufferers, it ends by the 16th week of pregnancy. Some unfortunate women suffer intermittent episodes throughout their pregnancy.

The most severe form of NVP is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). HG is considered a rare complication of pregnancy. The percentage of pregnant women afflicted ranges from 0.3% to 2%. This form of morning sickness becomes a problem because women afflicted by HG are unable keep any foods or fluids down and begin to lose a lot of weight. It this happens to you, please seek medical attention. You may need to receive fluids and nutrition intravenously in addition to medication to prevent vomiting.

Women afflicted by morning sickness typically avoid “bitter, pungent, highly-flavored, and novel foods,” or foods which are likely to contain toxins. Women will naturally avoid foods and smells that seem to trigger nausea. Sometimes this will be nearly every food or every smell. Trying to eat a healthy diet can become very difficult when you’ve also got to deal with problems like food aversions, a sensitive sniffer, and a growling, churning stomach. Eat small, frequent meals and snacks throughout the day so that your stomach is never empty.

In addition to the standard American remedies for morning sickness, you might want to check out homeopathic remedies or herbal teas. Some herbal teas and herbs that have been used historically to ease morning sickness are: Anise, Fennel, Ginger root, Peppermint, Chamomile, Red Raspberry and Blessed Thistle.

Some women find that carbohydrates are most appealing when they feel nauseated, but one small study found that high-protein foods were more likely to ease symptoms. Wearing “acupressure” wrist bands, which are sometimes used by passengers on boats to prevent sea sickness, may help some women who have morning sickness. Try taking your prenatal vitamins with food or just before bed. Flat Sprite® is supposedly great at keeping the stomach from churning. Taking powdered ginger root in capsules provided some relief, but be sure to talk to your provider before taking ginger supplements. Ginger, teas, cookies, even the spice can be helpful in preventing nausea.

Morning Sickness Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Eat frequent small meals, every 2 or 3 hours, rather than 3 large meals daily.

2. Get up slowly and do not lie down immediately after eating.

3. Eat dry crackers 15 minutes before getting up in the morning.

4. Eat more fruits and complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, crackers and pasta. Sensitive stomachs find those foods easier to tolerate.

5. Eat high protein foods as they help fight nausea.

6. Do not skip meals, allowing your stomach to become “empty”.

7. Drink fluids ½ hour before a meal or ½ hour after a meal. Do not drink during your meal.

8. Try eating cold food instead of hot (cold food does not smell as much).

9. Try bland foods, as opposed to spicy foods.

10. Try to avoid fatty foods, which take longer to digest, particularly during pregnancy, when your stomach takes longer to empty.

11. Try taking your prenatal vitamins later in the day or discuss possible alternatives, such as children’s chewables.

12. Try not to get overheated as it seems to agitate morning sickness.

Sheryl’s comment:
Many experts believe that morning sickness is a natural safety mechanism designed by your body to avoid ingesting poisonous substances. This may have evolved from our gatherer ancestors who might have been likely to ingest poisonous plants. Today, the smell of coffee or cigarettes may make a pregnant woman nauseous, but clearly those are substances that are potentially dangerous to her fetus and should be avoided anyway. So as irritating as morning sickness is, it is your body’s way of trying to tell you something so make sure to pay attention!

Juliet Cohen writes articles on diseases and conditions and women health care. More information on health related topics visit our site at www.health-care-articles.info.

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Congratulations! You’re pregnant! One minute you’re overjoyed with your news, the next you’re brought back down to earth with a thud. Often with the pregnancy news comes the rude awakening that soon after conception, your body begins undergoing a series of major changes to help prepare it for your baby’s growth and development.

Mother Nature loves irony. How else to explain taking the happiest time in a woman’s life and causing her to become physically ill and miserable? And, what’s with using the term, “morning sickness“? Actually, the correct term is “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy“. Which is closer to the truth since the condition can and will occur anytime of the day.

Some quick facts about the morning sickness:
1. 50-95% of pregnant women suffer from it
2. Dehydration can happen in extreme cases
3. Occurs in first month of pregnancy
4. Continues until 14th-16th week
5. 50% of women will suffer for another month

Although nobody will say for sure what the definite causes of morning sickness are, the theories are:

• Estrogen level increase
• Low blood sugar
• Increased sensitivity to smells where many odors instantly trigger the gag-reflex
• Rise in progesterone level . This hormone helps relax the uterus in order to prevent early labor but it also relaxes the stomach and intestines which cause excess acids in the stomach and slower waste removal.
• Eating unhealthy foods. Seems the body has a sure-fire way to make sure you don’t ingest anything not good for you or baby.
• An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin. Now you know why they prefer to call it (hCG) This is a peptide hormone produced by the embryo soon after conception and later on by the placenta. It’s role is to maintain crucial levels of progesterone production vital in human pregnancies.
• Excess salivation which nauseates some women

It’s difficult to spend time on the causes morning sickness when all you really want is relief. As with anything to do with the human body, there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy. There will be a period of trial and error as you find what works for you. Of course it goes without saying, you will be consulting with your doctor/care-provider.

So here are some corrective measures used by many women:

1. Eating small, frequent meals. An empty stomach produces an acid which aggravates the stomach lining.

2. Foods should be high in proteins and complex carbohydrates such as yogurt, cheese and eggs or whole-grain breads and cereals. Don’t make the mistake of thinking of whole-wheat as being whole- grain. You want the product label to say ” 100% whole-grain”. There is a big difference for mother and baby.

3. Drink fluids. Dehydration makes everything worse. Extreme cases of morning sickness require hospitalization. If you can’t stomach fluids, try eating fruit which has high water content and low acid like grapes and watermelon

4. Ginger (zingiber officinale) This is an age-old remedy for upset stomachs. Try either capsules, ginger tea or ginger- snaps, candy. Try to get ginger ale made with real ginger and not the supermarket brands. You may have to try the health-food section in your grocery or an actual health-food store.

5. Brushing teeth after vomiting will decrease excess saliva and lessen stomach turmoil. It also prevents tooth decay and makes you feel somewhat better.

6. Get proper rest. Fatigue and stress will cause morning sickness to worsen. If able to, nap often.

7. Stay away from fatty, spicy, rich, acidic and fried foods

8. Eat crackers before getting out of bed. Get up slowly.

9. Take food based prenatal vitamins later on in the day

10. Try vitamin B6

11. Microwave cooking produces less odors. Better yet, have someone else do the cooking while you, lucky girl, stay away!

12. Go smell lemons. Believe it or not, relief may be found by sprinkling essential oil of lemon on a handkerchief and holding it to your nose.

13. Warm places can trigger nausea. Try to stay cool. If not in air conditioning, install fans around you. Even a battery-operated hand-held fan can bring relief.

14. If your stomach agrees, eat what you want when you want it. Your special cravings are trying to tell you something.

Although it can be downright annoying when well-meaning friends and family tell you, “This too shall pass” , especially when you feel miserable. Usually after the first trimester, you will again be concentrating on happy, future events.

Again, Congratulations!

(c) 2006 Karen Cook

Reference Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

Author: Karen Cook
About the author: Karen Cook works the main desk at her town’s Public Library. The most rewarding part of her job is researching self-help information for the patrons. Visit the weblog: http://happilypregnant.blogspot.com

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It is a well known fact that women must avoid drugs during their pregnancy. There are many medicines that women take which can affect the birth characteristics of the new born baby. These drugs can be common nausea drugs, antihistamines, skin medicines, and even laxatives. These drugs can cause remarkable defects in humans as well as animals. Antibiotic drugs cause many types of harmful effects in the fetus especially drugs which contain a large quantity of sulfur which can cause neo-natal jaundice. Sedatives like sleeping pills and painkillers can cause birth deficiency and buff the fetus. Antacids, if taken regularly, can cause muscle problems in the baby and edema in the mother. The different and innumerable problems that a women encounters during pregnancy can be best avoided by some herbal medicines which are safe and can be made easily.

Here are some common natural herbs that you can rely on during your pregnancy.

Seaweeds are one of the best allies for women during their pregnancy. Seaweed is rich in minerals which is known to directly counter birth defects. Align or alignic acid, which is found in abundance in many types of seaweed, has the property to absorb radioactive neucleotides and heavy metals such as mercury. When eaten by the expectant mother it reduces the probability of cancer and protects the fetus from faulty genes. Seaweed is one of the most nutritious plants known.

Red Raspberry leaves nourish pregnant women and relieve difficulties during pregnancy and birth. These benefits are related to the general well being of the expectant mother like astringent, strengthening, and nourishing powers. Raspberry leaves contain tannins which provide toning to the pelvic muscles and most importantly the uterus muscles. They also contain nourishing vitamins and minerals. The leaves contain a whole lot of vitamins like A, C, E, and B plus liberal quantity of calcium, iron, phosphorous, and potassium salts.

Stinging Nettle leaves prevent varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It is also known to ease the cramps and backaches, and increases the quantity of breast milk. A simple cup of tea made out of nettle leaves supplies amazing amounts of energy as well as huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and vitamins A, D, C, B and K. It averts anemia and iron deficiency. It also helps in proper digestion and acts as a strengthener to the lungs, maintains the proper functioning of the kidneys and acts as a curative to the hair and skin.

Red Clover was initially introduced as a herb to increase goats’ fertility and their milk supply. Later on it was tried on humans as well. The leaves of Red clover contain sufficient amounts of minerals, protein, antioxidants, and phytoestrogens. It actually helps the entire reproductive system. Most prominent are the total of vitamin E and the existence of selenium and zinc.

Natural and purely grown herbs have the finest supply of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are needed during pregnancy. They can be also be used for other ailments that are common during pregnancy.It is even better if the mother can do a little bit of slow motion exercise like a daily walk and some amount of stretching (prenatal yoga). Apart from all this, pure water, air and clean surroundings are also important. Loving and respectful relationships, beauty and harmony in the daily life should be a part of the life of the pregnant woman so that pregnancy is a happy moment and not a stressful time!

About the author:
Dr. Parveen Gupta writes articles on Natural Remedies, Ayurvedic Cures, Health & Beauty tips. For details, please visit his site at www.Nature-Ally.com or for any other feedback, feel free to write to him at doctor@nature-ally.com

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