Morning sickness can be treated quite easily

Some women, sometimes long before a missed period, get their first hint of pregnancy following unpleasant episodes of nausea and vomiting. Obstetrician gynaecologist at ICON Medical Centre Dr Keisha Buchanan said that the condition, which affects a majority of pregnant women, carries no health risk in a lot of cases and can be treated quite easily.

“The term morning sickness is a misnomer because it can happen at both day and night,” Dr Buchanan said. “The condition, which is common in pregnancy, is characterised by nausea and vomiting, which can be quite debilitating. Most women experience this in the first trimester, which is the first three months, and then it subsides. However, about six per cent of women will have persistent nausea and vomiting throughout their pregnancy.”

She pointed out that even when nausea and vomiting persist, this is generally safe in pregnancy, provided the mother remains hydrated and is able to keep down an adequate amount of calories. In fact, she said that weight loss is common in the first trimester, after which most mothers regain the weight in later trimesters.

The condition can affect any pregnant woman, however, Dr Buchanan said that there are some pre-existing conditions as well as special cases in pregnancies which can influence your likelihood of being affected as well as its severity.

“Women who have stomach problems such as ulcers, reflux disease, or motion sickness, migraine headaches are more likely to suffer from nausea and vomiting. Multiple pregnancies, such as twin, triplet… are more likely to have vomiting due to the higher hormone levels. In addition, women are more likely to experience more nausea and vomiting during their first pregnancy,” Dr Buchanan told Baby Steps.

Fortunately, there are a number of techniques that have been tried and proven to reduce the sometimes crippling effects of morning sickness.

“The symptoms of nausea and vomiting can be improved by eating small meals regularly. So, instead of having three large meals, eat five or six smaller meals and snacks. Also, when preparing or choosing meals it’s best to go for a bland diet; so choose meals that are high in protein and complex carbohydrates to prevent vomiting because greasy, spicy foods tend to trigger nausea. When eating, try to go at a slower pace because rushing meals can also trigger feelings of nausea,” Dr Buchanan advised.

Other foods and beverages that might also help with nausea are crackers, bread, ginger-based foods such as ginger sweets, ginger teas, ginger biscuits and peppermint sweets. In addition to these, Dr Buchanan said that you can try other strategies, such as avoiding laying down immediately after eating as well as excessive motions such a driving on rough roads immediately after eating or for very long distances without taking breaks. You should also avoid scents that generally tend to trigger nausea, take additional vitamins, such as vitamin b6 to reduce nausea and vomiting and take prenatal vitamins after having a meal to prevent vomiting.

You also want to make sure that you are well hydrated. Drinking water is always important; coconut water is also an excellent source of oral rehydration and is pleasant to the taste.

In the event that a woman does not get relief, having explored all natural avenues, then medications are prescribed.

“Medications which are anti-vomiting agents, such as dimenhydrinate, ondansetron, metoclopramide, granisetron, antihistamines and diphenhydramine are safe in pregnancy. Some may cause side effects such as drowsiness due to dimenhydrinate, but they are effective in improving or stopping nausea and vomiting. If these are not effective and vomiting is severe, steroids may be needed to control nausea and vomiting,” Dr Buchanan explained.

Importantly, nausea and vomiting, while typically normal in pregnancy, may be signs of other problems and may not be just due to pregnancy.

“If there is diarrhoea and fever, the vomiting may be due to gastro-enteritis due to infection in the food. Stomach pain and vomiting may be due to inflammation of the stomach or an ulcer; lower abdominal pain may be due to appendicitis. Vomiting and headache may be due to a migraine, or rarely a brain tumour. A bladder infection may cause nausea, vomiting, burning on urination and frequency on urinating,” Dr Buchanan underscored.

If you experience any of these, it is best to see your doctor to be assessed, Dr Buchanan said, adding that excessive nausea and vomiting resulting in weight loss, dehydration, a feeling of weakness, decreased urine output is hyperemesis gravidarum. This requires medication to treat it and the chance of being admitted to hospital is higher with this condition.