Do not confuse nausea with severe morning sickness during pregnancy

Do you know that 85% of women experience nausea during pregnancy? This problem will be more serious for both mother and baby when you experience severe morning sickness that is not normal morning sickness.

In some cases, severe morning sickness adversely affects the health of pregnant women and lasts throughout pregnancy. However, most pregnant women are just normal nausea and the problem will end after the first months. The following information will give you a better view of these two issues and good tips for dealing with morning sickness effectively to help you have a healthy pregnancy.

Is Nausea During Pregnancy A Good Signal?

According to a recent study, nausea during pregnancy reduces the risk of miscarriage by 50-70%. Another study showed that women with morning sickness are more likely to give birth to an intelligent baby.

After reading the above information, you might think that morning sickness is a good thing. However, if there are no symptoms of morning sickness, do not worry as you have been fortunate to skip this stage.

When do you start feeling nauseous?

You will experience morning sickness symptoms between 4 and 6 weeks of pregnancy, when the embryo is firmly attached to the mother's uterine wall. This condition gets worse in 2 - 3 months, and 4 months gradually disappear. This symptom may last for several weeks, months, or last for a few weeks. Morning sickness is not always good. If it is severe, it can lead to severe morning sickness.

What is severe morning sickness?

Severe morning sickness is a pregnancy complication characterized by so much nausea and vomiting (more than 3 times a day) that you lose weight and become dehydrated. About 1% of pregnant women suffer from this condition. The problem usually starts after 5 to 10 weeks of pregnancy and usually goes away by 20 weeks. Some of the other symptoms of this condition:

Dry mouth

Heart beat fast

Less urination

Constantly thirsty

Low blood pressure.

The cause of nausea during pregnancy

The exact cause of this condition is unknown. However, many researchers believe that the increase in the hormone hCG (pregnancy hormone) is the main cause of this condition. In addition, the hormone increased during pregnancy also slows down the digestive process, leading to heartburn, indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux. Besides this cause, there are also some other causes such as:

♦ The concentration of hormones estrogen and progesterone in the body increases, making your sense of smell more sensitive. So if the smell is too heavy, you will feel nauseous

♦ Stress, fatigue during pregnancy also makes this condition worse

♦ The digestive system has difficulty in handling fatty foods, so you will feel nauseous

♦ Helicobacter pylori infection

♦ The luteum cyst is also another cause of morning sickness symptoms to worsen

♦ If your mother and other family members have morning sickness, you will most likely have it

♦ Pregnant after 30 years old

♦ Abnormal pregnancy, such as a false pregnancy

♦ Multiple pregnancies make the placenta grow bigger. Also, levels of the hormones estrogen, progesterone and hCG were higher, leading to severe vomiting

♦ Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism

♦ High blood pressure, migraine and gestational diabetes

♦ Overweight

♦ Have seasickness

♦ You are pregnant with a baby girl

Symptoms of nausea during pregnancy

Not good

Depression

Hates food

Dehydration, weakness, and dizziness

Weight loss (if morning sickness occurs)

Ketosis, a condition that is severe when the concentration of ketones (a toxic chemical) in the blood increases due to excessive vomiting

Not all women experience these symptoms. If it is severe, you will need to be hospitalized for monitoring.

When to see a doctor?

You should see a doctor if:

Vomiting lasts all day and you cannot eat or drink

Vomiting brown fluid or vomiting blood

Headache, weight loss, dizziness, and decreased urination

Can't stand smelly things

Heart beating fast, tired and confused

Continued severe vomiting at 4 months

Lose weight from 2kg or more

Abdominal pain, fever, headache, or swelling in the front of the neck.

After making a diagnosis, your doctor recommends a number of treatments based on your condition.

Treatment of nausea during pregnancy

Measures to treat morning sickness:

♥ Vomiting often leads to dehydration. So you will be given fluids by intravenous injection to maintain balance in your body.

♥ Also, you need to get nourished by placing a nasogastric tube. With this method, a tube is inserted into the nostril down into the stomach to infuse nutrients.

♥ This type of intravenous feeding is completely used to treat people with severe morning sickness.

♥ Acupuncture can help ease morning sickness.

♥ Hypnosis can also be helpful in this case.

♥ Before an intravenous injection and nutrition, your doctor will give you medicine to treat it.

Medications for severe nausea and vomiting

These drugs must be taken as prescribed by the doctor:

Vitamin B6 and doxylamine are over-the-counter medications. You can drink them together or take them individually depending on your body's condition. Take 10-25mg of vitamin B6 to help reduce vomiting. Doxylamine helps you sleep better, reducing discomfort. The combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine helps reduce nausea symptoms by up to 70% and is completely safe to use in the first trimester.

Antiemetics will be used if vitamins B6 and doxylamine are ineffective. Usually, your doctor will prescribe chlorpromazine and prochlorperazine antiemetics. There are also a number of other antiemetics like promethazine, metoclopramide (Maxolon), cyclizine (valoid), ondansetron (Zofran), domperidone (Motilium) and prednisolone (a steroid).

Antihistamines are also used to treat this condition. Several drugs are commonly prescribed: meclizine (Antivert), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and dimenhydrinat.

Peristalsis medications such as metoclopramide (Reglan) are often used alone or in combination with vitamin B6. This drug increases digestion, prevents acid from staying in the stomach for too long and strengthens the lower esophageal sphincter, thereby controlling vomiting.

Antacids will also be prescribed if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease. Your doctor prescribes H2 antihistamines and proton pump inhibitors.

The secret to reducing nausea during pregnancy

Nausea and vomiting can occur at any time of the day. It can be triggered by a particular smell or by food, fatigue, low blood sugar and stimulants like alcohol. Here are some tips to help you alleviate this condition:

√ Split meals every 2 hours to help the digestive system work better because you don't have to handle too many foods at once.

√ Eat more carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, cereals and rice. Protein-rich foods like peas, lentils, and lean meats also help relieve nausea.

√ Chew biscuits because they are rich in carbohydrates. When you wake up each morning, chew some crackers and rest for about half an hour.

√  Eat foods that have little smell and are not too hot to reduce nausea. Avoid fried, spicy, sour, and fatty foods.

√  Eat fruits such as bananas, kiwis, watermelon, apples ... to add fiber. In addition, eating a variety of vegetables such as carrots, celery, melons, lemons and cauliflower also help replenish water and reduce constipation.

√  Stay hydrated. Drink at least two liters of water a day. Do not drink during or immediately after a meal. This will help limit reflux and flatulence.

√  Cold drinks also help reduce nausea. You can also drink herbal tea, ginger tea, soda, lemon juice, and mineral water. In the event of excessive vomiting, you can use water containing sodium and potassium to replenish lost minerals.

√  Avoid things that make you feel nauseous such as riding a car, strong fragrance or visual stimulation.

√  Open windows to allow ventilation.

√ Get  plenty of rest.

√ In the morning, don't get out of bed right away but sit for a few minutes before getting out of bed.

Foods to avoid when nausea

Avoid fragrant foods

Avoid high-fat, fried foods as they are difficult to digest

Avoid acidic foods

Avoid drinks with carbonate, caffeine, and alcoholic beverages.

How can I prevent nausea after eating?

Avoid sleeping right after eating

Swallowing a lot of saliva can make you nauseous. As a result, you can spit out excess saliva from the tissue or the sink

Brush your teeth to reduce the odor in your mouth: the bad smell can make you nauseous again.

Some frequently asked questions

Does nausea only appear in the morning?

The answer is no. You may feel nauseous at any time of the day, be it in the morning or at other times.

Vomiting can affect the baby?

Nausea and vomiting do not affect your baby's health. However, it can affect your baby's weight. Vomiting too much will make the baby not have enough nutrition, leading to low birth weight. In addition, you will also experience thyroid, liver and dehydration problems.

Can vomiting during pregnancy be caused by other medical problems?

Thyroid diseases, ulcers, and gallbladder disease can also lead to nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

If I get morning sickness during my first pregnancy, can my next pregnancies be again?

About 75 - 85% of women with morning sickness during their first pregnancy will get it again in the next pregnancies.

Nausea is a common stage in pregnancy. This can make the first few months of pregnancy difficult, but in the next few months it should decrease. If you have any concerns, please see and talk to your doctor for further advice.