Managing Morning Sickness During Pregnancy And Its Basic Management

Morning sickness is a physiological condition in which a pregnant woman experiences nausea and vomiting. It is one of the signs of early pregnancy seen in a woman. Morning can be experienced any time of the day and is not confined to the morning hours. About 50% of the women experience nausea as well as vomiting, 25% experience only nausea, and the rest 25% remain unaffected.

As such morning sickness does not majorly harm the health of the mother and the baby but at times it does interfere with the day-to-day activities of the mother and quality of life. A woman starts experiencing morning sickness at the start of 1-2 days of missed periods and gradually start subsiding around 12-14 weeks of pregnancy. Hormonal changes during pregnancy and lack of vitamin B6 are two factors that lead to morning sickness.

3 risk factors associated with morning sickness include:

·  Primigravida

· Multiple pregnancies

· Previous pregnancy with nausea and vomiting  

To manage this condition the first thing to do is to reassure the patient that morning sickness is a common pregnancy symptom and will subside with time.

Dietary changes can also help manage morning sickness. Consuming dry toast or biscuits in the morning, sucking on an ice cube or fruit juice cube, frequent and regular intake of fluid avoiding spicy, oil, and fatty foods, and having small frequent meals will help manage this condition.

Medications like vitamin B6 and Doxylamine can also be taken to manage excessive nausea and vomiting on the doctor’s advice. At times ginger supplements can also be used.

Lastly in addition to the above-mentioned measures, avoiding the triggers that lead to nausea and vomiting will also help manage the same.