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8 Fun Facts About Morning Sickness
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Any woman who has ever gone through morning sickness will wince at hearing there’s anything even remotely fun about this phase, especially for women who have the more severe case of it.
However, while morning sickness can be quite unpleasant, if you looked closely you will find it isn’t all bad and there can be some light or fun facts to it.
That being said,
Here are Eight Amazing Facts About Morning Sickness Every Woman Should Know
1.Not Every Woman Gets It
A pregnant woman will typically get morning sickness from the sixth week of her pregnancy, however, not every woman gets it. An estimated 15-25% of pregnant women do not feel the accompanying nausea and vomiting most other pregnant women experience and go on to have a smooth ride the whole of their pregnancy journey.
For some others, they get symptoms so mild -ranging from a mild headache to slight dizziness that lasts for so long -it doesn’t affect their lives in any major way.
2) It Usually Means Your Placenta is Developing Well
Morning sickness occurs during your first trimester, which is the period your placenta grows and develops, ready to supply nutrients to the growing foetus and also transfer waste away from it.
A recent study also found that women who experience some form of morning sickness have a reduced chance (up to 75% lesser chance) of experiencing a miscarriage, especially if they’ve had one or two in the past.
This research is however, not conclusive and scientists are still undecided if morning sickness actually indicates a healthier pregnancy.
3) You Can Control It
Morning sickness might really get you under when it first begins, however as times goes on, you get the hang of it and learn how to manage it.
This would include knowing the right food to eat and knowing your triggers so you can avoid them.
Some common remedies for managing morning sickness include:
- Eating fewer meals at intervals as against one large meal.
- Opting for cold food like salads as against hot ones if your stomach can’t keep the later down.
-Taking ginger tea, which has been proven to bring calm to a nauseous stomach.
- Sniffing on a lemon half.
-:Not staying hungry as hunger pangs have also been known to trigger vomiting episodes.
- Avoiding or limiting the intake of spicy or fried food and instead, opting for protein-rich foods.
- Sucking on popsicles, if you’re finding it hard keeping liquids down.
- Taking flavoured water (a flavour of your choice)
4) Your Baby Gets the Required Nutrient
Another good news despite experiencing morning sickness is that even when you’re finding it hard to keep food down, your baby still finds a way to get the nutrients required for his growth and development.
Babies require very little nutrient at this point and since not everything gets expelled when you vomit, your baby still gets what she needs to grow and thrive.
However, if you’re finding it really hard keeping meals down, you should consider seeing your doctor.
5) It Can Help You Maintain an Ideal Weight
Experiencing morning sickness doesn’t necessarily mean you will keep no food down whatsoever, it simply means you will have more feelings of nausea and will likely vomit once or twice daily.
Also, you will likely take in the nutrient needed for you and your growing baby albeit through a slight change of diet and while it may not feel like so at the moment, this can be a very unconventional way to keep your weight in check, that is if you aren’t having the more severe case of it.
6) Having Morning Sickness Means You are Having a Female Child
Although medically unproven, there are beliefs that women who experience morning sickness, especially the more severe type (called hyperemesis gravidarum) are carrying a girl child.
So, if you are craving a female child, this might be the time to rejoice and celebrate.
7) Very Severe Morning Sickness (Hyperemesis Gravidarum) Could Mean Good News
Having the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in your system usually signifies pregnancy. While a higher level of this hormone results in hyperemesis gravidarum, it sometimes signifies more buns in the oven. So if you are a lover of multiple pregnancies, this would be really good news for you, as it could mean you’d be having not just one, but two bundles of joy.
8) Severe Morning Sickness Most Often Doesn’t Repeat
Research has found that most women who experienced severe morning sickness in one pregnancy go on to experience little to no morning sickness in subsequent pregnancies.
So while one pregnancy might be a ‘journey’, the next might be a walk in the park , leaving you wondering if you are even pregnant.
10 Little Facts to Know About Hyperemesis Gravidarum
1) Hyperemesis gravidarum mostly runs in the family, which means you are at risk of it if one or more women in your family experienced it.
2) Hyperemesis gravidarum isn’t so common as only 3% of pregnant women report experiencing it.
3) It typically begins in the sixth to seventh week of your pregnancy and becomes serious almost immediately.
4) Hyperemesis might start to subsidies from the 20th week, however a few women report experiencing it the time entire duration of their pregnancy.
5) Hyperemesis gravidarum can be so bad, it makes you swear off having another baby.
6) Besides genetics, carrying multiple pregnancies has been placed as one of the risks of hyperemesis gravidarum.
7) Other risk factors include first pregnancies (although it has been reported in subsequent pregnancies), being overweight, haven been diagnosed of hyperemesis in a previous pregnancy, being diagnosed of hydatidiform mole (a condition where there’s an abnormal tissue growth in your uterus), certain liver abnormalities, and deficiency in nutrients like pyridoxine and zinc.
8) Hyperemesis gravidarum can be managed effectively an home through a change in diet or eating habit. However a more severe case of it might require require hospitalization.
9) Common symptoms to look out for include nausea and vomiting ( more than three times daily), dizziness, anaemia, a change in your skin colour (yellowing of the skin), fainting, headaches, and confusion.
10) Treatment for really severe cases typically include hospitalization where you are given fluid intravenously to replace the liquid and electrolytes lost, taking vitamin B12, ginger tea, peppermint, and eating bland foods.
11) Hyperemesis disappears almost immediately after you deliver, which is great news and something to look forward to.
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