Chinese version: 晨吐

Morning Sickness

Help ease nausea while you are pregnant

Morning sickness refers to the nausea and vomiting that some women have when they become pregnant. Although these symptoms usually occur in the mornings they can last all day. The reason for these symptoms is a sudden increase in hormones during the pregnancy.

Here are some suggestions to help relieve nausea:

	Eat small meals every two hours or so to prevent getting too hungry or too full.
	Stick to bland and lighter foods and avoid spicy and fried food, as strong flavors and smells can increase your nausea.
	Cold food are recommended as they tend to have less nausea inducing smells.
	Choose carbohydrates such as white rice or a plain baked potato.
	Try eating plain crackers or dry cereal before you get out of bed in the morning.
	Try drinking small amounts of fluids, mostly between meals. I suggest to sip fluids frequently throughout the day.
	Non caffeinated teas like peppermint and ginger can help calm nausea.
	Wearing acupressure wrist bands, used by passengers on boats to prevent sea sickness may help some women to ease the nausea. You can buy the bands at drugstores, boating stores or travel agencies.
	Some women are bothered by the iron in their prenatal vitamins. Ask your doctor if you can stop taking your prenatal vitamins temporarily to see if the nausea diminishes. You may still need to take a Folic Acid supplement to help protect your baby.
	Try taking your prenatal vitamins later in the day.
	Nausea can become worse if you're tired, so give yourself time to rest and take naps if you can.
	Getting up slowly in the morning – sitting on the bed for a few minutes rather than jumping right up – may also be helpful.

Extras Tips

	Many pregnant women find that sour foods help relieve nausea. Here are some of the foods recommended by our visitors: Lemon juice. Water with a bit of squeezed fresh lemon. Fruits like, kiwi, orange, green apple and mandarin. Pickled cucumbers.
	If you can't eat meals, try to replace some of them by drinking fruit juices, soup and milk.
	Ginger capsules may relieve nausea as well and are safe to use during pregnancy.

How long will morning sickness last?

Nausea is very common in early pregnancy and generally lasts until the 13th to 14th week. However, some women feel better before the 13th or 14th week while others may experience nausea as late as the second trimester or even the third.

Will morning sickness hurt my baby?

Morning sickness can only become a problem for your baby if you can't keep down any foods or fluids and you begin to lose a lot of weight.

You should call your doctor if:

	You have lost weight.
	You feel extremely weak or faint.
	You haven't been able to keep anything (including fluids) down for 24 hours – or sooner.

Return from Morning Sickness to Pregnancy Week by Week Checklist

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