Morning sickness or not? Is it severe? Are you vomiting heavily? Can you eat anything? Do you crave anything special? These are common questions that women who have just become pregnant often hear from people around them, and they often secretly ask themselves, “Do I have to experience morning sickness and vomiting too?”
Why does morning sickness occur?
The cause of morning sickness in women who have just become pregnant is not yet clearly defined. Morning sickness is believed to be related to hormonal changes in the body, pregnancy hormones, and the psychological state of the mother, including anxiety, stress, and various feelings. These can contribute to morning sickness. Some women who are very anxious tend to experience more severe morning sickness.
On the other hand, if a woman does not experience morning sickness during pregnancy, it is a good sign and not abnormal. It may also result from a stable mind, without anxiety or stress, which prevents morning sickness from occurring.
Common symptoms of morning sickness
- Nausea, vomiting, dizziness
- Easily tired, fatigued, sleepy all the time
- Lack of appetite, bitter taste in the mouth
- Heightened sensitivity to smells, either finding some odors unpleasant or some scents pleasant
When is morning sickness considered severe or when should you see an obstetrician?
- Mild cases can be managed by adjusting eating habits: eat easily digestible foods, avoid high-fat foods, fried foods, oily foods, and strong-smelling foods. Focus on a balanced diet with all five food groups. Divide meals into smaller portions and eat more frequently in small amounts to ensure adequate nutrition. Drinking warm ginger tea or fresh fruit juice can also help.
- Severe cases There is no clear standard to measure the severity of morning sickness; it is assessed based on symptoms and the mother’s condition, which varies individually. Obstetricians evaluate the symptoms. In most cases where morning sickness is so severe that the mother cannot eat and vomits continuously, this is a sign that the father should take the mother to see the obstetrician at the prenatal clinic. Initially, the mother may be given antiemetic medication to relieve vomiting, digestive aids, and gas relief medicine. However, in severe cases with excessive vomiting, inability to eat, malnutrition, fatigue, and poor rest, leading to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, the mother may need to be hospitalized for intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration and for further detailed evaluation of severe morning sickness.
Feeling happy about pregnancy but how long will the suffering from morning sickness last?
Morning sickness mostly occurs during the first 3 months or the first trimester of pregnancy, and symptoms usually decrease or disappear for some women. However, some may experience morning sickness until delivery.
Peace of mind connected to morning sickness
The focus should not be on whether or not you will have morning sickness, but on keeping your mind calm, not worrying or stressing about the baby or daily life. It is believed that the mind plays an important role linked to morning sickness. For a good start to pregnancy, mothers should pay attention to prenatal care as soon as pregnancy is confirmed, prioritize daily nutrition, drink plenty of water, avoid letting the stomach be empty as it can cause nausea and vomiting easily, and get enough rest for the health of both mother and baby. For mothers experiencing morning sickness, try to see it positively as something that can happen. Many mothers face these symptoms. Follow the doctor’s advice or see a doctor immediately if symptoms are unusually severe. This way, your pregnancy will be a happy time for the two bonds united as one every day.
3 techniques to help reduce morning sickness
- Eat small amounts but frequently If you feel food smells unpleasant or cannot eat, it is recommended to eat small amounts frequently instead of forcing yourself to eat large portions at once.
- Lower the temperature of food Instead of eating hot food right away, wait for the food to cool down first. Hot food releases stronger odors, which can be intense for pregnant women.
- Change your menu occasionally If you usually eat rice as a staple, some pregnant women who are sensitive to the smell of rice can switch to bread, taro, sweet potato, or corn instead.
Another recommended menu for those with morning sickness is ginger tea, but it should contain a small amount of ginger, not too spicy or hot as it may affect the pregnancy. It is recommended that if using packaged ginger tea, mix it with apple juice, which is sour and sweet, to reduce the spiciness of the ginger tea and help pregnant women reduce nausea and vomiting.
