Find out what causes morning sickness and what you can do to help manage it.
Facts:
You are more likely to experience morning sickness if you are pregnant with more than one baby.
Morning sickness includes nausea, queasiness and/or vomiting.
More than 2/3 of pregnant women experience some type of morning sickness.
Morning sickness can occur at any time of day.
Some researchers believe morning sickness is caused by a rise in hormone levels.
Nausea and vomiting usually begin around the 6th week of pregnancy. For 80% of sufferers, this condition stops around the 12th week of pregnancy although queasiness can come and go throughout pregnancy. The remaining 20% will suffer from nausea and vomiting for a longer period of time.
Call your doctor if your nausea or vomiting is severe, if you can't keep fluids down, have a small amount of dark urine, are dizzy or faint, have a racing heart beat, or are vomiting blood.
How to cope with your morning sickness:
Keep crackers by the bed, so you can eat some before you get up.
Get out of bed slowly.
Eat small meals and snacks frequently throughout the day.
Avoid an empty stomach. Try not to skip meals.
Drink small amounts of fluids frequently during the day.
Avoid drinking fluids during meals and immediately before or after a meal.
Avoid odours that bother you.
Try eating cold food instead of hot (cold food may not smell as strong as hot food)
If you're nauseous, try crackers, toast, applesauce or bananas.
Try sipping on bubbly or sweet cold drinks.
Ginger supplements (250 mg ginger powder as capsules, 4 times daily) may help.
Get plenty of rest since nausea tends to worsen when you are tired.
