Morning sickness is
a bit of a misnomer as many pregnant women will tell
you that it can last all day. This condition is very
common in early pregnancy and if you are a first time
mother-to-be and you are suffering from morning sickness,
you will be pleased to hear that it is almost always
gone by the fourth month. For some pregnant women, the
symptoms are worse first thing in the morning but for
others they can come and go or occur during the whole
day. Some 75% of pregnant women suffer from this condition.
Although nothing has been proven, it is thought that
many factors can cause morning sickness:
• Women who are highly strung tend to be more
prone to nausea.
• The hormone human chorionic gonadotopin (hCG)
builds up in your system during pregnancy from the
time of conception until about the 12th week, after
which it starts to decrease. As the timing matches
that of morning sickness, it is felt that hCG is a
contributing factor.
• Estrogen is another hormone that rises rapidly
in early pregnancy and may well be another contributing
factor.
• Pregnant women seem to develop an enhanced
sense of smell as well as a sensitivity to certain
smells.
• Some pregnant women have more sensitive stomachs
possibly caused by the hormone Progesterone. This
hormone relaxes the workings of the whole digestive
track which makes the elimination of bodily wastes
slower which can in turn lead to a slow emptying of
the stomach causing excess stomach acids.
Some pregnant women are more likely to suffer from
morning sickness than others and this may be because:
• women are carrying twins or higher multiples.
• women have had morning sickness in a previous
pregnancy.
• you have a history of nausea and vomiting
as a side effect of taking birth control pills.
• you have a history of motion sickness.
• your mother or sisters suffered from morning
sickness.
• you have a history of migraines.
• you are carrying a girl – morning sickness
means you have a 50% greater chance of this.
Many doctors feel that morning sickness can be a
good thing because it indicates a healthy pregnancy
and that the placenta and fetal membranes are developing
well. Many women have discovered natural morning
sickness treatment options such as essential oils.
Recent studies have suggested that mothers who have
morning sickness have fewer miscarriages
