Severe Morning Sickness May Cause Preterm Labor

Morning sickness sucks, but can it lead to delivering a preemie baby? According to a new study by the Carolinas Medical Center and Alere Health, a company that makes health care products and offers morning sickness treatments, found that women with severe morning sickness (the kind that interferes with your ability to go about your day normally), were 23 percent more likely to deliver their baby preterm and 31 percent more likely to have high blood pressure or preeclampsia. Up to 80 percent of pregnant women experience some kind of morning sickness and, according to Fox News, one percent have a very bad form called hyperemesis gravidarum.

The study looked at 81,486 women who were enrolled in a maternity education program and who gave birth between 2004 and 2011. They were asked whether they experience nausea during pregnancy and if it affected their daily lives. Of the 6.4 percent of women who responded that morning sickness did interfere with their lives, 23 percent had low weight gain during pregnancy and 10 percent had infants who were born at a lower weight. Experts aren’t sure why women with severe morning sickness had these effects, but theorize it could be because of inadequate weight gain.

If you have severe morning sickness, don’t freak out. While there’s nothing that can cure morning sickness completely, but there are a few ways to minimize it:

-Eat frequent, small meals throughout the day. Avoid greasy and spicy foods and focus on starchy carbs and yogurt.
-Prevent dehydration by sipping small amounts of water throughout the dya and eating hydrating foods like popsicles
-You can try wristbands that can reduce nausea by stimulating acupressure points
-Take vitamin B6 (which has shown to reduce nausea) or a ginger capsule
-If it gets really bad, ask your doctor if there are any medications that could help

Plus, more from The Bump:

What You Should Know About Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Most Common Pregnancy Symptoms

Pregnant and Miserable? What To Do

-- Sarah Yang

See More: Pregnancy Symptoms , Pregnancy Health