What is morning sickness?
Before your pregnancy, you probably imagined that when you woke up in the morning, you’d be nauseous, throw up and then go on with your day. Well...not so much. Whoever decided to call it “morning sickness” was probably sleeping through the day, because this nausea doesn’t discriminate between the morning, afternoon or evening.
What are the signs of morning sickness?
Nausea and vomiting -- of course -- early in pregnancy.
Are there any tests for morning sickness?
If you’re losing significant weight or can’t keep anything down, those may be signs of a more serious problem, so talk to your doctor.
How common is morning sickness?
Common! Experts think anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of pregnant women get morning sickness.
How did I get morning sickness?
There’s no clear answer as to why nausea occurs during pregnancy, although it’s believed that it’s due to hormonal changes (that seems to be the answer to everything these days). Generally, the nausea isn’t too overwhelming, and by midpregnancy, you should be mostly relieved of it. But if your nausea and vomiting are excessive, talk to your doctor, because it may be hyperemesis gravidarum, a rare severe form of morning sickness that results in a poor intake of fluids and food (and a hungry baby).
How will my morning sickness affect my baby?
Morning sickness can be dangerous for both you and baby if you’re losing more than 10 percent of your baseline weight or if you’re unable to keep down even sips of water.
See next page for treatments, prevention, resources and tips from other moms-to-be.
-- Ashley S. Roman, MD, and Amy Stanford