I had promised to carry you along on my friend's pregnancy journey, this is the first time I am having someone so close to me in that state, and it is opening up a channel of learning for me, so as I learn I also write about it and I hope that those who are expecting or willing to learn find my posts as educating as I find this experience.
It is very common to find pregnant women vomit especially during their first stage of pregnancy, for some people, it is even the first symptom that informs them about the presence of the pregnancy, my friend has a nauseous experience normally, but it seems the appearance of this pregnancy has intensified the feeling that she is now so careful of whatever she takes in.
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Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, referred to as NVP, is a common condition that affects up to 70% of pregnant women, it usually begins at 6-8 weeks of gestation and it would resolve on its own within 16-20 weeks. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), is usually considered the most serious expression of NVP. The symptoms experienced could either be mild or moderate, highly severe nausea and vomiting happen to be the second most common indications for pregnancy hospitalization, and they are considered pathological HG. Generally speaking, it is these terms that we consider as morning sickness.
Some researchers came to the conclusion that the symptoms of NVP were severe in women below 20 years, those who are first-time mothers, women who have less than 12 years of education, women who do not smoke, and of course women who are obese. My friend is definitely not obese, and she doesn't smoke, and certainly, she is over 20, but I agree with the fact that it is her first pregnancy.
In a case where there is vomiting and nausea and it is unrelated to pregnancy, it could be triggered by;
Abdomen disorder like blockage of the intestine or inflammation of the gallbladder.
Brain disorders like serious headaches, bleeding within the brain, and in rare cases, a case of increased pressure within the brain which could be caused by a number of disorders like tumors, infections as well as bleeding. It should become a great cause of concern when a pregnant woman who is vomiting begins to experience some other symptoms like; Signs of dehydration, like decreased urination, increased thirst, a racing heart, a dry mouth, reduced sweating, and dizziness while attempting to stand up. Abdominal pain, bloody vomit, confusion, weakness or numbness of one side of the body, speech or vision problems, and persistent vomiting are also signs that need to be instantly checked.
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Most pregnant women, get to the peak of their pregnancy around 8-10 weeks, but time varies, and the peak season is not usually the same all the time. Around the 13th week of pregnancy, most morning sickness symptoms would improve, in rare cases the symptoms of morning sickness will hold until the very end of the pregnancy. The real cause of morning sickness is not completely known, but healthcare providers absolutely believe it to be a mixture of physical alongside chemical changes that may be caused by; fluctuations in blood pressure, increase in pregnancy hormones like human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), low blood sugar, changes in metabolism. The feelings of morning sickness could be worsened through; motion sickness, feeling overtired, anxiety or stress, smelling or eating a certain food, getting extremely tired, and staying in hot weather.
Most people that have morning sickness would normally experience nausea for a brief period each day for a very short time and may vomit once or twice, when the case becomes very severe, nausea could last for several hours every day and vomiting could happen several hours in a day, it is at the point of severity that the condition is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The occurrence of Hyperemesis Gravidarum is felt with; vomiting more than three times a day, when the pregnant woman gets highly dehydrated, and when she loses 10 pounds or more, those who have a case of severe morning sickness may have to be admitted to the hospital in order to receive IV fluids that would help restore hydration as well as medications that will help relieve the nauseous feeling.
Some people actually are at a higher chance of having morning sickness;
Being pregnant with twins, triplets, or more.
An history of motion sickness
An history of migraines.
Being stressed or anxious.
Working night shifts.
Previous history of morning sickness with a previous pregnancy.
Found out that, certain diet changes could help with the relief of morning sickness, so I checked up on some of them for my friend;Do not skip meals, try to eat several meals in a day instead of consuming three large ones that are considered major.
Eating a few toasts or a few crackers in the morning will help settle the stomach.
Do not eat spicy or fatty food, only eat bland food like rice, baked potatoes, eggs, etc.
Eat nutritious, protein-rich snacks in between meals, one could opt for peanut butter, cheese or nuts, apple slices, or yogurt.
Consume plenty of liquid especially water all through the
day and stay away from carbonated beverages.Try making a tea with real ginger, it should help as well.
Move around with a bag of snacks when you are not home.
Rest well.
While all these are good home remedies, they shouldn't replace the position of a medical expert, make sure to call your doctor as soon as there is a usual change in the way you feel.
Refrences.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-017-1249-0
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8785858/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676933/
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-020-03478-7
Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my youtube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, kindly do well to keep them coming.