From Morning Sickness to Hypermesis Gravidarum
Originally published at Sacred Pathways Doula Services. Please leave any comments there.
Many women in our society today suffer from Morning Sickness. There are a lot of theories as to its cause, most of them relating to the hormone levels that the body is suddenly producing (namely Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG). Whatever is causing it, however, we suffer from it. Sometimes it is as mild as a mild nausea in the mornings, but no vomiting, in what is considered by many to be classic morning sickness. Unfortunately classic doesn’t mean it is the only form, because it comes in many stages, symptoms, and severity. It also lasts longer for some than for others.
There are women who suffer from nausea throughout the day, but are free of the vomiting their sisters wind up doing. Others, as said, find themselves at the throne of porcelain at least once a day. And then there are others who, sadly, cannot stop throwing up and find themselves living in the bathroom attempting to eat crackers and keep some liquids down to abate the dry heaves. All of these are types of morning sickness, with only the latter having a name to differentiate itself from the rest.
It is known as Hypermesis Gravidarum and thankfully, is not common. Unfortunately, women do suffer from it and usually if they do they have also likely tried almost everything out there. The first thing they will have tried is crackers first thing on waking up, so probably best to just skip suggesting that. One of the most important things everyone needs to understand that this isn’t just someone who can’t handle nausea. This is a true problem that can arise, and usually leads to being hospitalized to be rehydrated because they cannot keep anything down. It’s important for us to learn more about this, and not just wave someone’s grave complaints of nausea in pregnancy off as nothing. A woman can become dehydrated and malnourished, and many do because friends and family members simply don’t believe it is ‘That Bad’.
So what can we do about it? What can we do about all kinds of morning sickness? There are quite a few remedies and suggestions out there. I’ve listed them below, but as always with anything in pregnancy check with your doctor first. Most of them may seem or even be harmless, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
* Drink plenty of liquids
* Keep electrolytes up: EmergenC or similar products are great for this
* Small and frequent meals
* Preggie Pops: These are new and work well for some people, not at all for others. But they are cheap and worth
checking to see if they do.
* Ginger in a variety of forms: Ginger ale with real ginger, ginger tea, candied ginger, etc
* Homeopathics: Nux Vomica, Chamomilla, Belladonna
* Acupuncture/Pressure: There are points on the wrists and elsewhere that can be utilized. You can get what are
known as Seabands that rest over the points on the wrists.
* Herbs: Chamomile helps some as does mint. Try to drink with honey rather than sugar. The honey provides a little bit
of protein and a healthier blood sugar boost than refined sugar.
* Hypnosis: There are a variety of techniques. Hypnobabies offers a cd for Nausea.
* B6: You can get this in a variety of forms. It comes as a pill, a liquid, and even an injection. Some people respond
only to one kind of B6 infusion.
* Medication: For over the counter stuff Unisom and B6 is often combined and effective. Benadryl has also been known
to work…though whether simply by knocking you out so you are not longer aware you are sick or not I can’t
comment on.
* Prescription: There are a variety of prescription medications for nausea. The most common are: Phenergan, Zofran
and Reglan.
Sometimes nothing you do will help. If it is severe try and gather friends and family to help you around the house, especially if you have younger children. While meal trains usually only happen after a baby is born, this is another time they can be very useful. Often in pregnancy our sense of smell is heightened, which can make cooking nigh on impossible.
Lastly are some foods I would avoid eating until the vomiting has passed…I’ve learned the hard way.
Ramen
Spaghetti or tomato bases
Vegetable soups (beef broth seems to be especially harsh)
Flavored rice (This is a texture thing more than anything)
Pasta (Trust me, spaghetti noodles are no fun. This is a texture thing again.)
Blue cheese (And probably other similar kinds of cheese)
Italian Sausage
Spicy things
If you’re reading this post because you are suffering from morning sickness in whatever variety, I wish you well soon!
Here are some resources for morning sickness and HG.
The HER Foundation, A Hyperemesis Education & Research Foundation provides education & support for mothers suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum and those who care for them.
American Pregnancy Association article on HG
Morning Sickness Help