Morning sickness is a common problem among women who are pregnant, affecting between fifty to eighty percent with the dreaded nausea and other effects. Morning sickness is also commonly referred to as NVP because of the symptoms. Although the common name is known as morning sickness, it can occur at any time during the day or night. Morning sickness usually begins when a woman is around four to six weeks pregnant and usually subsides after about three months. However, doctors say some women will have morning sickness for their entire pregnancy. Fortunately for these women, it is never as apparent during the rest of the pregnancy as it is during the first three months.

It is uncertain what the causes of morning sickness are. Most doctors and researchers believe that it occurs because of changes with hormones, physiological changes, and higher sensitivity of the senses, especially to odors. The hormone HCG as well as estrogen levels both increase dramatically during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Because of the changing balances of these hormones, it can cause the body to react with nausea and vomiting. The sense of smell also becomes more sensitive to odors and can trigger a gag reflex in the body. The other sense that becomes much more sensitive is taste, which can also cause nausea. If you have a gastrointestinal tract that is normally sensitive, it is likely to be even more so when you are pregnant. Another reasonable cause for morning sickness is from stress factors related to the pregnancy. Then, some doctors say it runs in the family. If your mother had morning sickness, it is likely that you will too. Those who are pregnant with twins or multiple babies are more likely to have morning sickness than those with only one on the way. As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why morning sickness might be caused in some women and not in others, however doctors still have no definite cause of morning sickness.

It is important to know that morning sickness will not affect your baby unless it is so bad that it does not allow a certain amount of vitamins to be digested through your system. Many women will take multivitamins to make sure that they are getting the proper supplements for the growing baby. Because morning sickness occurs during the first trimester, the growth of the child is not as dependent on the nutrients that you consume as they are later in the pregnancy because in the first three months they can grab supplements from storage areas that you have in your body, so it is unlikely morning sickness will cause your baby not to have access to the nutrition he needs.

It is fairly easy to tell if you have morning sickness. If you are vomiting more than a few times a day, losing weight, or are having a hard time staying hydrated you probably have morning sickness and should take some sort of measure to ease your nausea and decrease the vomiting rate.

If you are not able to keep anything down at all, call a doctor or go to the emergency room. This is a condition known as hyper emesis gravidarum, or HG, which means excessive vomiting in pregnancy. It is important to know if you have this early on so that vitamins and the proper supplements can be put into your body intravenously and so conditions don't worsen. There are times when the conditions can get so bad that it causes weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration. The longer the mom-to-be waits the worse the symptoms will become until they are uncontrollable and cause larger problems for your own health and the health of the baby.

There are several ways to help control and fight the side effects of morning sickness when you are pregnant.

1. Taking extra vitamins, especially B6, will slow down morning sickness.
2. Avoid foods that have strong smells and trigger nausea.
3. Snack on saltine crackers and keep them available in all areas.
4. Avoid fatty foods which take longer to digest.
5. Drink fluids throughout the day and in between meal times. Sports drinks work especially well. These should not be consumed all at one time, but through small portions throughout the day.
6. Take naps and have plenty of relaxation time.
7. Use prenatal vitamins with food or before bed.
8. Ginger is another source that usually calms nausea and many enjoy a glass of ginger ale.
9. Acupressure bands that wrap around your wrist hits a certain pressure point that calms nausea. These can be found in most drugstores.
10. Anti-nausea medication can also be provided by a medical doctor. Some popular medications include Zofran, Kytril, and Reglan. Before prescribing one of these, however, your doctor will have to evaluate you and your symptoms to see if it is necessary.

With all of these different types of relief for morning sickness, it is important to look into whether they will work for you and what is worth using for recovery. However, remember that time is generally the best way to handle morning sickness. Although, check with a doctor or physician before starting any regiment in order to ensure it is safe for you and your baby.

Morning sickness is a common symptom that more than half of pregnant women experience. Because of this, use small cures to help with the sickness and get support from other women as well as doctors during the first trimester of your pregnancy.

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