Morning sickness is a mixture of nausea and vomiting which occurs mainly during the first 6 - 14 weeks of pregnancy. Inhealth, Ireland, supplies a range of morning sickness remedies. The Sea band is a natural, drug-free method of relieving this pregnancy symptom. Preggie Pop drops are available in Natural, Sour Fruit and Apple flavours. Earth Mama Angel Baby produces Happy Mama Spray, an uplifting aromatherapy spray; and two morning sickness tea products: Morning Wellness Tea, and a Tea Sampler of four different teas. There is also an Overcome Morning Sickness CD. For convenience and value, Inhealth have bundled some best-selling morning sickness products below. For further information on morning sickness / morning sickness remedies, please see the end of this page.
Morning Sickness
Congratulations - you are expecting a baby! Oh no - you have morning sickness!
Morning sickness, which affects over half of all pregnant women, is one of the early pregnancy signs or a pregnancy symptom. It happens to many women particularly during the first three months of pregnancy or the first trimester. Morning sickness can start as early as six weeks into the pregnancy, and can continue into the 14th or 16th week - the third or fourth month. As the name indicates, morning sickness usually occurs in the morning, but for some women it unfortunately carries on throughout the day. However, this sickness usually eases in the afternoon. For some very unlucky moms-to-be, morning sickness can continue (usually in a milder form) throughout the entire pregnancy.
Morning sickness is sometimes known as pregnancy sickness, pregnancy nausea or pregnancy vomiting. Morning sickness usually takes the form of nausea. This nausea can be mild, or sometimes severe enough to lead to vomiting.
Severe or ongoing morning sickness needs to be monitored as, in extreme cases, it can lead to dehydration, weight loss and exhaustion. This occurs in approx. 1% of women. Morning sickness does not harm the baby in any way, except in the extreme cases of losing weight, hence the need for monitoring severe morning sickness.
Morning sickness in one pregnancy, or the level of pregnancy sickness in a pregnancy, does not mean that it will automatically occur in any subsequent pregnancies - at all or to the same level.
Causes of Morning Sickness
The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown. Some experts believe it may be caused by the natural changes in hormone levels during pregnancy. Others feel it may have to do with a lowering of blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Others again believe that morning sickness is thought to help protect the developing baby from toxins ingested by the mother (which would obviously be harmless to the mother but would not agree with the baby). It appears that morning sickness can be worsened by certain factors or actions - tiredness, travelling, stress - particularly emotional, and some foods. It also appears that morning sickness can be worse when expecting twins or triplets.
Tips to help you cope with Pregnancy Sickness
- Try to stay positive - and focus on the ultimate reward of a beautiful precious baby.
- Remember that morning sickness, for most women, will disappear after the third or fourth month of your pregnancy.
- Avoid situations and foods that you have noticed make your particular morning sickness worse:
- (A) Smoky atmospheres and second hand smoke. Obviously stop smoking yourself while pregnant
- (B) Strong odours of any sort. Keep windows open and allow air to circulate through rooms much as possible.
- Keep bland foods close by at all times - they are thought to help reduce the nausea of morning sickness. These foods include crackers, dry toast or foods containing ginger, e.g. ginger nut biscuits. Some mothers believe that their morning sickness is helped if they eat before getting out of bed in the morning, as well as a small snack before going to sleep and when getting up to go to the bathroom during the night.
- Some mothers-to-be find the following foods help with their morning sickness: as above - dry crackers, particularly in the morning; some fruits and vegetables - melons, grapefruits, grapes, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes.
- Drink lots of liquids - particularly after meals.
- Eat a little and often - never allow yourself to get very hungry, i.e. avoid an empty stomach. It is suggested that you eat small meals every two hours, in addition to snacking in between meals. Avoid large meals - space out your food as much as possible.
- Choose your food wisely - eat foods which are high in protein and carbohydrates - crackers and cheese, yoghurt and nuts.
- If you have food cravings or foods you cannot even look at - go with these feelings or instincts. Your body could simply be telling you what it needs or definitely does not want.
- As far as possible, avoid foods that are high in salt and fat but provide very little nutritional value, e.g. crisps.
- Do not take any medication for morning sickness unless prescribed by your doctor.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a hard and fast rule for what you should eat and what you should definitely avoid. As previously stated, it is simply a case of trial and error to try to find what works for you, and avoiding what increases the symptoms of pregnancy nausea.
When to consult your Doctor regarding Morning Sickness
Moms-to-be, particularly new moms, are very often unsure as to what is normal during pregnancy. It would be recommended that you visit your doctor if:
You have tried natural remedies, or followed the tips above or advice from other moms, and your morning sickness hasn’t improved or has even got worse
If you are into your fourth month and are still suffering from pregnancy sickness
You know that you are losing weight when you should be gaining it
You are vomiting frequently, and you cannot seem to keep any food down
There appears to be blood coming up when you are getting sick.
Morning Sickness Remedies
As there is uncertainty about the actual causes of morning sickness, remedies for morning sickness are aimed at lessening the symptoms of nausea and/or vomiting as opposed to attacking the root causes of pregnancy nausea. Also, what might work for some mothers-to-be may be no help whatsoever for others. Inhealth stocks a wide range of morning sickness remedies from the famous sea bands to simple Preggie Pop Drops - sweets for alleviating the nausea.
Sea Band Morning Sickness Remedy
The Sea Band is a knitted acupressure band that encircles your wrist, with a pressure stud sewn inside it. Sea Bands are a low-cost, drug-free alternative used for the control and reduction of nausea and vomiting. For some women, they have provided great relief for the symptoms of morning sickness.
How to wear your Sea Band
For the full effect to be achieved, one sea band should be worn on each wrist (when you buy a Sea Band from Inhealth, you receive a pair of sea bands.) Full instructions for the optimum placement of the pressure stud on the sea band are supplied with this product.
All Inhealth’s range of drug-free, natural remedies for morning sickness is delivered the next day from Inhealth’s warehouse in Dublin.