Nausea typically starts in the sixth week of pregnancy. However, some ladies can experience it as early as four weeks. The degree of nausea will differ from person to person. Some women have mild to moderate nausea, while others my feel sick to their stomachs all day long. For most women, morning sickness ends after the third month. Others have to deal with it until after the fourth or fifth month. Even when morning sickness leaves, it may appear from time to time until you have your baby.

What Causes Nausea in Pregnancy?

Medical professionals don’t know the exact cause of nausea during pregnancy, but they have a pretty good idea. A combination of chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone spikes, increased estrogen, a bacterium known as Helicobacter pylor and a sensitive gastrointestinal tract are believed to be the primary causes of nausea. In addition, certain odors can trigger nausea and vomiting. Even smells that you enjoyed prior to pregnancy may make you feel sick every time you get a whiff of them.

• You are more likely to suffer with morning sickness if:
• you are pregnant with more than one child
• you are carrying a baby girl
• you have had nausea and vomiting in a previous pregnancy
• your sister or mother suffered with nausea when they were pregnant

Is Nausea in Pregnancy Dangerous?

Mild morning sickness is not a health risk to your baby. However, if you are vomiting heavily, it may be a problem because you won’t be able to keep fluids or solids down. This can cause dehydration and an inability to provide valuable nutrients to your fetus. If you become dehydrated, you may have to be hospitalized and given a fluid drip to replace lost fluids.

Being dehydrated can cause you not to have enough amniotic fluid for your baby. Not having adequate amounts of amniotic fluid could cause our baby to rest against the uterus instead of floating around like he’s supposed to. This could lead to deformities of the arms, legs and feet.

Signs that you may be dehydrated from throwing up too much include:

• thirst
• dizziness
• dark colored urine (prenatal vitamins can also cause yellowish urine)
• passing small amounts of urine
• headaches
• urine with a strong smell
• chapped lips
• dry mouth
• dry skin

Severe morning sickness can also lead to preterm labor and a low birth weight baby. If you take your prenatal vitamins, in addition to eating healthy meals, it will decrease the chances of your baby going without the nutrients he needs in utero.

How to Control Nausea in Pregnancy

Here are some things you can do to ease nausea during pregnancy:

• Get out of bed slowly. Getting up too fast can cause nausea. Keep a small snack such as crackers by your bed and eat a few bites before you get up.
• Eat small meals every two to three hours. An empty stomach can make you nauseous. Don’t skip meals just because you’re out and about. Stuff a few healthy snacks in your purse.

Healthy portable snack ideas include:

• fresh fruit
• peanut butter and whole wheat crackers
• yogurt with fresh fruit or granola (keep yogurt on ice)
• low-fat cheese and wheat crackers
• almonds or other nuts

More:

• Avoid nausea-triggering food. Spicy foods, greasy foods and fatty foods can all make you feel queasy.
• Nibble on dry toast or crackers. These foods can help calm a queasy tummy. Too much salt is not good for you when you are pregnant. When you eat crackers, opt for the low sodium or sodium-free kind.
• Use ginger. Sipping on ginger tea or eating ginger candy can reduce queasiness. Grate fresh ginger in a cup of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to make ginger tea. You can find ginger candy at health food stores.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking is not only bad for your unborn baby’s health, it can decrease your appetite and contribute to nausea.
• Avoid trigger smells. A heightened sense of smell during pregnancy can cause certain odors to make you queasy. If you know an odor is going to make you sick, stay away from it.
• If none of these suggestions ease your nausea pregnancy, talk to your doctor. He may decide to prescribe nausea medications to help. If your doctor feels medication is necessary, he will make sure to prescribe one that’s safest for your unborn baby.