Morning Sickness To The Extreme

Morning sickness can occur at any time of day. Some believe that the motion of getting out of bed in the morning triggers the feeling of nausea, which may indicate where the time-of-day reference got its name. You may or may not vomit when you have regular morning sickness, but you will feel nauseated. Regular morning sickness usually ends as you get into your second trimester. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is severe morning sickness. It also begins in the first trimester and can end in the second trimester, or it may go on for most of the pregnancy. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, suffered from this severe form of morning sickness during both of her pregnancies. It’s important to know if you’re experiencing regular morning sickness or HG. You’ll want to talk to your healthcare provider about the difference, and take steps to care for yourself if you are suffering from this more serious form of morning sickness. Signs of HG that you might notice can include: Severe vomiting, possibly of blood Difficulty keeping liquids down Dizziness and possibly fainting Headache Body odor Extreme tiredness Racing heartbeat Less urine output, and it may be darker than normal in color Unusual and rapid weight loss Constipation Thirst due to dehydration from vomiting Your provider will run tests to confirm HG, and there are lots of treatment steps available. The important thing is to talk to your provider about any issue that troubles you during pregnancy. The earlier this problem is identified, the easier it is to take care of it.   Image: By rumpleteaser from Nagoya, Japan (6 Months) via Wikimedia Commons

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What Is Morning Sickness?

You’re pregnant (yay!) and preparing for the next 40 weeks—what’s first? Maybe call the family, let them know the good news. Walk around each day on a little cloud thinking about names, and about the future astronaut or singer or writer growing inside you. After a week or so, the cloud and happiness are still there, but reality gets added to the mix, so you start to plan. You walk around the house, mentally rearranging furniture and people. Clothing is inspected and rated on stretchiness. A healthier diet is a must, but a compromise is reached—you’re keeping the double cheeseburgers and ditching the pepperoni. Now comes the part that no one plans for but almost everyone experiences: morning sickness. Morning sickness is the phrase used to describe the nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, or the NVP. It’s also called nausea gravidarum. If it’s really bad, it’s called hyperemesis gravidarum. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, suffered from this severe form of morning sickness during both of her pregnancies. Scientists aren’t certain why women have morning sickness when pregnant, but they think it has to do with the hormone levels changing during pregnancy. The mechanics of the nausea and vomiting have to do with the vagus nerve, also called the wandering nerve. It’s a long nerve that’s actually two stems dangling from the cerebellum and the brainstem and running all the way to the abdomen. It has offshoots and tendrils that wander around our organs and end up in the oddest places. The vagus nerve is always talking to the brain, telling it what’s going on with the body. When you get into the NVP loop (nausea and vomiting during pregnancy) it’s the vagus nerve sending signals to the vomiting center of the brain. The brain says OK, and before you know it, you’re vomiting. There are lots of things to try when dealing with morning sickness. For instance, avoid foods that trigger the NVP response and gets lots of fresh air. Certain smells may make you turn green, so try to avoid those. Some say ginger, as in ginger tea or cookies or biscuits may help. As your partner in the fight against morning sickness, we’ve developed ReliefBand™, which is worn on the wrist, and through regulated stimulation of certain nerves, blocks those signals from the vagus nerve to the vomiting center of the brain. The ReliefBand™ is cleared by the FDA as an over-the-counter product to be used for the relief of mild to moderate nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy. Talk with your doctor about morning sickness and visit us at http://shop.reliefband.com.   Image courtesy of: Anna Gutermuth

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