Manage Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

One of the most frequent complaints we see in the chiropractic office in pregnant mothers besides pregnancy back pain is morning sickness. Compared to resolving back pain in pregnant women, it can more challenging to manage morning sickness during pregnancy . Morning sickness that cause women to not be able to hold foods or liquids down leading to vomiting is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) or severe morning sickness. It is estimated that between 50 and 70% of pregnant women suffer from nausea. However, morning sickness is considered a good sign so Congratulations!- hCG hormone protects pregnancy.

Low hCG, without morning sickness, on the other hand, is not a good sign. One of my relatives went through pregnancy without any morning sickness and had pain in the abdomen. Upon examination and tests, they found she has ectopic pregnancy and had to go through surgery. So the absence of morning sickness may warrant a hCG monitoring for hyperemesis gravidarumnce as low hCG could mean a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

We are more concern with severe morning sickness and how to manage morning sickness so you can have a better pregnancy. Let’s try to under what cause morning sickness. Morning sickness is a condition that occurs anytime during pregnancy, most commonly from two to four weeks after fertilization and some months after. The most frequent complaint is nausea, vomiting, and/or indigestion, either constant or intermittent. High hCG concentration levels in the blood stream affect the central nervous system that controls your digestive system. . It causes the stomach’s walls to dilate so ingested food move through the digestive system slower than usual, and can cause indigestion and vomiting, symptoms related to morning sickness and nausea. Fatigue and sleepiness are also possible symptoms.

So how do you manage morning sickness during pregnancy (severe) or Hyperemesis Gravidarum? We recommend this condition of morning sickness whether mild or severe to be treated in a multi-pronged approached.

Medical doctors may prescribe Compazine or Tigan or antihistamine Phenergan or doxylamine for morning sickness. Those who have very severe once your doctor may need you to check in to the hospital to get IV drips to get your nutrition till your morning sickness gets better. Since drug management treats only the symptoms a concurrent non-drug approach can be very helpful.

7 Tips to Manage Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

1. Seek chiropractic care for your morning sickness to help balance the nervous system and prevention of back pain.
2. In Asia, pregnant ladies with morning sickness, they take sour plums or citrus rinds to help with managing morning sickness.
3. Acidic fruit juices such as lemon or pineapple or butter milk or plain yogurt can aid digestion.
4. Eat small meals throughout the day including juices, soups, and broths.
5. Avoid juices with meals as it can ferment and cause more gas and bloating. Avoid sodas, and if you must have coffee or tea make sure you don’t have too much tea.
6. If severe, minimize saturated fat intake. A balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate is vital during pregnancy especially protein.
7. Half a lemon in hot water first upon rising and last thing at bedtime to cleanse the liver.