Morning Sickness during Pregnancy

Morning sickness is one of the best known symptoms of pregnancy. Three out of four pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting in the early months of their pregnancies. Unfortunately for most women – morning sickness does not restrict itself to the morning and can happen any time of the day.

Morning sickness is certainly not one of the nicer things that pregnancy brings along and can be irritating, incapacitating and depressing. It can leave Expectant moms feeling unhappy and gloomy. However, understanding what brings on morning sickness – can feel like a ray of light in the gloom.

What exactly triggers morning sickness is still unclear – but the prime culprits – it is believed – are hCG and Progesterone. High levels of these chemicals circulating in the blood cause morning sickness. Despite their seemingly tyrannical actions on the guts of moms to be however, these chemicals are in fact do-gooders and the nausea and vomiting that they cause is “good news”. These seemingly nasty chemicals are in fact the ones - that keep the pregnancy going and the growing baby healthy.

Of course severe nausea and vomiting are certainly not good news for either mother or baby – and warrant consultation with a doctor to prevent dehydration and malnutrition.

In spite of the fact that they are indicators of “good news” – nausea and vomiting remain undesirable.

Expectant moms suffering from morning sickness can do the following to minimise their symptoms;

• Eat small frequent light meals through the day
• When you wake up in the morning take a few minutes to sit up and step out of bed instead of springing up
• Slowly munch on a dry crunchy biscuit – like a Rusk or Marie or Cream Cracker – as soon as you wake up
• Stick to bland foods that are low on fat
• If food aromas are triggering your nausea – eat food cold rather than hot. Hot foods have stronger aromas
• Try to get rest. Nausea can get much worse when you are tired
• A stroll usually relieves nausea
•  Sip water between meals. Do not gulp
• Ginger added to food minimises gassiness and reduces nausea. However ginger in large quantities may be harmful to your baby – so use with caution
• Reduce your stress and anxiety

Do not panic about depriving your child of nutrients due to your poor diet. If you are terribly concerned consult your doctor and ask for a vitamin prescription.

Author Bio

Dr Debmita Dutta (MBBS, MD) is a Parenting and Wellness Consultant. She belives Parenting – is an Art that is deeply rooted in Science – Medical Science. It is impossible to Parent right without an understanding of how your child’s growing Brain and Body function – because his / her Brain and Body are what make him the person he is.

Mood swings of pregnancy

Even if you were really looking forward to your pregnancy – the first few months can be so difficult to handle that they leave you down and out really depressed at times. And these moments of depression can be punctuated by moments of exhilaration. Altogether- contributing to bewildering mood swings.

A large part of your swinging moods can be attributed to the surging hormones in your body and the remaining to the major adjustments you are compelled to make - as your body and energy levels change.

But whatever the cause - swinging moods are not easy to live with. They can make life miserable for you – and everyone around you. So it is worth it to try and minimise them.

• Eat frequent small meals that are rich in complex carbohydrates and proteins – so that your blood sugar does not crash
• Avoid sweets and chocolates.
• Minimise your caffeine intake. If possible eliminate caffeine from your diet altogether. This includes going slow on tea, coffee and carbonated beverages.
• Do not attempt a fat free diet. Take in moderate amounts of healthy fat – like olive oil. Good fats keep you happy.
• Exercise. Moderate exercise keeps the endorphins in circulation and you happy. Exercising when you can get some sunlight – can really pep you up.
• Make sure you also get enough rest. Rest that was enough before you got pregnant may not be enough now. Fatigue causes depression.
•  Try to minimise your stress. This of course is easier said than done. But attempt it nevertheless by offloading your problems and worries onto a sympathetic friend or relative.
• Try and explain to your spouse – what exactly you are going through and how hormones and not you – are to blame for your erratic behaviour. It may be an effort to explain calmly – what you are feeling and what you need. But having a supportive spouse on your side can really help when you are in the grip of a crazy mood swing.

If mood swings are not just mood swings – but blatant attacks of depression – make sure you visit your doctor and tell him/her about your problem. You could require medical help.

Author Bio

Dr. Debmita Dutta (MBBS, MD) is a Parenting and Wellness Consultant. She belives Parenting – is an Art that is deeply rooted in Science – Medical Science. It is impossible to Parent right without an understanding of how your child’s growing Brain and Body function – because his / her Brain and Body are what make him the person he is.

How to tackle constipation in pregnancy

Cajoling bowels to move and begging them to part with their contents is something pregnancy teaches most women. As Progesterone starts doing its rounds in the blood stream – it slows everything down. It makes you lethargic – and your bowel sluggish.

Now the first thing to remember about your bowels sluggishness is – that even though it may be inconveniencing you – it is good for the little one growing inside you. Because of the slow movement of the gut – the nutrients in the food that you eat - have a better chance of being absorbed and making it to your blood stream and through your blood stream to your baby. Unfortunately a side effect of this - is constipation.

However good your guts slowing down may be for your baby however - there is no denying that feeling bloated, gassy and clogged up – is a less than desirable feeling. And fortunately – there are things you can do – to feel better.

• Eat a high fibre diet – eating brown rice or broken wheat (dalia) can work wonders. Also whole fruits and fibrous vegetables
• Stay away from food made of refined flour (maida). So strike white bread, cakes and other baked products off your diet chart
• Sip water through the day. Sip warm water in the morning to stimulate the gut
• Try not to hold on when your bowels urge you to empty them. Go to the toilet when you feel the urge
• Eat a bowl of curd every day. The good bacteria in the curd really help your bowel along
• Get some exercise. Sitting around all the time makes the bowels even lazier than they would otherwise be

Some of these measures are sure to work for you – even if all of them don’t. But it is good idea to put as many of them into practice as possible. They are unlikely to harm you and will in all probability do you a world of good.

A word of caution – exercise restraint as you go about remedying constipation. Do not use laxatives without consulting your doctor.

The gut is meant to slow down. Unnecessarily and unduly hastening it can lead to insufficient nutrient absorption – that can be very harmful for your baby. So curb your enthusiasm to artificially treat constipation by reminding yourself that this is what your baby requires from you.

Adopt natural cures for constipation as far as possible. 

Author Bio

Dr Debmita Dutta (MBBS, MD) is a Parenting and Wellness Consultant. She belives Parenting – is an Art that is deeply rooted in Science – Medical Science. It is impossible to Parent right without an understanding of how your child’s growing Brain and Body function – because his / her Brain and Body are what make him the person he is.