Morning Sickness
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1. When does it start: The first thing to know is that although morning sickness is very common, it does not necessarily affect all pregnant women. Moreover, from one woman to another, they can experience it at different stages of pregnancy.
In practice, morning sickness can appear very early, from late menstruation or, more commonly, from the 5th week of pregnancy. In a large number of cases, nausea disappears on its own at the beginning of the 2nd trimester, but some women suffer until delivery.
2. What causes morning sickness: Morning sickness is mainly caused by the hormonal upheavals of the first trimester. The hormone HCG (hormone chorionic gonadotrophin), the same hormone that is detected in urinary and blood pregnancy tests, is the main cause: the higher the rate, the greater the risk of suffering from morning sickness.
However, this hormone is mass produced during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Other factors, however, can also be taken into account- stress can lead to a higher risk of morning sickness.
3. How to relieve morning sickness: The first tip to relieve morning sickness is do not get up on an empty stomach. The day before, put a little something to nibble on your bedside table (for example a rusk biscuit), or have breakfast served in bed: to fight morning sickness, the key is to have something in your belly before putting your feet on the ground.
Another tip: opt for small meals and eat 5 times a day instead of 3, and drink preferably outside mealtimes. Eat slowly and calmly, chewing each bite well. Avoid heavy dishes (eg dishes in sauce, fries), very spicy food, and more generally any foods whose smell makes you nauseous.
In general, grilled meat, cooked vegetables and poached fish are well-tolerated in case of nausea. Also consider traditional herbal remedies, like drinking a glass of lemon water or taking a spoonful of honey as soon as nausea starts to rear its head.
