Some women experience nausea during pregnancy. While this is commonly referred to as “morning sickness,” it can strike at any time of day and be quite severe.

 

While morning sickness is most common in the first trimester, it can occur throughout pregnancy in some women. Any vomiting that occurs can cause problems such as dehydration and nutritional deficiencies.

 

Keep reading to find out more about why morning sickness occurs and how it can be quickly treated so you can stay as safe and comfortable as possible during pregnancy.

What Causes Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness is quite common. In fact, around 70% of pregnant women experience the nausea and occasional vomiting that comes with it. These symptoms can be quite severe in about 3% of pregnant women.

 

It’s common for these symptoms to occur about 6 weeks into a pregnancy and they usually end during the second trimester (at roughly 20 weeks). However, some women experience morning sickness for a few weeks, while others may suffer for months or even throughout their entire pregnancies.

 

If morning sickness is mild or moderate, it is inconvenient and uncomfortable, but not necessarily harmful to the mother or fetus. But if a pregnant woman cannot keep down food or becomes severely dehydrated, she may experience nutritional deficiencies, potentially affecting the weight of a baby at birth. 

 

Severe Nausea During Pregnancy

Despite its name, “morning” sickness can happen at any time of the day and it usually happens for a short time, causing vomiting once or twice, at most.

 

However, there is a more severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can cause:

-          Severe nausea (resulting in little to no urine production and dizziness)

-          Frequent vomiting (more than 3 times per day)

-          Weight loss (of 5 or more pounds)

-          Electrolyte disturbances

 

What Causes Morning Sickness?

We still don’t know precisely what causes morning sickness in some women, but doctors suspect it may be related to:

-          Low blood sugar

-          A surge in hormones during pregnancy such as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or estrogen (though some researchers find this controversial)

-          Stress

-          A lack of sleep and resulting fatigue

-          The smell or taste of certain foods

-          Frequent travel

-          Motion sickness

 

Ways Pregnant Women Can Treat Morning Sickness

If you’re experiencing mild morning sickness, there are things you can try in order to feel better:

-          Eat toast or crackers

-          Eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals

-          Stick to bland foods like bananas, rice, broth, apples, nuts, or plain baked potatoes

-          Drink plenty of water throughout the day

-          Try taking prenatal vitamins with a snack if they seem to upset your stomach

-          Avoid odors from perfumes, candles, air fresheners, etc. as well as blinking lights, or anything else that trigger nausea

-          Try ginger tea or candies

-          Be sure to get sufficient rest

-          Keep your home and office well-ventilated

-          Try an acupressure wrist band

 

While these are easy interventions for mild nausea, if you are vomiting or your morning sickness is interfering with your life in any way, you may want to try IV therapy.

 

Benefits of Anti-Nausea IVs For Morning Sickness

For those who want to prevent nausea or are unable to keep down liquids, an IV drip may be helpful. Some women think they need to go to a hospital to receive IV treatment, but you can actually receive them from the comfort of your own home by a registered nurse.

 

IV infusions for morning sickness help ensure that both the pregnant woman and the growing fetus have the fluids and nutrients they need for a healthy pregnancy and healthy development. They allow pregnant women to maintain vital nutrients, including folic acid and calcium iron, and can even help combat nausea.

Is it Safe to Get An IV Drip During Pregnancy?

IV therapy for morning sickness is a fast and safe way for pregnant women to get relief from the symptoms of morning sickness if they are administered by healthcare workers with the appropriate training. It’s important to find a service that makes it clear how their staff is training if you’re going to receive IV therapy outside of a hospital.

 

A nurse will be able to assess your situation and determine if IV therapy can help or if a trip to the hospital is necessary. But, in general, if symptoms are less severe than those of hyperemesis gravidarum, receiving an IV treatment at home should be fine. You can even call in an IV therapy service while on vacation in certain cities.

What’s in a Morning Sickness IV?

You’re probably wondering what’s in a typical IV treatment. Intravenous (IV) fluids typically consist of a combination saline solution, vitamins, electrolytes, and occasionally medications that are delivered directly into the bloodstream. The ingredients can be personalized to treat your specific symptoms.

 

Saline solution

Normal saline is a mixture of water and sodium chloride. This helps pregnant women stay hydrated in order to form amniotic fluid, produce extra blood volume, build new tissue, carry nutrients, and help indigestion.

Vitamin B complex

A form of vitamin B6 called pyridoxine is also used. It regulates the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which control emotions. However, in the case of morning sickness, pyridoxine helps reduce nausea and the risk of heart disease. It is found in many foods, so it’s something your body already has.

 

Zofran

Zofran can be used to prevent nausea if your doctor signs off on it and declares it safe for your individual pregnancy.

The Pros and Cons of Using Anti-Nausea and Vomiting Medicines

Luckily, doctors are now taking morning sickness more seriously. There are multiple pharmaceutical interventions for women with mild all the way to severe morning sickness. However, as with any treatment, there are possible side effects to consider.

Pyridoxine and Doxylamine

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and Doxylamine (an OTC sleep aid) are both well-studied treatments for morning sickness. However, possible side effects may include drowsiness, dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, gastrointestinal issues, muscle pain, and rash.

 

Promethazine

Promethazine is an antihistamine and is generally safe to use during pregnancy. However, it has produced adverse effects in animal studies. Common side effects in humans can include drowsiness, double vision, nervousness, constipation, and hyperactivity. This is a drug that will often be administered by your doctor and requires more trials to fully assess its safety.

 

Ondansetron

Another anti-nausea medication that can be helpful in pregnancy, ondansetron has the benefit of not causing drowsiness. However, side effects can include headaches, dizziness, constipation, and fatigue.

 

While all medications carry some risk, pregnant women who are suffering from nutritional deficiencies and dehydration may face higher risks of complications than those who avoid anti-nausea and vomiting medications.

Check Out Reset IV Infusions

Reset IV provides on-demand, concierge IV hydration services that are fast and convenient. But remember that while our trained medical staff will administer your IV therapy infusion, it’s still wide to talk to your doctor about whether or not you’re a good candidate.

 

While the treatments are generally safe and effective, everybody and every pregnancy is different and severe, long-term morning sickness may require more care and even hospitalization to keep mothers safe.

 

Be sure to check out more at resetiv.com.