Can’t stand the smell of coffee brewing, eggs cooking or even your favourite meal? Well, your not alone.

 More than 80 per cent of pregnant women suffer from morning sickness ( which can actually strike at any

time of the day or night ) in their first trimester.

 

 Morning sickness usually starts around 4 to 6 weeks and symptoms range from feeling very queasy to

 severe vomiting. It usually waers off after the second trimester, though a few unlucky mums-to-be suffer

 right through.

 No one is sure what causes morning sickness, however it’s most likely due to the combination of the many

 physical changes your body is adapting to. In the meantime try our sickness-busting tips…

•  
• Try some peppermint tea, it’s great for settling an upset tummy.
•  
• Avoid foods and smells that appear to trigger nausea.
•  
• If you’re having trouble keeping food down, try sucking an iceblock.
•  
• Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Dehydration is often the cause of nausea.
•  
• Ginger has medicinal properties known to ease nausea, whether it’s ginger tea, ginger beer or biscuits.
•  
• Try yoga. Yogic breathing helps to relax the belly, reducing the symptoms of morning sickness.
•  
• Eat smaller meals more frequently. An empty stomach increases the chance of nausea. Regular snacks will help stabilise the blood sugar.
•  
• Drink soda water or lemonade, the bubbles are said to reduce nausea.
•  
• Eat foods high in carbohydrates and protein; dry toast, crackers, muesli, rice pasta and wholegrain breakfast cereals.
•  
• Take naps during the day. Tiredness plays a big part in morning sickness.
•  
• Try using acupressure bands on your wrists. The bands can be worn like bracelets, and many pregnant find they help.
•  
• Keep snacks, such as crackers and biscuits, by your bedside. This may help to ward off the nausea before you get out of bed, or if you wakeup in the night feeling sick.
•  
• After eating, resist the urge to lie down straight away. Wait at least an hour before taking a nap.
•  
• Don’t rush out of bed in the morning. Sudden movement may bring on morning sickness.
•  

When to get help If you cannot keep any foods, or fluids down you should consult your G.P. An

 estimated 2% of pregnant women are affected by severe morning sickness known as hypermesis

 gravidarum.

 

By Brooke Campbell- courtesy of Your Pregnancy, 2005 edition

•  

Pregnancy involves so much more than just your baby

 

growing inside you - it affects every system in your body.   Changes can occur at any time in pregnancy

 and for some women, they continue all the way through.

 

Over the next 7 weeks we will tell you about some new change you body will go through.

 

 

Skin

Some women find that their skin "glows" in pregnancy, while others find their skin getting dry or spots.

In around 90% of women, the pigmentation increases in their skin during pregnancy, which may mean their

freckles become more pronounced, while others develop the ‘mask of pregnancy’ or chloasma. This is when the

 skin develops a brownish stain, usually across the nose, cheeks and forehead. Don’t fret, this will fade after your baby

is born.

 

Many pregnant women also develop a brown line that stretches from their pubic area to their navel. This is called the

linear negra and again, will also fade after the birth of your baby, but will never completely disappear.

 

" It was a few days before I realised that the marks on my stomach weren’t ‘imprints’ from my yights but were, in fact, stretchmarks! My midwife told me all about my skin type and that even if I’d spent a fortune on skin creams, I’d have still ended up with them."

 

-Nadia, 25, 36 weeks  

 

 

 

 

Hair

You may find your hair appears to be thicker than usual. This is because most mums-to-be lose less hair each day than they usualy would.

After your baby is born, though the tables turn and you may feelthat you’re losing hir at an alarming rate. But for most of you, it’s simply a case of losing the hair you would have lost over the previous months.

 

"After I had Esme, it seemed as though I was losing a lot of hair. I used to check the pillow as soon as I woke up and it appeared to be covered with it. After a few weeks it settled down, but it was worrying at the time."

-Nolene, 37, mum to Esme, 10 weeks

 

 

 

Teeth

The high levels of progesterone can make your gums more vascular and increasingly prone to bleeding. If this happens, continue to brush your teeth regularly with a soft bristle toothbrush.

Because of the changes, gums can feel soft and spongy and may become more prone to infection, so good dental hygiene is essential. 

 

"I’m a dental nurse and I have seen the changes that can happen in pregnancy. Every day I eat a piece of cheese. Not only is it high in calcium, but cheese helps stimulate saliva, keeping your teeth cleen!"

- Moira, 31, 32 weeks pregnant 

 

 

 

Stomach

 

In the first few weeks of pregnancy you might feel constipated. This is due to the hormone progesterone which relaxes the muscle in the intestine, causing it to become sluggish. Drink plenty of water and improve your circulation generaly with light exercise such as walking.

This relaxation of the muscle is also responible for heartburn or indigestion. Also as your baby grows, your stomach tends to become squashed, which can make heartburn worse as your pregnancy progresses. As a result of the relaxation of this muscle, varicus veins and haemorrhoids can occur.

 

"I had the most awful heartburn from around the 15th week of pregnancy. Yoga really helped: it improved my posture and circulation. It’s only now that the heartburn’s starting to creep back."

-Tara, 27, 36 weeks pregnant

 

 

 

 

 

All information is taken from the March 2007 Edition of Practical Parenting magazine.