The joy of morning sickness is not something readily evident when an expectant woman is tossing her cookies! While some women will never know the agonizing effects of morning sickness, others will experience it with every pregnancy. Then some women only experience morning nausea when carrying a child of a specific gender.

Other times morning sickness, which may not come in the morning but late at night or in the middle of the day, is triggered by aromas. Some women experience no morning sickness unless exposed to certain cooking odors like the smell of cooking bacon.

Morning sickness is a common condition that expectant mothers experience. While there is no definitive reason for it many physicians speculate that it is caused by a combination of factors. Elevated hormonal levels, additional fluids and the excitement of being pregnant are all possibilities.

A few women may become severely dehydrated should they experience extended or continual morning sickness. Generally speaking morning sickness appears in the first trimester of pregnancy and disappears by the middle of the second trimester.

Morning sickness is characterized by nausea and occasionally vomiting. Usually the expectant mother has little or nothing on her stomach so her vomiting is dry and unproductive. Some women find that eating a few crackers before getting up in the morning or before going to bed helps to eliminate the problem. Eating light meals and avoiding dairy products seems to help some during bouts of morning sickness.

Rarely, morning sickness becomes so severe that it requires action by an obstetrician. Modern medicine is much safer than it was 10 or 20 years ago. While some morning sickness medications were hazardous to the developing embryo, medications proscribed today have been thoroughly tested and are not hazardous to your baby’s health.

There are herbal and non-traditional therapies available such as magnet therapy and acupuncture for expectant mothers who wish to remain drug free. Herbal remedies may include catnip, mint or chamomile tea. Homeopathic remedies are also available through many sources.

Some mothers whose morning sickness is brought on by odors, find that aroma oils and aroma therapy reduces or eliminates their stomachs’ queasiness.

Some mothers-to-be find that acupressure is helpful. They use the motion sickness bands that apply pressure via a small Velcro bracelet on the wrist.

Should you develop morning sickness you should always discuss the situation with your doctor or health care provider. They will help you to choose a treatment plan that is best for you. Morning sickness is frustrating and inconvenient. Rarely does morning sickness interfere with the mother’s ability to work or care for herself. It is a normal part of pregnancy that three out of four pregnant women will experience.

Other non-traditional methods for managing morning sickness include eating smaller lighter meals, eating ice chips or Slushies, or sticking to a fluid diet. Some mothers say sipping ginger ale or pineapple juice helps. Ginger tea may also help as it calms upset stomachs.

Morning sickness is just one of the many exciting changes that expectant mothers may experience. While it can be a difficult time, in a few months you will forget all about it. Holding your new baby tends to make all of your pregnancy problems disappear…and that is the true joy of morning sickness.