Morning sickness is one of the common symptoms of pregnancy. It normally starts during third or fourth week of pregnancy and continues up to the first trimester. With start of second trimester of your pregnancy or after 13 weeks, you get relief from morning sickness. 

Many women believe that morning sickness can occur only during morning time, but it can occur any time of the day. Morning sickness causes the feeling of nausea and vomiting during initial stage of pregnancy. Sometimes it can also cause light headache. Normally, morning sickness is a good sign and indicates that your pregnancy is in progress. Morning sickness is not harmful usually. It can be harmful only if vomiting occurs continuously, which can reduce the water level of the pregnant women; and if this happens you must immediately contact doctor.

Morning Sickness and its causes

Approximately 60 to 80 % of women feel morning sickness during their initial stage of pregnancy. During this period, change in hormone level in women’s body cause vomiting and depression. 

Duration of Morning Sickness

It may last for initial 12 weeks during pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting become less prominent during the beginning of your second trimester. It is not certain and may vary from woman to woman. Some women can feel nausea and vomiting throughout their pregnancy period, but it is very rare. 

What if there's excess vomiting?

If you find excess vomiting and you are not able to eat anything. You should immediately contact your doctor. This syndrome is known as hyperemesis gravidarum. It can be treated and is not very complicated if you take treatment immediately, otherwise it may cause malnutrition, dehydration and other complications. It may prove harmful to you and your baby if the treatment is not taken at the right time.

How to get relief from Morning Sickness?

You need to follow some basic tips which can help you overcome from morning sickness and give you some relieve. Here check out a few:

• Morning sickness will not affect your baby if you eat a well-balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids including water and fruit juices.

• Do not get up suddenly from your bed. Take some support and wake up slowly. You should slowly go to your bed or get up from your bed. Your fast movement can increases queasiness.

• Do not go to the kitchen immediately after wake up in the morning. Smell of certain foods can also cause nausea.

• Keep the breakfast very simple. It is preferable if you take some plain biscuits once you wake up. 

• Never leave the stomach empty. Make a habit of eating some simple food items at regular intervals . Keep your stomach full, but not overloaded as it can also cause vomiting. You can also eat bananas in your breakfast as bananas are rich in potassium and helpful in combating nausea and vomiting.

• Avoid fatty, acidic, fried and spicy foods. It is advisable to eat food at home and avoid food from hotel and restaurants.

• You should drink minimum 8 glasses of water in a day. It will prevent your system from dehydration due to vomiting. You can take ginger-lemon water or some refreshing drink to get relief in nausea.

• You should take sufficient vitamin B in your diet. Lack of vitamin B can cause morning sickness. Take fresh vegetables, wheat, bananas, etc as they are all rich in Vitamin B.

• Keep yourself away from strong odors that cause nausea.

Remedies to Treat Nausea

1. Drinking ginger tea is very good as ginger soothes the stomach and decreases vomiting. You can even chew a fresh ginger flake in the morning or any time when you feel like vomiting. You can also take ginger chocolate or ginger tablets if you cannot eat ginger.

2. You can use fresh lemon as an effective remedy for nausea. You can inhale piece of lemon when you feel morning sickness. You can take fresh lemon juices as many times as you can. 

3. You can also take mint tea or chew mint sticks. You can also inhale mint. Use of mint can encourage your brain and body to reduce feeling of nausea.