Is your favourite perfume causing morning sickness?

Ask any pregnant woman about morning sickness, and get a shudder in return. This common pregnancy symptom can wreck havoc with a woman’s psyche. Can a woman do anything to effectively fight it? We got an experienced nutritionist and lactation consultant to answer that and more.

Can certain smells trigger morning sickness? Please list a few.

Very often morning sickness finds triggers in long hours of fasting, causing acidity, low blood sugar and also a heightened sense of smell. A list of offensive smells may include fragrances of some perfumes, deodorants or talcum powders.

Even food related smells like that of raw foods like onions or garlic, cooking odours of steaming dals or non-vegetarian foods, sulphur- rich vegetables like cabbage or cauliflower or sometimes even that of milk or ghee, may trigger morning sickness.

The best combat is to move away from these disturbing smells or drive them away with the help of an exhaust fan. Sometimes using refreshing fragrances like those of nilgiri, lemon, mint or maybe lavender may help.

Can travelling increase morning sickness?

Not always. Some women may experience sickness during the flight, at sea or even on long car drives, but they may or may not be pregnancy related.

Travelling for long distances with closed windows or with the air-conditioners on may get suffocating, during early pregnancy. It may also be triggered by travelling around the winding roads of hills.

Click on Continue Reading to know if a pregnant woman carrying twins is more susceptible to morning sickness.

It is said that when someone is expecting twins or triplets, the morning sickness increases manifold. Is it true? If yes, why?

As far as science can explain this syndrome, it can be described as the discomfort experienced by a woman in about 3-4 weeks post conception caused due to the rapid increase in the hormone HCG produced by the embryo (and later by the placenta).

Morning sickness depends on the quantity of hormone HCG in the body

This most often presents as a feeling of nausea or vomiting in about 50 percent of pregnant women, carrying single or multiple babies. It depends a lot on the quantity, potency and duration of secretion. So, not all women with multiple pregnancies may experience increased morning sickness.

Why does occurrence of morning sickness vary among pregnant woman?

The amount of HCG hormone secreted post-conception, its strength and the duration of its secretion are the causative factors for this havoc called morning sickness.

Are there any medications that can help?

Quite often merely thinking about nausea makes one feel nauseated. In such cases, distractions like going for a walk or an exercise session, engaging the brain in some puzzle (sudoko or crossword), or speaking to a friend may cause relief. In short, the pregnant woman must think of something else.

If not, a single dose of an antacid or anti-vomit pill alongwith a vitamin B6 supplement may work like magic. It is foolish to avoid medications if one gets dehydrated often or loses more than the permissible limits in weight causing much weakness.

How can the family help a pregnant woman in coping up with morning sickness?

Your immediate family/friends can help you keep nausea at bay only if you communicate. For example, if your husband’s deodorant makes you feel sick, tell him. If you don’t, he may keep using it and you will keep puking over it.

You can participate in cooking after the disturbing odours are ventilated off, by other members in your family. It may also be a wise idea to share a lemony drink or a ginger ale or ginger tea with your family/colleagues at work place communicating to them aloud about how good you feel when you drink the same.

Click on Continue Reading for remedies that ease morning sickness.

Please suggest few methods to ease morning sickness.

Some suggestions that help reduce the gag reflux in nauseated moms-to-be are:

• A fresh lime/lemon/mint or ginger based drink like light tea, juice, herbal drinks can work wonders.
• Sip on lots of fluids in the form of flavoured or plain water.
• Sip on buttermilk/lassi as per need.

Eat the right food to battle morning sickness

• Having fresh fruit juices, coconut water, milkshakes/smoothies at room temperature could help lock some nutrients, even when puking is severe.
• Eat a rusk/dry toast/biscuit as soon as you wake up.
• Snacking on plain poha or cooked rice is a  good idea.
• Munching on fruits like an apple or banana provides the much needed energy.
• Avoiding spicy, greasy and deep fried foods also ebb the feeling of nausea.

Besides the above mentioned pointers, chewing on slate or supari (betelnut), tamarind etc. (though not always recommended), also seem to help some women.

Adequate rest and loving care do wonders in reversing or reducing the feeling of sickness. Come what may, the pleasure of having a little cute gift in the form of a baby makes you forget all the discomforts you will ever experience during pregnancy.

Our expert, Dr Swati Thoda, has been successfully guiding pregnant and lactating women for over two decades in the areas of nutrition, breastfeeding and child care. She is currently a nutritionist and lactation consultant with Hiranandani Fortis Hospital, Navi Mumbai.

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