Can it be unhealthy to keep in morning sickness?

Question

I'm 6-1/2 weeks pregnant and I despise throwing up, but I don't want it to cause problems to my unborn child. Should I let nature take it's course?

Answer 1

I have never heard of not vomiting as being unhealthy but can be dangerous of it comes up and you ingest it into your lungs instead of your throat. Here are some suggestions:

If you have a mild case of nausea and vomiting, some relatively simple measures may be enough to help. (If not, there are safe and effective medications you can take.) Not all of the following suggestions are supported by hard evidence, but obstetricians and midwives commonly recommend them, and many women swear by them.
• Try to avoid foods and smells that trigger your nausea. If that seems like almost everything, it's okay to eat the few things that do appeal to you for this part of your pregnancy, even if they don't add up to a balanced diet.

It might also help to stick to bland foods. Try to eat food cold or at room temperature, when it tends to have less of an aroma than when it's hot.

• Keep simple snacks, such as crackers, by your bed. When you first wake up, nibble a few crackers and then rest for 20 to 30 minutes before getting up. Snacking on crackers may also help you feel better if you wake up nauseated in the middle of the night.

• Eat small, frequent meals and snacks throughout the day so that your stomach is never empty. Some women find that carbohydrates are most appealing when they feel nauseated, but one small study found that high-protein foods were more likely to ease symptoms.

• Avoid fatty foods, which take longer to digest. Also steer clear of rich, spicy, acidic, and fried foods, which can irritate your digestive system.

• Try drinking fluids primarily between meals. And don't drink so much at one time that your stomach feels full, as that will make you less hungry for food. A good strategy is to sip fluids frequently throughout the day.

Aim to drink about a quart and a half altogether. If you've been vomiting a lot, try a sports drink that contains glucose, salt, and potassium to replace lost electrolytes.

• Give yourself time to relax and take naps if you can. Watching a movie (preferably not one about food!) or visiting with a friend can help relieve stress and take your mind off your discomfort. Or try hypnosis — while there's no definitive evidence that it helps with morning sickness, it has been shown to be effective in combating nausea during chemotherapy.

• Try taking your prenatal vitamins with food or just before bed. You might also want to ask your healthcare provider whether you can switch to a prenatal vitamin with a low dose of iron or no iron for the first trimester, since this mineral can be hard on your digestive system.

• Try ginger, an alternative remedy thought to settle the stomach and help quell queasiness. See if you can find ginger ale made with real ginger. (Most supermarket ginger ales aren't.) Grate some fresh ginger into hot water to make ginger tea, or see if ginger candies help.

A few studies found that taking powdered ginger root in capsules provided some relief, but be sure to talk to your provider before taking ginger supplements. There's no way to be sure how much of the active ingredient you're getting in these supplements, so some experts think it's best not to use them. (As with many other things that are helpful in small amounts, the effects of megadoses are unknown.)

• Try an acupressure band, a soft cotton wristband that's sold at drugstores. You strap it on so that the plastic button pushes against an acupressure point on the underside of your wrist. This simple and inexpensive device, designed to ward off seasickness, has helped some pregnant women through morning sickness — although research suggests that it may be largely a placebo effect.

• Ask your provider about a device that stimulates the underside of your wrist with a mild electric current. This "acustimulation" device costs about $75 and is available by prescription only. It's safe, and research has shown that this technique works well for some women.

If the problem persists there are medications you can take like can take that over the counter such as Emetrol
Doxylamine is available as a sleeping pill under the brand name Unisom Nighttime Sleep-Aid (be sure not to get Maximum Strength Unisom SleepGels because that's a different product). And you can find vitamin B6 in the vitamin section, of course. Ask your doctor or midwife if this combination would work for you and, if so, what dose you should take. Remember: Never take any drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements during pregnancy without first talking to your practitioner

As for prescription drugs, your practitioner may suggest an anti-nausea/antihistamine combination such as Compazine or Phenergan, or other anti-nausea medications such as Tigan. Another drug, Zofran, which was originally designed to control nausea in chemotherapy patients, may also be effective for pregnant women, but it's very expensive.

I hope this info helps

Answer 2

Yes. If your body wishes to release it, let it. It won't damage your child. However, there are things you may be able to do to prevent the morning sickness. One is to keep a cooler next to your bed with ice and a water based drink in it, as well as a cracker or some bread. Before you get out of bed, drink a bit of the drink and eat the cracker or bread, then lie back and relax for at least 20 minutes.

This puts a bit of "sugar" in your system first thing. Many times the nausea is due to a temporary low blood sugar condition, brought on by your body using up all the blood sugar to make your baby, overnight. Nausea is one way the body ups blood sugar, like other exercise.

One other way is to eat a protein based snack before going to bed. Protein helps slow down sugar release from food, so it would help keep blood sugar level during the night. I recommended the pre-bedtime snack to a co-worker. She tried it and found she slept better, and did not wake with morning sickness.

Answer 3

I threw up for 10 weeks, thru the day, and my baby was fine, thank God. Someone told me not to retch too much as that could cause pregnancy problems. But no one ever told me to keep it in. And I just felt better after throwing up.

Just make sure you are not getting dehydrated or weak by not being able to keep anything down. Good luck!

Answer 4

Morning sickness is a normal part of pregnancy. it won't hurt the baby unless it's an extreme problem. And it usually disappears after the 1st trimester.

Answer 5

I don't see how anyone can avoid throwing up if it's meant to happen. Maybe you are just nauseous?

Answer 6

it is unhealthy to cause yourself stress, if keeping it in is causing your body stress, then it can be unhealthy, but it is not unhealthy per se, but you should talk to your physician

Answer 7

yes, just let it out, it is unhealthy to keep it in.