When Does Morning Sickness End?

When you first find out you are pregnant, chances are you will be overcome with emotion. After all, you are going to be bringing a new life into the world. After the initial excitement wears off or perhaps even when you first find out, it is likely that you are going to experience some type of morning sickness.

While it is called morning sickness, this does not mean that it will just occur in the morning hours. Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day, and for some reason, it may even be all day every day for a while.

It is also important to note that every pregnant woman is different. You may have a friend who does not have morning sickness at all and another friend who is sick for her entire pregnancy. However, a good guideline for how long morning sickness will last is from about the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy until around the 12th week or so.

What Causes Morning Sickness

The science behind what may cause a woman to have morning sickness during pregnancy is not quite settled, but there are several culprits thought to be behind this symptom. These include:

Progesterone: this is a hormone that will relax the uterus muscles. It helps to prevent early delivery. In addition, progesterone will relax the intestinal and stomach muscles, which results in an excess of stomach acid.

hCG: another hormone that is thought to be behind morning sickness is hCG. This hormone develops not long after conception.

Smell: the sense of smell improves after becoming pregnant. This may cause you to have overstimulated nausea triggers.

Evolution: some scientists believe that morning sickness is an evolutionary survival mechanism. It is thought that it helps prevent expectant mothers from eating food that may poison them.

What to do for Morning Sickness

If you are suffering from morning sickness, chances are that you are miserable and want to know how to alleviate it. Unfortunately, there is no real cure for morning sickness. However, there are a few safe ways that you can try to ease some of the nausea that you may be experiencing.

First, instead of eating large meals a few times a day, try eating several smaller meals throughout the day. A stomach that is empty can make your nausea worse. It is best to eat foods that are high in protein as well as complex carbs. Whatever you choose to eat, make sure that you eat slowly.

It is also important to drink small amounts of liquid throughout the day. Water is a good choice but also sports drinks such as Gatorade as these will help replace electrolytes.

Ginger is well known for being a cure for a stomach that is upset. Drink some ginger tea, or try some ginger snaps or ginger chews.

Peppermint is another option for helping with an upset stomach. Sucking on mints or drinking peppermint tea may help with your morning sickness symptoms.

Eating crackers is another option for helping to settle your stomach. Make sure that you have some crackers available at all times as they can help you when the nausea is at its worst. Keep some by your bed and eat a few before you get up in the morning.

There have been some studies that show that taking vitamin B6 three times each day for three days can help reduce nausea and vomiting that is associated with your pregnancy. Make sure that you check with your doctor before you take any type of vitamin supplement.

It has also been found that smelling lemons can help ease your nausea. Simply cut open a lemon and sniff. The scent can be refreshing, and you might find that this is a simple way to reduce your sickness.

Serious Morning Sickness

As mentioned, everyone is different, and some women have more severe morning sickness than others. If you are having trouble keeping any food or liquids down, your running a fever or having pain with your vomiting, or if you lose a lot of weight, it is important to see your doctor right away.

You are Not Alone

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when you are suffering from morning sickness is that you are not alone. Morning sickness can be quite miserable and may last for many weeks. Just remember, you are not the first woman to go through this, and you will not be the last.

When it comes to when your morning sickness will end, chances are that by the time you hit your second trimester you are going to feel much better. If you are still suffering well into your second semester, you can discuss different options with your doctor.

Morning sickness is simply a fact of life when you become pregnant. You are growing a human after all, and no one said that was going to be easy. One positive thing to consider is that morning sickness is actually a good sign.

There have been several studies that show that it is a sign of a healthy pregnancy as women who have morning sickness have a lower chance of miscarrying. 

You will Get Through it

Even women who suffer from severe nausea and vomiting are going to get through it. While it is quite miserable and there may seem to be no end to feeling crappy, the chances are good that one day during your pregnancy you will wake up and finally feel somewhat normal again.

Of course, once you get rid of your morning sickness there are a host of other symptoms of pregnancy that you are likely to start to experience such as joint pain, lack of sleep, and having to pee every five minutes, but that is a discussion for another day.

References: http://americanpregnancy.org/https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/morning-sickness-misery#1https://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/march-2017-babies/topic/when-does-quot-morning-quot-sickness-stop.html