Morning Sickness: the what, the why and how to deal with it.
New (incredible!) research has shedding light on what causes morning sickness & it’s now possible to approach sickness in pregnancy with more understanding than before…
One little sick in the morning and get on with your day? Hmmm … not likely.
As someone who chundered violently and regularly through both of my pregnancies right up to each birth, this is what I want you to know: this is hard, this is not your fault and you are not alone.
What does morning sickness feel like?
As with any physical sensation, morning sickness is a totally individual thing: some people feel a mild queasiness for short periods of the day while some will feel truly awful and be violently sick for months on end.
And while for some it’ll be a one-hit wonder, for others (like me), sickness will hang around like an unwelcome guest for the whole pregnancy. In short, morning sickness is a bit of an inconsistent beast, striking not just in the morning but unpredictably and at any time of day or night.
This is tricky to deal with in itself, but can be even more so considering the time-frame: nausea and vomiting can appear as early as six weeks into pregnancy when most people haven’t announced their little bundle of joys to the world yet, mean an additional pressure to hide and explain away this key symptom of pregnancy,
Add it all up and ‘morning sickness’ can cause some real physical and emotional problems during pregnancy. But it is so important to remember that nothing you are doing, eating, drinking or thinking is causing this pregnancy sickness or making your queasiness, nausea or vomiting worse.
Why do we get morning sickness during pregnancy?
Up until December 2023, we did not know the cause of pregnancy sickness. But thanks to the work of a research team led by Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, we now know so much more…
Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly’s research shows that morning sickness is caused by a hormone called GDF15; it’s a stress response hormone which helps to keep our bodies healthy and deal with stress. When our cells feel under ‘threat’ or are working particularly hard, GDF15 acts to make us want to rest, to retreat, to avoid certain things and seek certain safety zones to allow our bodies to recooperate.
During pregnancy, the placenta produces high levels of GDF15. The key thing for pregnancy sickness or morning sickness, is not how much GDF15 is now being produced, but how much was being produced before hand.
If you had low levels of GDF15 before, the sudden increase during pregnancy could well lead to more intense nausea and sickness in comparison to people who has previously high levels (as they have tolerance to it).
A big change in levels leads to a big threat response (eg: sickness) which can vary from intense but brief periods of sickness in the day right up to hyperemesis gravidarum which can be very debilitating and require hospital admission.
This is brand new research and is fascinating: check out this episode of The Midwives Cauldron podcast to learn more.
What are the best morning sickness remedies?
As morning sickness is a hormonal thing, there’s not a great deal you can do to ‘solve’ sickness during pregnancy. However, there are quite a few things that you can do to help yourself cope …
Talk to Your Midwife: If your morning sickness is affecting the way you live your life, don't hesitate to consult your healthcare provider. They can offer guidance and potentially rule out any underlying medical conditions, and potentially offer treatment or medication to help you cope.
Rest: feeling tired can make nausea worse. Naps are great, but if you can’t take them make sure you take every opportunity to sit and rest.
Snacks: eating small, frequent meals can keep your stomach from becoming too empty, which can trigger nausea (and if you’re anything like me, will keep you happy too!)
Hydration: dehydration can make nausea worse so make sure you’ve got clear liquids going in! If you can stomach drinks, keep glasses of water or ginger tea close by to sip on, but if you can’t nibble on water rich foods like watermelon to keep your hydration up.
Acupressure Bands: nausea can sometimes be relieved by wearing acupressure bands on the wrists. Designed to stimulate pressure points that can reduce nausea, these can be really helpful if you have that ‘sea sickness’ feeling.
Morning sickness is a culturally normal and ‘expected’ part of pregnancy, but experiencing it can be horrible. Sharing your journey with other pregnant people, comparing notes and stories, can really help. This is why Bump Brunch exists…
Fancy joining us? Check out when and where our next brunch is, book a space and start building your support network.
