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Morning Sickness
About half of all pregnant women experience morning
sickness. Despite the name, the nausea, heartburn,
and vomiting traditionally associated with morning
sickness can strike your partner at any hour of the
day. No one’s quite sure what causes morning
sickness. Some suggest that it’s a reaction to
the pregnant woman’s changing hormone levels.
Others, such as researcher Margie Profet, suggest
that morning sickness is the body’s natural
way of protecting the growing fetus from teratogins
(toxins that cause birth defects) and
abortifacients (toxins that induce miscarriage).
Either way, fortunately for most women morning
sickness disappears after about the third month.
Until then, here are a few things you can do to
help your partner cope:
- Help her maintain a high-protein,
high-carbohydrate diet. Encourage her to drink a
lot of fluids--especially milk. You might also
want to keep a large water bottle next to the
bed. She should avoid caffeine, which tends to
be dehydrating. She might want to start the day
with a small amount of juice or flat soda. The
sweet flavor will probably encourage her to
drink a little more than she might
otherwise.
- Be sensitive to the sights and smells that
make her queasy--and keep them away from her.
Fatty or spicy foods are frequent offenders.
Encourage her to eat a lot of small meals
throughout the day; every two or three hours, if
possible and to eat before she starts feeling
nauseated. She should try to eat basic foods
like rice and yogurt. These are particularly
good because they are less likely to cause
nausea than greasy foods.
- Make sure she takes her prenatal vitamins.
Put some pretzels, crackers, or rice cakes by
the bed—she'll need something to start and
end the day with, and these are low in fat and
calories.
- Be aware that she needs plenty of rest and
encourage her to get it. Keep in mind that
despite the name, morning sickness can happen
any time of the day. And don’t be surprised
if it disappears and then returns a few weeks
later. For some women it actually lasts the
entire pregnancy.
For the vast majority of women, morning sickness
isn’t a serious condition, and it poses no
risk to your baby. It’s unpleasant, but
it’s not life-threatening. Some women, though,
experience a combination of complete lack of
appetite and excessive vomiting. If this sounds
like your partner, make sure her doctor knows about
it right away. If she doesn’t get treatment
she could end up malnourished or dehydrated,
neither of which is good for her or the baby.
©2007, Armin Brott
* * *
It's clear that most American children suffer
too much mother and too little father. - Gloria
Steinem
A
nationally recognized parenting expert, Armin Brott
is the author of Blueprint
for Men's Health: A guide to a health
lifestyle,
The
Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for
Dads-to-Be;
The
New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First
Year, A
Dad's Guide to the Toddler
Years, Throwaway
Dads, The
Single Father: A Dad's Guide to Parenting without a
Partner and Father for
Life. He has written on parenting and fatherhood
for the New York Times Magazine, The
Washington Post, Newsweek and dozens of
other periodicals. He also hosts “Positive
Parenting”, a nationally distributed, weekly
talk show, and lives with his family in Oakland,
California. Visit Armin at www.mrdad.com
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