A husband can act like a strong pillar in helping his wife cope with various symptoms of pregnancy. Here is what a man can do to help his wife cope with the morning sickness during pregnancy.Morning Sickness is also popularly known as nausea gravidarum or pregnancy vomiting. It is also called emesis gravidarum and affects almost half of pregnant women. It is common for a pregnant woman in her
first trimester to feel nauseous and sick and drained out. Interestingly women who have been taking Hormonal Replacement Therapy or have been using hormone based contraceptives tend to suffer from morning sickness too.
For most men seeing their wives continuously sick can be a puzzling experience and they may end up feeling confused and incapable. In either case if you are a man and are reading this and educating yourself and knowing how to help your wife through these difficult times is the best you can do.
Symptoms of Morning Sickness
Let us take a look at some of the common symptoms of morning sickness.
Occurrence of Morning SicknessMorning Sickness as the name suggests is supposed to occur in the early morning and then gradually abate as the day rolls on. However 60% of women who suffer from
morning sickness say that this term is not true as morning sickness can actually strike during any part of the day.
Common Symptoms of Morning SicknessThe symptoms include mild to severe cramps, mild to severe bouts of pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting and a loss of appetite. In some cases the pregnant woman suffers from severe dehydration and also loses weight. Aggravated morning sickness can lead to alkalosis and this leads to lowered blood potassium level; a condition which is extremely harmful for general health of the mother and baby.
When morning sickness is very severe is also called hyperemesis gravidosum and this condition requires serious medical help.
Helping to Cope with Morning Sickness
If your wife is experiencing mild to moderate morning sickness then you can help her out by the following ways.
- Keep her away from the sights and smells of food item which she particularly dislikes as this may trigger the symptoms of morning sickness.
- Create a diet plan for her in consultation with her obstetrician which is high on protein and carbohydrate but low on fat as this will help stem the vomiting tendency.
- Keep a big filled water bottle near her bedside table. Preferably, it should contain milk but if she is lactose intolerant then orange juice is a good option.
- Ask her to limit her consumption of caffeine as it is bad for the baby, dehydrates the skin and triggers on symptoms of morning sickness.
- If your wife has lost her appetite and cannot consume big meals then encourage her to consume small but frequent meals.
- Keep packets of candy, rice cake or pretzels near her bed. She will probably feel hungry at odd hours.
Emotional Support during Morning Sickness
As a caring partner,
emotional support is perhaps the most important thing for you to offer right now. Your wife is likely to feel low and vulnerable as she will feel sick and disturbed most of the times. It is likely that her sleeping patterns will be affected and this will make her cranky and irritable. Try to put yourself in her shoes and understand the reason behind the changed behaviour. It is the husband’s job to make the wife feel loved and wanted even when she is moody, irritable or constantly grumpy.
Demonstrate acts of affection and sensitivity like offering to do her chores for her. Make sure that you noise proof her bedroom so she can get plenty of rest. See that she takes her prenatal medicines on time. Ensure that she is relieved from her tension and worries by talking to her and reassuring her every day. With your emotional support and active involvement your wife is sure to get through the difficult phase of morning sickness smoothly.
What are the causes for morning sickness during pregnancy? How to help a woman deal with morning sickness during pregnancy? What can pregnant women do to prevent morning sickness? Discuss here.