More than what we read about morning sickness, we’ve heard a lot about it from many pregnant women. Morning sickness is an unpleasant accessory to one’s pregnancy. Probably this is nature’s way of preparing a woman for the eventual hardships that she will face shortly. Studies reveal that 80% of pregnant women suffer from morning sickness during pregnancy. Although it is an irritable health condition, it does not cause any harm to the mother and child in the majority of cases unless the symptoms are extremely severe.

What is Morning Sickness?

Despite the word indicating “morning”, it is not necessary that this condition turns up only in the mornings. It may affect pregnant women at any time of the day. Surprisingly, it can even be in the middle of a night. This may include nausea and vomiting or just the vomiting sensation without the actual vomiting. Though I’ve heard many women complaining of this discomfort till their 5th month, it is more common in the first trimester of the gestation period. But few women may have this even in their third trimester. Call a doctor if there are persistently extreme symptoms if you pass dark coloured urine or very less amount of it, if you feel faint or dizzy, and if the blood in vomiting and high heartbeat is seen.

Here are some ways by which you may get some relief from your morning sickness:

Divide Your Meal in Multiple Small Portions

Nausea worsens if the stomach is empty. Frequently eating small portions of your meal helps the sugar levels on an even tone. Keep nutrition-rich snacks aside for munching throughout the day. If vomited, big meals are a waste without serving the purpose and hence go for the smaller ones.

Go For a Protein Rich Diet

Consume foods that are easily digestible and are rich in protein and vitamin B. Keep oily, acidic, and spicy foods away as such contents can erupt nausea.

Pick Cold Meal Not to Get Cooking Smells

I was on my toes during my pregnancy days when garlic was being used in cooking and boiling. It used to drive me nuts. Cold foods do not emit the food aroma as hot food does. This subsides your nausea to some extent. Continue having cold foods till your nausea becomes a passé cloud.

Increase Drinks in Between Meals

If you have a tough time keeping down the volume of fluids, avoid taking them during meals. However, add fluids in between the meals as it is essential to be hydrated during your pregnancy.

Sniff the Aroma of Citrus Fruits or Ginger

Citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, and sweet lime may help you ease your vomiting sensation. Ginger also works similarly if sniffed. Add lemon and ginger to your green tea or black tea to get rid of nausea.

Keep Perfumes and Scents Away

Surprisingly perfumes and aromatic scents trigger nausea. Body odours are quite irritating as I disliked my husband’s body odour which I earlier liked very much. The poor creature had to always be away from me. Avoiding these can help you get better.

Take Anti-nausea Tic Pills On Prescription

Take a suggestion from your doctor in using the anti-nauseatic pills if you have too many issues with it or if the nausea is persistent even after the first trimester.

Get a Fresh Breath

Get out and take a fresh breath in a garden or greenery. Avoid areas with heavy blooms as pollen may erupt the nausea tic elements in you. A fresh breeze can take away nausea.

Try and figure out these tips to conquer morning sickness. Understand that this is a temporary element and you will see days with the perfectly rising sun. Enduring this discomfort would prepare you for the required toughness when you become a mother.

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When my friend Sasha was pregnant, she told me how often she felt tired. We all know that pregnancy brings its share of happiness and discomforts for the mum-to-be. And sleep problems was just one of discomforts that comes as a part of the package. Most women tend to feel exhausted in the first and third trimesters. But Sasha was completely taken aback by how wiped out she felt right in the initial months of the pregnancy.

Sasha’s gynaecologist said, “A lot of women are totally surprised by how fatigued they feel during the first trimester. Many women know about morning sickness during pregnancy but a lot of women were unaware of the fatigue that you feel during these months”.

So Are You Meant To Sleep For Two Now?

Just like women are meant to eat for two when pregnant, health experts are now emphasizing on the fact – that women should also sleep for two -during this pregnancy period. The reason being that pregnancy can affect both the quantity and quality of sleep.

As the body undergoes changes and pregnancy discomforts bothers more often, it becomes difficult for the mothers-to-be to fall and stay asleep. However, eight hours of sleep is what every pregnant woman should aim to get.

Researchers have presented their analysis that due to the fact of not sleep well during pregnancy; women tend to be more irritable, exhausted and have poor concentration levels.

According to an article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AJOG), first time mothers-to-be who get less than 6 hours of sleep each day are most likely to have a C-section delivery in compare to those who get more than 7 hours of sleep.

So What Can You Do About It?

Sasha’s doctor suggests the following:

1)    During pregnancy, one should make a habit of hitting the bed early rather than late.

2)   Sasha’s doctor says, “Because of the many possible disruptions like nightly bathroom visits, morning sickness, snoring, to sleep during pregnancy, napping is a good idea as long as the woman can fall asleep that night.”

3)    The last recommendation was trying to position yourself on the left side with the knees bent whilst sleeping especially if you are prone to suffering from heartburn. This position improves the blood and nutrients flow to the foetus and uterus and help the body to get rid of any waste and additional fluids.

And exciting factors can also play a part. The exhilaration and looking forward to of having a baby as well as the uncertainties of the fast approaching parenthood and the nervousness about the actual experience of labour and delivery can all be taxing and make a woman feel more tired than usual. It is best to follow what suits you best during this time. You and your baby come first.

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I still remember those sleepless nights when my six month old was teething. This was my first experience as a mum and when my little girl was cranky and irritated, especially at night, I was completely at a loss of how to soothe her. Thankfully, my trusted paediatrician and the all-time source of information ‘the internet’ came to my rescue. I found out that baby teething is a common affair when a child is between 4 to 6 months old. Just being aware of some of the common indicators of baby teething will help you to act and respond faster to your baby’s needs.

Signs and symptoms

Every kid experiences different symptoms, say many reputed paediatricians.

Drooling

Trust me it’s hard to believe so much fluid can come out from a baby’s mouth unless you see it for yourself. Actually, teething stimulates drooling and it starts when the baby is between 10 weeks to two – three months old, though my daughter started when she was much older. I used to find her clothes always soggy which the paediatrician later on confirmed was due to teething.

Teething rash

Due to the continuous drooling and dripping, my baby started suffering from redness and rashes around her mouth, which according to the paediatrician was another symptom of teething. However, this was cured by applying baby nursing cream and lotion at regular intervals.

Coughing and/or gag

Drooling and dripping all the time can make your baby gag and cough too. Do not worry if your baby does not have any other signs of cold and flu.

Biting

This was the biggest problem when my little baby girl was teething. Pressure from the teeth poking through under the gums caused a lot of discomfort and to get instant relief, she was more inclined towards biting and chewing on just about anything that was in front of her.

Irritability

Don’t know about others, but my daughter used to be extremely fussy throughout the day due to aching. The doctor explained to me that because of the pressure of the little tooth on the gum most children (if not all) are likely to be fussy and irritable, either for a few hours or throughout the day.

Pulling ears and rubbing the chin and cheeks

This was the weirdest symptom of all. My baby girl used to pull her ears a lot or used to rub her chin and cheeks. I was a little surprised by this behaviour, but the paediatrician relieved me by telling me that this behaviour indicates that your baby will soon have little pearly white teeth. According to her, babies usually do this to create counter pressure that eases some of the pain.

But as I said earlier, it is not mandatory for all babies to show the same teething signs. While some will have the symptoms as stated above, others will show other signs or no sign at all.

Other Signs

Swollen gums

Swollen red gums are also a sign of teething, as was indicated by my paediatrician. For quick relief, gently rub your clean finger over the gums.

Refusing food

Often because of pain and irritation while teething, babies refuse to eat much. If it lasts long, then call your paediatrician and ask for a solution.

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The beginning of my Dad journey…

It was just past noon and whilst my lovely wife was in the bathroom, I was furiously pacing outside the door. The bathroom door opened and there she was with the biggest smile on her face and tears rolling down her rose-blushed cheeks. She was ecstatic. She waved the test and I saw that it was positive. My first thought was of pure joy and relief. I remember telling her, “can you really believe it?”, “Are you happy?”, “Does it really say that you are pregnant?” We stood in the doorway for god knows how long, hugging and crying before finally calming down.

The “moment you find out” is quite unique and it was finally sinking in. It reminds me of that singular moment in life when you hold your breath and then heave those pleasurable gasps after a chest-achingly long time. A combination of being euphoric on finding out as well as the sweet relief of the long-endured fight of trying to, engulfed us all around.

We’d been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and our gynaecologist had told us that it wasn’t going to be an easy path for us. This challenging personal experience for us was a mirror of what was happening with many of our friends and some relatives too. The entire experience of winning the battle against childlessness seemed just imbalanced. The wrongness is amplified by the sense that the act of getting pregnant should be uncomplicated and the most enjoyable thing in the world to do.

I’ve seen the tightly-managed disappointment and setback turn out to be merely the opening act for a massive emotional ocean of antagonism, hopelessness, grief, resentment, embarrassment and remorse at being envious or not interested in others’ swift stork deliveries.

But all that is in the past.

Now that it has actually happened to us, it is such an unreal feeling; something that I’ve never lived through before and doubt I ever will again. Marriage is colossal, buying a house is massive, but making a human… is mammoth. I could not wait to scream it out of the rooftop.

I started visualising what a fantastic dad I was going to be; not that I’ve had any practice before. I would need to change a million things about myself, my lifestyle, to be able to be that great dad; but I am prepared to make all those changes. No more reckless drinking and takeout every night, no more sleeping until 8:30am on workdays.

Right now, I am just excited beyond my wildest dreams and maybe a little frightened too. But today, I only want to share this joy and pride with my beautiful wife. I have no doubt that she is feeling the same thrill. After all, we did this together!

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