Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting) may be the first signs that you are pregnant and tends to start at about 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is because your hormone levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is increasing to support your pregnancy.
Therefore, nausea and vomiting is a very common indication of pregnancy with up to 90% of women suffering with symptoms. These may be triggered, or aggravated, by odours, tiredness, anxiety or stress, a multiple pregnancy or the time of day. Additionally, a family history of the condition or motion sickness may intensify the symptoms. If vomiting is excessive it can lead to dehydration and weight loss which may be a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum which should be reported to your midwife immediately.
Regardless of the cause, the condition is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by health professionals as a minor complaint without acknowledging the debilitating and disruptive effects it has on women and their family. It can lead to women feeling isolated, depressed and physically and emotionally exhausted.
How can Complementary Therapies contribute?
Complementary therapies offer a holistic assessment of you and your symptoms to understand and appreciate the impact of the condition on your day to day life. Using stand alone or combinations of therapies such as acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, reflex zone therapy, homeopathy and herbal remedies can help to reduce and improve symptoms. Ginger may contribute to reducing symptoms but this is not through eating ginger biscuits!
However, these therapies, whist considered natural, must only be used under the instruction of a trained professional, such as myself. This ensures you have been assessed to have no physiological issues pertaining to the treatment which may cause harm to you or your baby. It also will provide correct dosages to make sure you don’t take too much and cause the symptoms to return or become worse (known as reverse proving).
Interesting articles for further reading:
By. Sheba Jarvis and Catherine Nelson-Piercy. Management of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
See here: http://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187262?path=/bmj/342/7812/Clinical_Review.full.pdf
Denise Tiran. Ginger to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: Evidence of effectiveness is not the same as proof of safety
See here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1744388111000739
Cochrane Library. Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy
See here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007575.pub3/full
