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Home › Articles › Health and Physical Changes › A New Way to Look at Morning Sickness

A New Way to Look at Morning Sickness

Is Morning Sickness Wellness Insurance?

By Teri Brown

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If there is one universal experience that knows no cultural boundaries it's the morning sickness that so often goes hand in hand with pregnancy. It's almost as common an experience as giving birth itself. Consider the following quotes:

"Morning sickness was a nightmare! It was like having the stomach flu, except when you have the flu you feel better after you toss your cookies. Barfing brought absolutely no relief. I couldn't stand to even see food, TV commercials made me queasy and don't get me started on grocery shopping and doing dishes. I'd never been that sick even after a night of drinking back when I was single." – Sharon Wren, mother of two, East Moline, Ill.

"I had terrible morning sickness for about the first four or five months of my pregnancy but it popped up a few times after that. It usually hit me about mid-afternoon and lasted most of the evening. It actually got to the point where I could barely eat at night. I also had a serious aversion to chicken. It looked disgusting to me even though I used to eat it all the time. I also tried eating a pork chop and had severe indigestion before I could even finish. It was so bad I thought I was going to vomit." – Jessica Meyers, mother of one, Kenosha, Wis.

"It was not restrained to morning only, but afternoon as well. The smell of food cooking, or just water, made me deathly sick. My doctor ended up prescribing medication for me because I had lost too much weight. It lasted the entire pregnancy, and repeated like a bad dream for each of my pregnancies with my girls." – Bethany Cagle, mother of three, Haleyville, Ala.

So exactly what is morning sickness and why is it so common, especially during that first trimester? There have been many theories, but two have risen to the top as real possibilities. One school of thought is that the mother and the fetus are competing for resources, such as nutrition, oxygen, etc. The other is that morning sickness is somehow beneficial for the fetus. At long last, evolutionary biologists think they have the answer.


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Re: A New Way to Look at Morning Sickness by anonymous on 11/19/2008 01:12PM

Yes, but this somehow makes it sounds like those of us without severe morning sickness are somehow not operating correctly to protect our unborn babies. I have been nauseous in all of my pregnancies - extra nauseous when pregnant with twins, but haven't really thrown up in my pregnancies. So what does that mean? That I am not protecting my baby? I think it has to do with hormones. I felt just as nauseous when I first started birth control pills that contained large doses of hormones. I guess it's a nice way to look at it for those who suffer so terribly with severe morning sickness (and I feel for them!), but still the theory doesn't add up to me. Also, there are some women who don't get nauseous at all!

Re: A New Way to Look at Morning Sickness by Annabeth on 10/14/2008 01:07AM

Never thought anyone could make me re-think morning sickness, but you did. Maybe there is a reason why so many pregnant women suffer. Maybe it is helping our bodies in some way prepare for our miracle. Thanks for putting a new twist on an old symptom.

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