Pregnancy health

Minor health issues
Stretch marks | Weight gain | Tiredness | Constipation | Swollen ankles and fingers

Serious health issues
Hyperemesis | High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia | Cholestasis | Symphysis pubis dysfunction | Vaginal bleeding | Gestational diabetes

Morning sickness

Morning sickness is a misnomer: for many pregnant women the only time they don't feel nauseous is when they're asleep. It affects about eight out of ten women, starting around week six, and for most it stops around 12-14 weeks. The unlucky ones (about one in ten women) still feel sick after 20 weeks.

"I threw up my entire breakfast in the toilet at work. My vomit blogged the toilet and they had to call the engineers to unclog it. The terrible thing is that the only thing which makes me feel better is to eat a little something, but I have no appetite and all smells are putting me off." Tinyfeet

"With both pregnancies my morning sickness stopped almost overnight around 14/15 weeks. Before that I was puking five times a day and nothing helped. Eating small amounts of food all day long helped a little." SofiaAmes

Gross as it is, it won't usually harm you or your baby and, in fact, if you do feel sick research suggests you're less likely to have a miscarriage. But it can be severely debilitating:

"I had sickness all the way through my pregnancy and I lost a stone and a half in weight. I also got terribly depressed - I couldn't function and got no further than to the bathroom from my bedroom most days. I wasn't hospitalised but was given anti-nausea drugs. I even heard the opinion bandied about that morning sickness can be psychosomatic. I would beg to disagree!" Alli

If you can't keep anything down for days on end, then it's known as hyperemesis and you'll need TLC and help from your doctor or midwife, who'll want to monitor you.

"When I was eight weeks I was admitted to hospital I was so sick and they only let me leave when I started to keep my fluids down. My advice is not to worry too much about the food, some of it will stay down but keep your fluids up. If you feel really awful, don't be afraid to see your GP and give them a urine sample to check if your body is seriously not getting enough nourishment." Pie

So what helps to relieve morning sickness?

Mumsnetters recommend:

• "I swear by acupuncture. Also ginger, a diet high in zinc (seeds, wholemeal bread, small amounts of eggs, red meat, cheese etc) and remember to nibble every two hours." Sibble
• "My best hint is to carry mints everywhere. As well as being convenient, it is useful to have a few if disaster strikes and you are actually sick outside the house - freshen up your breath without need of carrying a toothbrush everywhere!" JayTree
• "Food shopping was hell and I would only manage to make it round the supermarket by sucking boiled sweets and breathing calmly." Daff

And a little self-pity probably is in order, as this mum explains:

"My aunt recommended sitting on the bathroom floor wailing 'oh please, just let me die'. I felt more comforted by her telling me that than by all those who offered more conventional advice." Eemie

One mum's guide to surviving morning sickness

"I was incredibly ill for two months - off work, bucket by bed stuff. I think I'd have been hospitalised if my mum hadn't come to live with us (she had it with me too). The following helped:

1. Don't let anyone cook in the house - everyone must eat salads and sandwiches.
2. Don't go in the kitchen, ever. Even the sight of the fridge made me ill.
3. Don't eat meals, eat snacks.
4. A house rule was "never ask me what I want to eat" as just contemplating food set me off.
5. Occupy your brain. I do think it's partly psychological, my mind would torment me with thoughts of the most nauseating food it could. I did puzzles and crosswords to keep my thoughts away from nauseous things.
6. I took vitamin B6, don't know if it helped or not.
7. Liquorice Allsorts went down well, but they always do with me.

Without a willing slave - sorry, Mum - I probably wouldn't have coped." emwi

Minor health issues
Stretch marks | Weight gain | Tiredness | Constipation | Swollen ankles and fingers

Serious health issues
Hyperemesis | High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia | Cholestasis | Symphysis pubis dysfunction | Vaginal bleeding | Gestational diabetes