Is this your symptom?
- Main problem is nausea, vomiting, or "morning sickness"
- Nausea and vomiting begin during the 4th-8th week of pregnancy
- Patient is less than 20 weeks pregnant
Key Points
- Nausea and vomiting are common during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. About 80% of pregnant women have nausea. About 50% of pregnant women have vomiting.
- These symptoms are called morning sickness. For some women the symptoms are worse in the mornings. But for many women these symptoms can occur time during the day. Thus, a better term for these symptoms is Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP).
- Most women with morning sickness can take care of themselves at home.
- Morning sickness does not harm the baby and does not cause birth defects. However, it is important to stay hydrated.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of Morning Sickness are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
The symptoms typically start around the 4th-8th week of pregnancy. They get worse until the 11th week. The symptoms then start to get better and usually go away by the 20th week of pregnancy.
Usually, there are no other symptoms besides nausea or vomiting. There should be no fever, stomach pain, or vaginal bleeding. If other symptoms are present, then there may be something else causing the nausea and vomiting.
Cause
The cause of morning sickness is not known. It may be from the effects of pregnancy hormones and emotional factors.
Complications
- Dehydration
Vomiting Severity is defined as:
- Mild: 1 - 2 times/day
- Moderate: 3 - 5 times/day
- Severe: 6 or more times/day, vomits everything or nearly everything
What are Signs of Dehydration?
Signs of dehydration include:
- Feeling dizzy
- Dry mouth
- Feeling like fainting
- Very thirsty
- Pale skin
- No urine in more than 12 hours
- Dark yellow urine
When to Call for Morning sickness
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Call 911 Now
- You have any of these symptoms:
- very sleepy / hard to wake up
- confused
- loss of movement in a body part or face
- slurred speech or can't speak
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Vomiting more than once and you:
- Have diabetes
- Have other risks (brain tumor, cancer chemo, inguinal hernia, or recent surgery)
- Severe headache
- Severe abdominal pain
- Vomiting blood
- Constant stomach pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Recent injury to the stomach
- Recent injury to the head (within 3 days)
- Diabetes and have blood glucose more than 400 mg/dl (22 mmol/L)
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Severe vomiting (6 or more times / day)
- Can't keep any liquids down (without vomiting) for more than 1 day
- Weight loss greater than 5 pounds (2.5 kg)
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Vomiting 3-5 times for more than 2 days
- Pain or burning when passing urine
- Alcohol or drug use
- Diabetes
- Weak immune system (HIV, cancer chemo, long-term steroid use, splenectomy)
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Mild vomiting (e.g., 1-2 times / day) for more than 1 week and not better after using Care Advice
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Mild nausea or vomiting from Morning Sickness
- Question about ginger or acupressure bands
- Questions about prescription medicines
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
